Euro 2020 Qualifiers: format, groups and schedule

This Thursday the Euro 2022 qualifying matches get underway with the group stages, as teams face off in 12 different European countries.

"Instead of having a party in one country, we are having a party across all of Europe in summer for Euro 2020", declared Infantino in 2012, also referencing the 60th anniversary of the intercontinental competition.

The objective of each participating team is to get as far as possible in the competition. They all hope to make it to Wembley, where the grand final of Euro 2020 will be contested on July 12th.

Qualification format for Euro 2020

There are five groups of five teams and another five of six which make up the qualifying format for next year's Euro 2020. Each clash will be contested under the double-match, league format. Meaning there will be first and second legs.

The four national teams that are still competing in the Nations League form the groups of five, and the format will allow them to have rest days in the month of June.

There will be five international breaks for the matches to be contested. The dates for these have already been decided: 21st - 26th March, 7th - 11th June, 5th - 10th September, 10th - 15th October and 14th - 19th November 2019.

The tournament does not have an automatic qualifying spot for host, since the matches will be contested in 12 different countries.

With regard to the play-offs, four return-leg matches will be played at the end of March to decide the highest ranked teams not to have qualified for the tournament from each Nations League division. Therefore, in total 24 teams will compete in the competition.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the next round. This means that 20 matches are to be contested.

The groups for Euro 2020 are as follows:

- Group A: England, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Kosovo.

- Group B: Portugal, Ukraine, Serbia, Lithuania, Luxembourg

- Group C: Holland, Germany, Northern Ireland, Estonia, Belarus

- Group D: Switzerland, Denmark, Republic of Ireland, Georgia, Gibraltar

- Group E: Croatia, Wales, Slovakia, Hungary, Azerbaijan

- Group F: Spain, Sweden, Norway, Romania, Faroe Islands, Malta

- Group G: Poland, Austria, Israel, Slovenia, Macedonia, Lithuania

- Group H: France, Iceland, Turkey, Albania, Moldova, Andorra

- Group I: Belgium, Russia, Scotland, Cyprus, Kazakhstan, San Marino

February 11, 2019

Group stage match schedule

First game week

Kazakhstan-Scotland, Cyprus-San Marino, Croatia-Azerbaijan, Austria-Poland, Macedonia-Latvia, Slovakia-Hungary, Belgium-Russia, Israel-Slovenia, Holland-Belarus, Northern Ireland-Estonia, Bulgaria-Montenegro, Albania-Turkey , Andorra-Iceland, Moldova-France, Portugal-Ukraine, Luxembourg-Lithuania, England-Czech Republic, Georgia-Switzerland, Gibraltar-Ireland, Malta-Faroe Islands, Sweden-Romania, Italy-Finland, Spain-Norway, Bosnia-Armenia and Liechtenstein-Greece.

Second game week

Kazakhstan-Russia, Wales-Slovakia, San Marino-Scotland, Israel-Austria, Hungary-Croatia, Cyprus-Belgium, Slovenia-Macedonia, Holland-Germany, Poland-Latvia, Northern Ireland-Belarus, Turkey-Moldova, Andorra-Albania , Montenegro-England, Luxembourg-Ukraine, Portugal-Serbia, France-Iceland, Kosovo-Bulgaria, Armenia-Finland, Malta-Spain, Bosnia-Greece, Romania-Faroe Islands, Switzerland-Denmark, Italy-Liechtenstein, Norway-Sweden and Ireland-Georgia