What is the draw for?
To determine the remaining four spots at UEFA EURO 2020. There will be four four-team paths in March 2020, each made up of one-off semi-finals and a final. The draw – strictly speaking, draws – will determine:
1. Composition of the four play-off paths
2. Final hosts for each path
When is the draw?
The UEFA EURO 2020 play-off draw takes place on Friday 22 November, starting at 12:00 CET.
Who is involved?
Teams that fail to qualify via the European Qualifiers, based on their performance in the 2018/19 UEFA Nations League – namely the four top-ranked eligible sides in each League. If there are not enough non-qualified teams in the same League then the spot goes to the next best side in the overall ranking in accordance with article 16.03 of the competition regulations.
If the European Qualifiers ended now, what would be the line-up?
Path A: Switzerland, Netherlands, Iceland, Bulgaria/Israel/Hungary*
Path B: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Wales, Bulgaria/Israel/Hungary*
Path C: Scotland, Norway, Serbia, Bulgaria/Israel/Hungary*
Path D: Georgia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Belarus
*In the current scenario, a draw would decide which side from Bulgaria, Israel or Hungary would compete in Path C and which would fill the empty slot in Path B and in Path A.
- EURO play-offs as they stand
Is this new?
Qualifying for UEFA EURO 2020 is different to previous editions. Because of the unique format of the finals, with games taking place in 12 cities in 12 European countries, for the first time since 1976 hosts have not qualified automatically.
Instead, 20 teams qualify via the European Qualifiers, which ends on 19 November. The remaining four slots are decided by these play-offs, creating the perfect bridge between the UEFA Nations League and EURO.
- All you need to know about UEFA EURO 2020
How will the play-off ties be decided?
Unlike previous play-offs, these will be single-leg knockout matches. In each path, teams will be ranked 1st to 4th based on the overall UEFA Nations League rankings. The semi-finals of each play-off path will be as follows:
- Team ranked 1st v team ranked 4th
- Team ranked 2nd v team ranked 3rd
For each play-off final, a draw takes place on 22 November to determine which semi-final winner plays at home. The winners of each final qualifies for UEFA EURO 2020.
When do the play-offs take place?
The semi-finals will be played on Thursday 26 March, with the finals five days later on Tuesday 31 March. Kick-offs are generally 20:45 CET but exceptions may apply, in particular related to time zones.
- Full draw procedure
Key dates
Play-off draw: 22 November
Final tournament draw: 30 November
Play-off semi-finals: 26 March 2020
Play-off finals: 31 March 2020
Additional final tournament draw (if required): 1 April 2020
Final tournament: 12 June–12 July 2020
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