UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs

The play-offs of the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying tournament decided the last four teams that qualified for the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament, to be staged across Europe in June and July 2021.[1] Unlike previous editions, the participants of the play-offs were not decided based on results from the qualifying group stage. Instead, 16 teams that failed to qualify through their group were selected based on their performance in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League. The sixteen teams were then divided into four paths, each containing four teams, with each play-off path featuring two single-leg semi-finals and one single-leg final. The four play-off path winners joined the twenty teams that had already qualified for UEFA Euro 2020.[2][3][4] The matches took place on 8 October and 12 November 2020.[5] The matches were originally scheduled for March 2020, but were postponed by UEFA due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[6]

Format

With the new play-off format, the qualifying process guaranteed that at least one team from each division of the previous Nations League season would qualify for the final tournament.[7]

The 16 teams were selected based on their performance in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League. These teams were divided into four paths, each containing four teams, with one team from each path qualifying for the final tournament.[8] Each league would have its own play-off path if at least four teams were available. The Nations League group winners then qualified automatically for the play-off path of their league. If a group winner had already qualified through the conventional qualifying group stage, they were then replaced by the next best-ranked team in the same league. However, if there were not enough teams in the same league, then the spot went to the next best team in the overall ranking. However, group winners could not face teams from a higher league.[7]

With the final tournament draw being held on 30 November 2019 prior to the play-offs, it was possible that some groups could not be finalised based on the hosts in the play-offs. In that case, a second draw would have taken place after the play-offs on 1 April 2020.[9] However, UEFA confirmed the additional draw was not necessary after the identity of the 20 directly qualified teams and the 16 play-offs teams was known.[10]

Team selection

Based on the Nations League rankings, the 16 selected teams were chosen as follows, starting with League D and working up to League A:[8]

  1. All available group winners were selected.
  2. If a group winner had already qualified through the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying group stage, they were replaced by the next best-ranked team from the same league that had not also already qualified.
  3. If fewer than four teams from a given league had failed to qualify, then the remaining spaces for that league were allocated by the overall ranking:
    1. If the league had a group winner selected for the play-offs, then the next best team in the overall ranking from a lower league was selected.
    2. If the league had no group winner available, then the best team in the overall ranking was selected.

Path formation

The 16 selected teams were then allocated to paths of 4 teams. The draw to allocate teams to the different paths was subject to the following general conditions:[1]

  1. Group winners could not form a path with a team from a higher league.
  2. If four or more teams from a league entered the play-offs, a path with four teams from the league in question had to be formed.
  3. Additional conditions may have been applied, subject to approval, including seeding principles and the possibility of final tournament hosts having to be drawn into different paths.

With these conditions, the draw procedure was as follows, starting with League D and working up to League A:[8]

  1. Form a path with four teams from the same league.
  2. If there were more than four teams qualified in a given league, draw which teams would participate in the play-off path of that league.
  3. Remaining teams were drawn into a path of a higher league.

If there were no teams from League A (i.e. they all qualified directly for the final tournament), then this procedure would result in four teams from lower leagues being allocated to the path of League A.[8]

Match pairings and rules

Each play-off path featured two single-leg semi-finals and one single-leg final. 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 the final was decided during the 22 November 2019 draw, chosen between the winners of the semi-final pairings.[11]

The play-offs were played in single-leg knockout matches. If scores were level at the end of normal time, 30 minutes of extra time was played. If the scores remained tied, a penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner.[1]

The UEFA Executive Committee approved the use of the video assistant referee system for the qualifying play-offs during their meeting in Nyon, Switzerland on 4 December 2019.[12]

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the UEFA Executive Committee approved on 24 September 2020 the following principles for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs:[13][14]

  • Each team could use a maximum of five substitutions, with a sixth allowed in extra time. However, each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.
  • If a group of players of a team were placed into mandatory quarantine or self-isolation following a decision from national or local health officials due to positive SARS-CoV-2 tests, the match would go ahead as scheduled as long as the team had at least 13 players available (including at least one goalkeeper).
  • If a team could not field the minimum required number of players due to positive SARS-CoV-2 tests, the match would be rescheduled at a later date to be decided by the UEFA administration, including May or June 2021 preceding the start of the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament. Additionally, UEFA could have the venue reassigned to a neutral UEFA member association if deemed appropriate.
  • If any member of the appointed referee team had to be replaced due to positive SARS-CoV-2 test, UEFA could exceptionally appoint a match official of the same nationality as one of the teams and/or not on the FIFA list.

On 1 October 2020, UEFA announced the partial return of spectators to matches beginning in October 2020, restricted to a maximum of 30 percent of the respective stadium capacity. However, the return of spectators was subject to the decision of local authorities, with regional limits (including requirements for matches to be played behind closed doors) taking precedence over UEFA's maximum allowed capacity. Away supporters were not allowed at the venues. Social distancing was mandatory for spectators, and additional precautionary measures (such as face masks) was implemented in accordance with local regulations.[15]

Teams selected

The team selection process determined the 16 teams that competed in the play-offs based on a set of criteria.[16] Teams in bold advanced to the play-offs.

