Much of the top talent across Europe was spread thin in the Euro 2016 qualifying draw, leaving fans with few matchups of any excitement early on.
While the draw’s result means the seeding worked and that the finals will most likely be all the top teams, it leaves many of the groups all but predetermined.
However, with the Euro 2016 finals expanded from 16 to 24 teams, the straightforward draw does leave a bit of room for countries previously unable to make noise on the European stage to have a chance to surprise some.
With the expanded finals, it means the top three - not the top two - teams in each group have the opportunity to move on. With nearly every group holding clear top-2 favorites, the third-place position in many groups will be a bitter battle to the finish.Just two groups - Group A and H - have three clear teams that could vie for the top two spots.
Group A has the Netherlands, Turkey, and Czech Republic, and Group H sports four decent teams in Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Norway.The rest of the groups are left incredibly top-heavy. Group B has Belgium and Bosnia-Herzegovna, Group C has Spain and Ukraine, Group D holds Germany and Poland, Group E with England and Switzerland, Group F is likely to be topped by Greece and Hungary, Group G has Russia and Sweden, and Group I holds Portugal and Denmark (who draw each other again after a fierce battle in the Euro 2012 qualifying groups).
While this seems initially to leave fans with little to look forward to, it also means a lot of the third-place spots will be up for grabs, and could give teams not formerly thought to challenge for the later rounds a chance to make a move.
Consider a country like Romania. A country that has hardly made noise in the Euros in the past could now have a chance to make a playoff, where anything could happen.
In Euro 2012 qualifying, Romania finished a distant third to powerhouses France and Bosnia, now they draw Hungary and Greece with the opportunity to make noise even if they fail to eclipse either. Finland, in that same group, falls in the same boat.
So with the expanded field, much of the focus will shift from the top of the groups to the middle, where we could see action never before brought to the European championships.
