How Euro 2024 Play Offs Work as Lewandowski and Others Look to Secure Germany Spots

• 12 teams are set to battle it out for the remaining three spots at Euro 2024
• The teams were drawn into three paths, with the winners booking their places
• Sports Brief breaks down how the process works ahead of the first round of fixtures

European players will shift their attention to the Euro 2024 Championships once they finish their respective club seasons.

A total of 23 teams are expected to join hosts, Germany, for the 17th edition of the games, which will kick off on June 14 and run until July 14.

Of the 23 teams, only 20 have already secured their spots, and three others are expected to confirm their places before the end of this international break.

The 20 teams qualified directly after finishing first and second in their respective groups, while 12 other teams were placed into three paths to determine who would be in Germany in the summer.

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The 12 teams were selected based on their position in the 2022/2023 UEFA Nations League. The best-placed teams in Groups A, B and C were given first priority. If a team ranked first but had already qualified for the tournament via the groups, then the next best-paced team that hadn't qualified yet was given a place in the playoffs.

Estonia qualified for the playoffs as the best-ranked team in Group D.

The best-ranked teams were given the advantage of hosting the 'semi-final fixtures' after they were drawn in their respective paths. The semi-final term is explained herein.

Euro 2024 playoffs paths

The 12 teams were separated into three paths of four teams each. The four teams were further divided into two teams each. The two teams will face each other in the semi-final, with the winner taking on the winner of the other semi-final of the same path in the final.

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The three winners in the final will join the other 20 teams, plus Germany as Euro 2024 participants.

Euro 2024 playoff teams

Path 1

Semi-final 1: Wales vs Finland

Semi-final 2: Poland vs Estonia

Path 2

Semi-final 1: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Ukraine

Semi-final 2: Israel vs Iceland

Path 3

Semi-final 1: Georgia vs Luxembourg

Semi-final 2: Greece vs Kazakhstan

The semi-finals will take place on March 21, while the finals are scheduled for March 26. All the ties will be one-legged fixtures with the possibility of extra-time and penalties if need be.

Information courtesy of UEFA.

Euro 2024 qualified teams

Sports Brief has previously looked at the 21 teams that have qualified for the Euro 2024 championships.

Germany top the list as hosts, as they seek to overcome recent poor outings in international tournaments.

Other heavyweights through include France, defending champions Italy, and a star-studded English team.