MADRID, 23 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
This Thursday, UEFA drew the six pairings, divided into three ‘routes’, of the ‘playoffs’ for qualifying for Euro 2024, which will be played next summer in Germany, with Wales-Finland, Poland-Estonia or Greece -Kazakhstan as notable meetings.
The draw was held this Thursday at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon (Switzerland), where the paths for the last three places that remain to be defined in the continental tournament began to be written. Thus, this play-off will have six semifinals and three finals from March 21 to 26, 2024 – a single match -, with the three winning teams completing the 24 tickets for the EURO.
On route A, Poland-Estonia and Wales-Finland will be played in semis. Robert Lewandowski’s men, who are seeking their fifth European Championship in a row, are one of the favorites to obtain one of those three places, and have also beaten the Estonians in seven of their nine previous direct matches, although all of them were friendlies. The Estonian team, which finished the qualifying round with just one point, won the most recent match in 2012.
While Wales, now without Gareth Bale, has gone four games – since 2009 – unbeaten against Finland. Against those from northern Europe they will want to continue their great performance in the great continental tournament, after they made their debut in a EURO in 2016, reaching a historic semi-finals. If they win, the ticket to the EURO will likely be played against Poland, in which it would be the most attractive duel of the play-offs.
On route B, the draw revealed Bosnia and Herzegovina-Ukraine. The Ukrainians already faced the Bosnians in the qualifying phase for the World Cup in Qatar, achieving a draw and a win away from home (0-2), a positive precedent to believe in advancing to the final of these ‘playoffs’.
A win would allow them to face Israel or Iceland, who are in the other semifinal, a duel that traditionally ended in a draw – three of the last five. The Israelis dream of their first Euro Cup, while the Icelanders, now far from their best generation, intend to live the dream of EURO 2016 again, debuting with a creditable quarterfinal.
Finally, on route C, Georgia-Luxembourg and Greece-Kazakhstan will be played. Spain’s rival in the qualifying phase exhausts its options to be in a European Championship independently, and is the favorite to be in the final for the place alongside the champions of the competition in 2004, and yet does not play a EURO since 2012.