Follow live updates from the Euro 2020 play-off draw as 16 teams fight for the four remaining places at the pan-continent tournament next summer, and Scotland discover their semi-final fate in Path C.
While the semi-final match-ups for Path D and Path B are already locked in, those teams involved – which include Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland – will discover which side would be at home should they reach the final.
Path A is the most open, given that most of the Nations League A teams have already qualified for Euro 2020, and it means Iceland will be joined by three of Bulgaria, Hungary, Israel and Romania, with the other side taking on Scotland in Path C. Follow the latest below:
In Path A, Bulgaria or Hungary will host the final against Iceland or Romania.
In Path B, Northern Ireland or Bosnia will play at home in the final, against either Slovakia or Rep of Ireland.
In Path C, Scotland will play away from home if they reach the final. Bad news.
So now the hosts of each final is decided. First Path D, and Georgia or Belarus will be the hosts.
Hungary will face Bulgaria, and that means Iceland will meet Romania.
Here comes Path A…
We already know Path B, although we are yet to find out who would be at home should that potential Northern Ireland vs Rep of Ireland final come about.
Bosnia and Herzegovina v Northern Ireland
Slovakia v Republic of Ireland
So Path C semi-finals look like this:
Scotland v Israel
Norway v Serbia
Path C (Scotland) drawn next…
Path D is already confirmed. Here it is:
Georgia v Belarus
North Macedonia v Kosovo
Here goes then, the draw is coming up very shortly. Who will Scotland get? Bulgaria, Hungary, Israel and Romania are their possible opponents.
The special guest drawing the balls today is Angelos Charisteas, Greece’s very own Geoff Hurst, I suppose.
He says scoring Greece’s winning Euro 2004 goal changed his life. People stop him in the street every day for photos or just to shake his hand. He seems like a lovely man.
A reminder of how the draw looks currently. Sixteen teams will be involved in the play-offs, with the winner of each path final securing a place in Euro 2020.
Path A
Iceland v (team to be drawn)
(team to be drawn) v (team to be drawn)
Path B
Bosnia and Herzegovina v Northern Ireland
Slovakia v Republic of Ireland
Path C
Scotland v (team to be drawn)
Norway v Serbia
Path D
Georgia v Belarus
North Macedonia v Kosovo
The four teams still to be drawn are: Bulgaria, Hungary, Israel, Romania.
It’s Pedro Pinto running the show today, the man who manages to make the Champions League draw last four hours.
Live draw action is just a few minutes away…
Some latest news:
Steven Gerrard insists Rangers will be willing to move fixtures if it helps Scotland realise their Euro 2020 dream.
The national side will discover who they will face in March’s Nations League play-offs on Friday morning.Scotland boss Steve Clarke has already urged the governing bodies to “do all they can” to help his team by ensuring there are no fixtures before their semi-final clash.
And Rangers manager Gerrard says the Ibrox club will not stand in their way.
“I represent this club in this country so for me I give it the support I need to give it. I certainly won’t be standing in the way,” he said.
“But we don’t make those decisions. Ultimately it will be down to the SFA and stuff.
“We’ll go with the flow and if it means us skipping a game or adjusting a game we’ll do everything we can to support (Scotland). That’s what you’ve got to do.” PA
Romania
There was no real surprise that Romania failed in their bid for automatic qualification in Group F.
A tough six-team section included Spain, Sweden and Norway.
Romania finished fourth, above Faroe Island and Malta, with 14 points from four wins and two draws, but their final fixture was a 5-0 defeat in Spain.
The Romanians, though, were unbeaten in their Nations League campaign in a group which included Serbia, Lithuania and Montengero.
Israel
Scotland faced Israel twice in their Nations League C campaign under former boss Alex McLeish.
The Scots were leading in Haifa against a side ranked 94th in the world before a second-half collapse ended in an embarrassing 2-1 defeat, with John Souttar sent off.
