Theplay-offs of theUEFA Euro 2024 qualifying tournament decided the last three teams that qualified for theUEFA Euro 2024 final tournament in Germany.[1] The twelve participants of the play-offs were selected based on their performance in the2022–23 UEFA Nations League. The teams were divided into three paths, each containing four teams, with each play-off path featuring two single-leg semi-finals, and one single-leg final. The three play-off path winners joined hostsGermany and the twenty other teams already qualified for UEFA Euro 2024.[2]
The twelve teams were selected based on their performance in the2022–23 UEFA Nations League.[3] These teams were divided into three paths, each containing four teams, with one team from each path qualifying for the final tournament.[1][4]
The format was similar to that of theUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs. However, given there was one fewer qualifying spot available (as no host qualified automatically forEuro 2020), and theUEFA Nations League was restructured from the2018–19 season, the play-offs now featured only three paths, with the now-downsized League D no longer given its own path.
Based on theNations League rankings, the twelve selected teams were chosen as follows, starting with League C and working up to League A:[1]
The twelve selected teams were then allocated to paths of four teams each. The draw to allocate teams to the different paths was subject to the following general conditions:[1]
With these conditions, the general draw procedure was as follows, starting with League C and working up to League A:[5]
Each play-off path featured two single-leg semi-finals, and one single-leg final, taking place in March 2024. In the semi-finals of each path, based on the Nations League rankings, the best-ranked team hosted the fourth-ranked team, and the second-ranked team hosted the third-ranked team. The host of each final was decided by a draw between the two semi-final pairings.
The play-offs were played in single-leg knockout matches. If scores were level at the end of normal time, 30 minutes ofextra time were played, followed by apenalty shoot-out if the scores remained level.[1]
The team selection process, usinga set of criteria, determined the twelve teams that would compete in the play-offs based on theNations League overall rankings.[6]
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Key
The qualifying play-off draw took place on 23 November 2023, 12:00CET, at the UEFA headquarters inNyon, Switzerland.[7][8][9] The draw followed thepath formation rules to determine the paths in which the non-group winners will participate. Three separate draws determining the host of the play-off final of each path also took place between the winners of the semi-final pairings (identified as semi-final 1 for seed 1 v 4, and semi-final 2 for seed 2 v 3).[10]
Due to the specificity of the draw, the exact procedure could only be finalised following the conclusion of the qualifying group stage.[11] No restrictions were applied to the draw, as none of the clashes prohibited by UEFA for political reasons could occur.[note 1] Based on the twelve teams that advanced to the play-offs, the three play-off paths were formed following the path formation rules, starting with League C and working up to League A:[4][12]
The following three non-group winners from League B (ordered by Nations League ranking) took part in the draw, with two being drawn into Path B, while the remaining team was allocated to Path A:
The two teams drawn into Path B occupied positions B3 and B4, following their Nations League ranking, while the team drawn into Path A occupied position A3.
The following was the composition of the play-off paths:
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The following semi-final winners were drawn to host the play-off final:
The semi-finals took place on 21 March, while the final matches took place five days later on 26 March 2024.[4] The losing semi-finalists in each path still competed in afriendly on the day of the final, hosted by the team that was drawn to hold the play-off final.[13] However, the friendly match betweenBosnia and Herzegovina andIsrael was cancelled by both Federations and UEFA due to security reasons related to theGaza war.[14]
Times areCET (UTC+1), as listed by UEFA (local times are in parentheses).[15]
The winner of Path A,Poland, enteredGroup D in the final tournament.
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 21 March 2024 –Cardiff | ||||||
 Wales | 4 | |||||
| 26 March 2024 –Cardiff | ||||||
 Finland | 1 | |||||
| Wales | 0 (4) | |||||
| 21 March 2024 –Warsaw | ||||||
 Poland(p) | 0 (5) | |||||
| Poland | 5 | |||||
 Estonia | 1 | |||||
| Poland | 5–1 | Estonia |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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The winner of Path B,Ukraine, enteredGroup E in the final tournament.
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 21 March 2024 –Zenica | ||||||
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | |||||
| 26 March 2024 –Wrocław | ||||||
 Ukraine | 2 | |||||
| Ukraine | 2 | |||||
| 21 March 2024 –Budapest | ||||||
 Iceland | 1 | |||||
 Israel | 1 | |||||
| Iceland | 4 | |||||
| Israel | 1–4 | Iceland |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Ukraine | 2–1 | Iceland |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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The winner of Path C,Georgia, enteredGroup F in the final tournament.
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 21 March 2024 –Tbilisi | ||||||
 Georgia | 2 | |||||
| 26 March 2024 –Tbilisi | ||||||
 Luxembourg | 0 | |||||
| Georgia(p) | 0 (4) | |||||
| 21 March 2024 –Athens | ||||||
 Greece | 0 (2) | |||||
| Greece | 5 | |||||
 Kazakhstan | 0 | |||||
| Georgia | 2–0 | Luxembourg |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
There were 29 goals scored in 9 matches, for an average of 3.22 goals per match.
4 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Martin VetkalTeemu PukkiAnastasios BakasetasFotis IoannidisDimitrios KourbelisDimitrios PelkasArnór Ingvi TraustasonEran ZahaviPrzemysław FrankowskiJakub PiotrowskiSebastian SzymańskiPiotr ZielińskiArtem DovbykMykhailo MudrykViktor TsyhankovRoman YaremchukDavid BrooksDaniel JamesBrennan JohnsonNeco Williams1 own goal
Karol Mets (against Poland)Yerkin Tapalov (against Greece)Mykola Matviyenko (against Bosnia and Herzegovina)A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[1]
Cautions that did not result in a suspension expired on completion of the qualifying group stage, and were not carried forward to the play-offs.[1]
The following suspensions were served during the qualifying play-offs:[27]
