Euro 2020 news - Draw details, pots, play-offs, who can England get?
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Updated 29/11/2019 at 15:50 GMT
The country-hopping extravaganza that is Euro 2020 arrives next summer! But before that, there’s the small matter of the group stage draw…
euro 2020 romania
Image credit: Getty Images
WHEN IS THE DRAW?
The draw for Euro 2020 is on Saturday, 30 November at 17:00 GMT in Bucharest.
UK viewers can watch it live on BBC Two.
WHO IS IN EACH POT?
Nations are seeded based on their performances in qualifying – meaning Portugal (runners-up in Group B) are ominously lurking in Pot Three.
HOW DOES THE DRAW WORK?
At first, it seems there are few surprises. The four pots contain six teams, with one team per pot filling the six groups. Simple.
But there are actually a few quirks…
Host countries are guaranteed at least two group games at home (in most cases, all three) and those that have qualified have already been assigned a group.
Host nations Italy, England, Spain and Germany all qualified as top seeds, initially leaving just Belgium and Ukraine in Pot 1. But as Russia also qualified and are among the second-seed hosts, Ukraine are unlikely to fancy a trip to Saint-Petersburg (for obvious reasons) and must therefore slot into Group C alongside the Netherlands.
Confused? Basically, the draw will be slightly anti-climatic for some nations – particularly Belgium, Russia and Denmark who have already been placed together in Group B.
Oh, and then there’s the folly of the draw happening before the play-offs, meaning that the identity of four teams will remain unknown until March 31.
WHAT ARE THE CURRENT GROUPS?
Group A (hosts: Rome, Baku)
- Italy
- TBC
- TBC
- Finland/Wales
Group B (hosts: Saint Petersburg, Copenhagen)
- Belgium
- Russia
- Denmark
- Finland/Wales
Group C (hosts: Amsterdam, Bucharest)
- Ukraine
- Netherlands
- TBC
- Winner play-off path A or D
Group D (hosts: London, Glasgow)
- England
- TBC
- TBC
- Winner play-off path C
Group E (hosts: Bilbao, Dublin)
- Spain
- TBC
- TBC
- Winner play-off path B
Group F (hosts: Munich, Budapest)
- Germany
- TBC
- TBC
- Winner play-off path A or D
OK, WHO CAN ENGLAND GET?
Lots of teams!
A disastrous scenario could see them paired with France AND Portugal – with one-in-four odds of landing the World Cup winners and a one-in-five shot of getting Cristiano Ronaldo and co.
They are guaranteed to meet the winners from Play-off Path C (Scotland, Norway, Serbia and Israel). This is to ensure that Scotland play at home should they qualify. England will play all three group games at Wembley regardless of whether Scotland qualify.
- Group of Death: England, France, Portugal, Serbia
- Group of Life: England, Switzerland, Austria, Israel
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Euro 2020
Image credit: Getty Images
WHEN ARE THE PLAY-OFFS - AND HOW DO THEY WORK?
The play-offs are NOT two-legged affairs. Instead, the best-ranked teams earned home advantage in the semi-finals, while a draw determined who plays at home in the final.
Semi-final: March 26, 2020
- Path A: Iceland v Romania, Bulgaria v Hungary
- Path B: Bosnia and Herzegovina v Northern Ireland, Slovakia v Republic of Ireland
- Path C: Scotland v Israel, Norway v Serbia
- Path D: Georgia v Belarus, North Macedonia v Kosovo
Final: March 31, 2020
- Path A: Bulgaria/Hungary v Iceland/Romania
- Path B: Bosnia and Herzegovina/Northern Ireland v Slovakia/Republic of Ireland
- Path C: Norway/Serbia v Scotland/Israel
- Path D: Georgia/Belarus v North Macedonia/Kosovo
Extra permutations
- If Romania win Path A, they will go into Group C as hosts and the winner of Path D would complete Group F
- If anyone else wins Path A (Iceland, Bulgaria or Hungary) they would go into Group F, sending the winner of Path D into Group C
WHEN IS EURO 2020?
The country-hopping extravaganza begins on June 12, 2020 and runs until July 12, 2020.
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