When Israel travelled to Hampden Park for the return game Scotland need a victory to win the group and secure a play-off spot.
James Forrest scored a hat-trick in a nervy 3-2 win although it needed a wonder save from goalkeeper Allan McGregor from Tomer Hemed in the dying seconds to ensure the victory.
Israel were well off the pace in their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, finishing fifth out of six with three wins and 11 points from 10 fixtures, 14 points behind Group G winners Poland.
Hungary
Hungary, it seems, will be forever associated with their ‘Magnificent Magyars’ side of the 1950s but these are different times.
The current Hungarian team finished fourth in a relatively tight Group E with Croatia and Wales qualifying automatically.
Marco Rossi’s side won four and lost four of their eight fixtures and they finished two points behind Ryan Giggs’ side after a winner-takes-all clash in Cardiff on Tuesday.
Play-off line-up
- Path A: Iceland, Bulgaria/Israel/Hungary/Romania*
- Path B: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland
- Path C: Scotland, Norway, Serbia, Bulgaria/Israel/Hungary/Romania*
- Path D: Georgia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Belarus
*A draw is required to decide on the composition of Path C, while Path A will be completed with the remaining teams.
Draw procedure
Path D
There will be a draw only to determine which semi-final winner plays the final at home. The semi-finals are as follows:
- Semi-final 1 (1 v 4): Georgia v Belarus
- Semi-final 2 (2 v 3): North Macedonia v Kosovo
Path C
The three teams that are League C group winners are confirmed and will play in the semi-finals in the following positions:
- Semi-final 1 (1 v 4): Scotland v (team to be drawn)
- Semi-final 2 (2 v 3): Norway v Serbia
A draw will be held to determine which team – Bulgaria, Israel, Hungary or Romania – complete Path C. A draw is also required to determine which semi-final winners plays the final at home.
Path B
There will be a draw only to determine which semi-final winner plays the final at home. The semi-finals are as follows:
- Semi-final 1 (1 v 4): Bosnia and Herzegovina v Northern Ireland
- Semi-final 2 (2 v 3): Slovakia v Republic of Ireland
Path A
Iceland – the one team from League A – are confirmed:
- Semi-final 1 (1 v 4): Iceland v tbc
- Semi-final 2 (2 v 3): tbc v tbc
The three remaining teams from League C – Bulgaria, Hungary, Israel, Romania – will be allocated to Path A to complete the semi-final pairings in the order of their ranking:
- Best-ranked team to play at home in semi-final 2.
- Next best-ranked team to play away in semi-final 2.
- Next best-ranked team to play away in semi-final 1.
There will also be a draw to determine which Path A semi-final winner plays the final at home.
Additional draw
Denmark and Russia have both qualified for Euro 2020. As both are hosts (Copenhagen and Saint Petersburg) and paired together in Group B of the final tournament, a draw is required to determine which of the two will play three group stage games at home; the other host will play two group stage matches at home.
When is the draw?
The EURO 2020 play-off draw takes place on Friday 22 November, starting at 12:00 CET.
How can I watch on TV or stream online?
The draw is not being broadcast on TV but you can follow the live stream on Uefa.com.
How will the play-off ties be decided?
Unlike previous play-offs, these will be single-leg knockout matches. The winners of each final qualifies for Euro 2020.
When do the play-offs take place?
The semi-finals will be played on Thursday 26 March, with the finals five days later on Tuesday 31 March. Kick-offs are generally 20:45 CET but exceptions may apply, in particular related to time zones.
Key dates
- Play-off draw: 22 November
- Final tournament draw: 30 November
- Play-off semi-finals: 26 March 2020
- Play-off finals: 31 March 2020
- Final tournament: 12 June–12 July 2020
With the confirmation of the 20 teams directly qualified and the 16 teams qualified for the play-offs, Uefa is in a position to confirm that the procedures established for the play-off draw and the final draw can be fully executed. No additional draw will be required (the draw had been provisionally scheduled for 1 April 2020).
