Euro 2016 Qualifying Draw

First topic message reminder :

I know you can't wait for this one! Draw is Sunday at 11:00 GMT, with coverage on Sky Sports News.

The European Championships have been expanded from sixteen teams, in Euro 2012, to twenty-four teams for Euro 2016. Which makes qualifying a lot easier for the bigger teams.

Very simple format for qualifying really: there are eight groups of six teams, and one group of five. The top two in each group qualify, as do the best third-placed side. The remaining eight third-placed sides have to go through a two legged play-off.

For Television reasons, England, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Holland are guaranteed to be placed in one of the six team groups. France, who have already qualified through being the hosts, will be put into the five team group and will play a friendly match against the inactive team in each round of games.

For political reasons, Spain and Gibraltar (go Gibraltar!) can't be in the same group. And neither can Azerbaijan or Armenia.

Here are the pots:

POT ONE - England, Spain, Germany, Holland, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Russia, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
POT TWO - Ireland, Ukraine, Sweden, Croatia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium.
POT THREE - Serbia, Norway, Poland, Turkey, Slovenia, Austria, Romania, Slovakia, Israel.
POT FOUR - Wales, Scotland, Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Armenia, Montenegro, Latvia, Bulgaria.
POT FIVE - Northern Ireland, Macedonia, Cyprus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Moldova, Albania, Iceland.
POT SIX - Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar, San Marino, Andorra, Malta, Faroe Islands.

Duty281 wrote:Don't worry, Euro 2016 isn't as bad as Euro 2020.

At least Euro 2016 will have a home.

I quite like that they are doing the multiple venues, Europe has some truly beautiful cities in countries that would never get to hold a Championship, with some very good, but seldom used Stadia.

No idea why Israel think they should get a bid though, they can get stuffed.

monty has it nailed. Poland, like Wales, aren't anything too special but they both have a world class player who can win games for them.

Yeah but doesn't mean it won't have a home....Europe is the home..

erm.

poland have a lot more average- good players than Wales..

they are definitely a league above wales. At the same time though I would much rather have bale and ramsey over the polish duo(sorry cant even be bothered to spell them at the moment)

but Wales really need to dig some players out that can perform, we have a few at palace that arnt breaking through under Pulis

mystiroakey wrote:erm.

poland have a lot more average- good players than Wales..

they are definitely a league above wales. At the same time though I would much rather have bale and ramsey over the polish duo(sorry cant even be bothered to spell them at the moment)

but Wales really need to dig some players out that can perform, we have a few at palace that arnt breaking through under Pulis

If you take the big two out of Poland they're no better than Scotland. I'm with you though, Bale and Ramsey over Lewandowski and Jakob any day.

no they wouldn't be better than scotland or Ireland

ireland and scotland have enough players playing in the top of the champs and mid pL teams to have the experience , and Poland have the same thing going on in the Bundes.

But wales have much less depth.. Thats there problem..

although if they could find some players to perform a job and provide a solid base(williams could mashall the back)- ramsey and bale could potentially beat almost anyone

Thing is, I'd fancy Poland to do better at the Euro's than any of the Celtic nations.

Most disappointing think from an Ireland point of view is that Paul Green is still in the squad. Terrible player.

Think we will improve with MON and Keane.

Play better than what we did under Trapp.

Very tough our group.

Race for second and third will be close.

super_realist wrote:Any group that Scotland, Rep Ire, Wales , NI find themselves in any qualifying stage is going to be tough because they are very much third, fourth, fifth and sixth rate teams.

Out of that rotten bunch, only really Scotland are showing signs of progress with some decent results and performances lately, they'd still stink out an actual tournament though.

Rotten? 

Care to explain.

Bull wrote:Yeah but doesn't mean it won't have a home....Europe is the home..

Bit like saying to a homeless person that Britain is your home.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26316110

I admire the optimism; I really do.

I think it is a decent draw for Scotland and here are my reasons:-

1. We have a competent manager at the helm in Gordon Strachan who has lifted spirits and confidence beating the likes of Croatia twice and we have a bit of momentum going into a qualifying campaign now which we haven't had for three campaigns now.

2. Ireland also now have a new manager but how soon will he be able to get his ideas/team shapes and tactics across? Ireland are coming into this tournament without our momentum but believe they will test us more than Poland.

3. Poland have players in the Bundesliga - so? Lets delve deeper into their form shall we? Last campaign they flopped in England's group only managing wins against the minnows of the group and nothing else. Before that as co-hosts of Euro 2012 they bombed out in the First Round without winning a game. Still not convinced? Qualifying for the World Cup 2010 was even more disasterous than Scotland's. They finished fifth behind Northern Ireland in a group again, where they could only notch up wins against the minnows of the group and nothing else.

4. Scotland are ranked above Ireland and Poland in the world rankings.

Yeah be optimistic.

It boils down to one thing for me though.

4 evenish teams trying to take 1.5 places..

Whatever happens though you are in for a great qualification ride. All the teams could take points of each other .. I am off course discounting Germany..

First game is away to Germany   

England have their hardest game, away to Switzerland, first as well.

Not quite the same obviously!

Looking forward to this now.

Not much interest in the World Cup as we're not there.
Will watch a bit though.

Roll on September.