As the excitement builds up for the UEFA Euro 2024, football enthusiasts around the world are gearing up for a journey filled with competition, passion, and impeccable athleticism. The qualifiers for this prestigious tournament see national teams across Europe battling it out for a coveted spot in the finals, set to be held in Germany. What follows is an exhaustive preview of these much-anticipated qualifiers, highlighting the key elements and players to watch.
The Structure of the Qualifiers
The qualification process for Euro 2024 is designed to be both challenging and fair, ensuring that only the most deserving teams make it to the final tournament. A total of 24 teams will qualify for the main event, including the host nation, Germany, which automatically secures a spot. The remaining 23 places are determined through a series of qualifiers, divided into several groups.
Teams are drawn into 10 groups, each containing five or six teams. These groups compete in a round-robin format, where each team faces every other team in their group twice, once at home and once away. The top two teams from each group earn automatic qualification, contributing to 20 of the final 24 slots.
For the remaining three places, teams that performed well in the UEFA Nations League