Euro 2020 finals draw: All you need to know

Football
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Euro 2020 qualifying is almost complete, but when will teams discover who they will play in the finals? Here’s all you need to know.

JUMP TO: Draw info | Host nations | Seedings | Draw process | Playoffs | Fixtures

When does Euro 2020 qualifying complete?

The last group games will be played on Nov. 19, 2019, with the playoffs in March 2020.

When is the draw for the finals of Euro 2020?

It will be held on Saturday, Nov. 30 in Bucharest, Romania. The draw ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. CET (midday ET) and is expected to last 50 minutes in total (with 20 minutes for the draw itself). 

How many teams will be in the finals?

There will be 24 teams in the finals, 20 will qualify automatically as group winners and runners-up. The final four places will be decided through a playoff system, using UEFA Nations League rankings to form the paths

Who is hosting the finals?

There isn’t just one host country for the 2020 edition. Instead there will be 12 host nations, who will be drawn into groups in accordance with the host city pairings. 

It means host nations will automatically be drawn as follows, if they qualify.

Group A must contain Italy and Azerbaijan
Group B must contain Russia and Denmark
Group C must contain Netherlands and Romania
Group D must contain England and Scotland
Group E must contain Spain and Republic of Ireland
Group F must contain Germany and Hungary

How will the finals draw be seeded?

In previous draws, UEFA has seeded based on performance over a three-year period. But for the Euro 2020 finals, this will be based purely on a nation’s record in qualifying. Group winners are ranked 1-10, runners-up 11-20 and the four playoff winners 21-24.

Teams will be placed into six pots of four nations based on this ranking. 

However, should two paired hosts be in the same pot then UEFA will have to make adjustments to ensure they can be drawn into the same group. For instance, if Spain and Republic of Ireland both qualify automatically and are in Pot 2, then Spain may have to switch to Pot 1 to make sure both teams can be drawn into Group E.

Wembley Stadium will host the semifinals and final of Euro 2020.

What is the Euro 2020 finals draw process?

The draw starts with Pot 1 from where a team is drawn and assigned to the first available group, in alphabetical order.  The team will be drawn into a position in the group (for exampl A1, A2, A3, A4). 

This process continues from Group A through to Group F, and is repeated for Pots 2, 3 and 4.

Each team’s position in a group will automatically create the match schedule (A1 vs. A2 in Rome on June 12, for example). 

How will the playoffs affect the draw?

If there is only one host nation in a particular playoff path, the winner of that playoff will automatically be assigned to their group (regardless of the outcome of the playoff).  So if Scotland are the only hosts in the UEFA Nations League C playoff path, the winners automatically go into Group D.

It will become complicated if there are two host nations in one path. 

For instance, the UEFA Nations League C path could include both Scotland and Hungary. Scotland need to go into Group D and Hungary into Group F.

This is how it would work:
– Winners of UEFA Nations League C playoff path paired with another Pot 4 team
- Winners of UEFA Nations League C playoff path drawn into Group D (Scotland), the other Pot 4 team into Group F
– If Scotland win the playoff, the draw is unaltered 
– If Hungary win the playoff, they will swap places with the paired team in Group F to be in the host group
– If a team other other than Hungary or Scotland wins the playoff, the draw is unaltered

UEFA will attempt to prevent this, where possible. As Hungary are not a Nations League group winner, they are not guaranteed to be in the League C playoff path. Therefore, they will likely be assigned to the playoff path of League A or B, should it not contain a host.  

If multiple host nations are in the playoffs, an additional final tournament draw may be required on April 1 to ensure hosts are in the correct groups, though this appears unlikely.

If both hosts qualify, who plays at home in the head to head?

Let’s take Group D as our example, but it applies to all group pairings.

If both England and Scotland qualify automatically, UEFA will hold a draw to decide which team plays at home in the group game. The same applies if both hosts have to go through the playoffs.

If England qualify automatically, but Scotland have to go through the playoffs, England will play Scotland at Wembley. Scotland would have two home games and England three.

If one team qualifies for the playoffs and the second is eliminated, which is only really possible in the Group C pairing of Netherlands and Romania, the team in the playoffs would get three home games (if they qualify).

Are there any prohibited clashes?

Yes, the following nations cannot be drawn together in the same group. They can, however, meet in the knockout rounds.

Armenia / Azerbaijan
Bosnia-Herzegovina / Kosovo
Serbia / Kosovo
Spain / Gibraltar
Ukraine / Russia

What are the Euro 2020 fixtures?

The finals will be hosted across Europe for this edition of the European Championship, running June 12 to July 12.

The first game will be in Rome at 9 p.m. CET (3 p.m.ET) on June 12. It will feature Italy if they qualify (which is all but assured)

At present UEFA has only announced dates and cities for pairs of group games. No other group-stage kick-off times have yet been allocated.

What stadiums will host Euro 2020 games?

If a host nation for a particular city qualifies automatically, they will be pre-drawn into that group. So if both England and Scotland do so, they will meet in the group stage of Euro 2020. If both hosts qualify automatically, there will be a draw to decide who plays at home.

Group A: Stadio Olimpico, Rome (Italy) and Olympic Stadium, Baku (Azerbaijan)
Group B: Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg (Russia) and Parken Stadium, Copenhagen (Denmark)
Group C: Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Arena Naționala, Bucharest (Romania)
Group D: Wembley Stadium, London (England) and Hampden Park, Glasgow (Scotland)
Group E: San Mames, Bilbao (Spain) and Aviva Stadium, Dublin (Republic of Ireland)
Group F: Allianz Arena, Munich (Germany) and Ferenc Puskas Stadium, Budapest (Hungary)

Round of 16: Wembley Stadium, London (England), Parken Stadium, Copenhagen (Denmark), Arena Naționala, Bucharest (Romania), Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam (Netherlands), Aviva Stadium, Dublin (Republic of Ireland), San Mames, Bilbao (Spain), Ferenc Puskas Stadium, Budapest (Hungary), Hampden Park, Glasgow (Scotland)

Quarterfinals: Allianz Arena, Munich (Germany), Olympic Stadium, Baku (Azerbaijan), Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stadio Olimpico, Rome (Italy) 
Semifinals and final: Wembley Stadium, London (England)

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