Ukraine national team and the Euro 2024 selection play-offs: the situation has changed for the better

The Ukraine national team continues to fight for direct access to the finals of Euro 2024. To do so, it needs to finish first or second in its qualifying group for the European Championship. But it is likely that in case of failure, the Ukrainian national team will still get a chance to go to the Euros.

As a reminder, following the results of the group stage of the Euro 2024 qualifying cycle, 20 national teams will get direct tickets to the final part of the tournament - those who will take the final first and second places in their groups. One more ticket to the European Championship will automatically go to its host - the German national team. The remaining three places at Euro 2024 (24 teams will take part in the tournament) will be played in the play-offs of the new format among the best teams of the Nations League of the last season played. And this could be the alternative path for the Ukraine national team in case it fails to qualify directly for Euro 2024.

The Euro 2024 selection play-offs will feature 12 national teams - those that finished top of the A, B and C divisions of the last Nations League played. This round itself will be split into three pathways, with 4 teams in each pathway playing mini-tournaments with semi-finals and finals. The winner of each of these three finals will get the coveted trip to the final round of Euro 2024.

Ukraine's national team played in Division B this season and finished sixth in the rankings, while the top four teams - Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Scotland - received a ticket to the Euro 2024 play-offs.

According to UEFA regulations, if a team that qualified for the Euro 2024 play-offs from the Nations League directly qualifies for the European Championship, its place in the play-offs must be taken by the next highest ranked team in the same Nations League division. As already reported, yesterday the Scottish national team guaranteed themselves a place in the final part of the European Championship. Its place in the list of play-off participants under the Nations League quota was taken by the fifth team in the ranking of Division B of the Nations League - the national team of Finland.

Thus, in order for the Ukraine national team to have a "window of opportunity" in the form of participation in the play-offs from the Nations League, it is necessary that a direct ticket to Euro-2024 got at least one of the following teams: Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Finland. The current standings of these teams in Euro 2024 qualification are as follows.

Group "I"

1. Romania - 16 points (8 matches)
2. Switzerland - 15 (7)
3. Israel - 11 (6)
4. Kosovo - 7
5. Belarus - 6 (8)
6. Andorra - 2 (8)

Group "J"

1. Portugal - 21 points (7 matches)
2. Slovakia - 13 (7)
3. Luxembourg - 11 (7)
4. Bosnia and Herzegovina - 9 (7)
5. Iceland - 7
6. Liechtenstein - 0 (7)

Group "G"

1. Hungary - 13 points (5 matches)
2. Serbia - 10 (6)
3. Montenegro - 8 (5)
4. Lithuania - 5 (6)
5. Bulgaria - 2 (6)

Group "H"

1. Slovenia - 16 points (7 matches)
2. Denmark - 16 (7)
3. Finland - 12 (7)
4. Kazakhstan - 12 (7)
5. Northern Ireland - 6 (7)
6. San Marino - 0 (7)

Alexander POPOV