Euro draws next: England could land in Group of Death
The roadmap to the 2024 European Championship is clearer now, with all but three of the teams that will be competing in Germany known after the qualification campaign. Ahead of the draw in December the pots have been issued and from the look of things, there could be a potential Group of Death when the draw takes place in Germany.
England are in Pot 1 of the four pots and it means they will avoid group matches against recent former world champions Germany, France and Spain. The three Lions will also not face Belgium and Portugal, the other members of Pot 1. By Italy being placed in Pot 4 of the draw, it means England could face the reigning European champions again. After the qualifiers, the finals present another exciting period for the betting community, especially the ones seeking to bet through some of the best UK betting sites, which are profiled on www.cheekypunter.com, coming with top sign up offers including up to £40.
England-Netherlands
England could also get a match up against the Netherlands, who are drawn in Pot 3 of the competition. There is also no ruling out a potential England v Scotland encounter for the second straight European Championship competition. Scotland are drawn in Pot 3 ahead of the draw which is scheduled for December 2. Another potential tough draw for England could be against Croatia, who have landed in Pot 3 following their win over Armenia in the qualifiers saw a bright ending to a tough campaign. For England, there is also a potential meeting with Hungary, one of the teams that have really troubled England in recent times. In their Nations League meeting in the last edition of the competition, England lost home and away against Hungary. The 4-0 drubbing at home was the highlight as England went on to get relegated to League B. Hungary is the highlight team in Pot 2 and England will hope to avoid them. Here are the pots as grouped ahead of the draw:
Pot 1: Germany (hosts), Portugal, France, Spain, Belgium and England
Pot 2: Hungary, Denmark, Albania, Austria, Turkey, Romania
Pot 3: Scotland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Croatia and the Netherlands
Pot 4: Serbia, Italy, Switzerland and three play-off winners
Confirmed places
So, 21 teams have confirmed their places, and a number will be contesting for the remaining three slots, to make it a full list for Germany 2024. These three teams will qualify through the post qualification playoffs based on how they finished in their respective groups in the Nations League. All these three teams will slot into Pot 4, to join Italy, Serbia and Switzerland. Since they will play in March, their slots will be predetermined in the tournament draw coming up in December. The playoffs will involve 12 teams; these are Wales, Poland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Iceland, Kazakhstan and Estonia. Here’s the format for the playoffs, to start from the semi finals stage:
Semi-finals - Path C: Georgia vs Luxembourg, Greece vs Kazakhstan
Semi-finals - Path B: Israel vs Ukraine/Iceland, Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Finland/Ukraine
Semi-finals - Path A: Poland vs Estonia, Wales vs Finland/Ukraine/Iceland
Final Path C: Georgia/Luxembourg vs Greece/Kazakhstan
Final Path B: Israel/Ukraine/Iceland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina/Finland/Ukraine
Final Path A: Poland/Estonia vs Wales/Finland/Ukraine/Iceland