League A
Rank Team
1 GW  Portugal
2 GW  Netherlands[H]
3 GW  England[H]
4 GW   Switzerland
5  Belgium
6  France
7  Spain[H]
8  Italy[H]
9  Croatia
10  Poland
11  Germany[H]
12  Iceland
League B
Rank Team
13 GW  Bosnia and Herzegovina
14 GW  Ukraine
15 GW  Denmark[H]
16 GW  Sweden
17  Russia[H]
18  Austria
19  Wales
20  Czech Republic
21  Slovakia
22  Turkey
23  Republic of Ireland[H]
24  Northern Ireland
League C
Rank Team
25 GW  Scotland[H]
26 GW  Norway
27 GW  Serbia
28 GW  Finland
29  Bulgaria
30  Israel
31  Hungary[H]
32  Romania[H]
33  Greece
34  Albania
35  Montenegro
36  Cyprus
37  Estonia
38  Slovenia
39  Lithuania
League D
Rank Team
40 GW  Georgia
41 GW  North Macedonia
42 GW  Kosovo
43 GW  Belarus
44  Luxembourg
45  Armenia
46  Azerbaijan[H]
47  Kazakhstan
48  Moldova
49  Gibraltar
50  Faroe Islands
51  Latvia
52  Liechtenstein
53  Andorra
54  Malta
55  San Marino

Key

  1. GW Nations League group winner
  2. H UEFA Euro 2020 host
  3.   Team advanced to play-offs
  4.   Team qualified directly to final tournament

Draw

The qualifying play-off draw took place on 22 November 2019, 12:00 CET, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[17] The draw followed the path formation rules to determine the play-off paths that the non-group winners would participate in.[18][11] Four 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 1 v 4, and semi-final 2 for 2 v 3).[19] Due to the specificity of the draw, the procedure could only be finalised following the conclusion of the qualifying group stage. Depending on the combination of teams entering the play-offs, one or more draws may have been required to complete the formation of the play-off paths. While UEFA set the following general principles for the draw, none were ultimately necessary:[20]

  • Competition-related reasons: In order to give host teams a fair chance to qualify for the final tournament, they may have allocated to different paths when possible.
  • Prohibited clashes: A number of prohibited clashes were also identified by UEFA,[note 1] preventing matches between various pairs of teams for political reasons. If it were not possible to keep the teams in separate paths (e.g. they were both group winners from the same path), the conditions to play the match would have needed to be defined (e.g. playing the match at a neutral venue and/or behind closed doors).
  • Possible seeding: Seeding may have been necessary depending on the specific combinations of teams that advanced to the play-offs.

Based on the 16 teams that advanced to the play-offs, the four play-off paths were formed following the path formation rules, starting with League D and working up to League A:

  • As there were four teams from League D (all group winners), they were all placed in Path D.
  • As there were seven teams from League C (three group winners and four non-group winners), the three group winners were placed in Path C, while a draw decided which of the four non-group winners was also placed in Path C.
  • As there were four teams from League B (one group winner and three non-group winners), they were all placed in Path B.
  • As there was one team from League A (non-group winner), it was placed in Path A. The three non-group winners from League C not drawn to Path C were then placed in Path A.

The following four non-group winners from League C (ordered by Nations League ranking) took part in the draw, with one being drawn into Path C, while the remaining three were allocated to Path A:[10]

  1.  Bulgaria
  2.  Israel
  3.  Hungary[H]
  4.  Romania[H]

The team drawn into Path C occupied position C4, while the three teams drawn into Path A occupied positions A2, A3 and A4, following their Nations League ranking.

The following was the composition of the play-off paths:

Path A
Rank Team
1  Iceland
2  Bulgaria
3  Hungary[H]
4  Romania[H]
Path B
Rank Team
1  Bosnia and Herzegovina
2  Slovakia
3  Republic of Ireland[H]
4  Northern Ireland
Path C
Rank Team
1  Scotland[H]
2  Norway
3  Serbia
4  Israel
Path D
Rank Team
1  Georgia
2  North Macedonia
3  Kosovo
4  Belarus

Key

  1. H UEFA Euro 2020 host

The following semi-final winners were drawn to host the play-off final:

With host Scotland in Path C, and two other hosts Hungary and Romania to be drawn into Path A or C, it was not possible to prevent one of these paths from containing two host teams. Therefore, the winner of the path with two hosts had to be assigned to two final tournament groups.

Schedule

The semi-finals took place on 8 October 2020, while the final matches took place on 12 November 2020. The semi-final and potential final hosts had until 20 December 2019 to confirm their venue.[20]

The initial fixture list was published by UEFA on 22 November 2019 following the draw.[21] Originally, the semi-finals were scheduled to take place on 26 March 2020, while the final matches would take place five days later on 31 March. However, the play-offs were postponed by UEFA on 17 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[6][22] Afterwards, UEFA tentatively scheduled for the matches to take place on 4 and 9 June 2020.[23] However, the play-offs were later postponed indefinitely by UEFA on 1 April 2020.[24] The scheduling of the play-offs was reviewed by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting on 17 June 2020.[25] At the meeting, UEFA decided to stage the play-offs in October and November 2020.[26] To facilitate this, an additional matchday was added to both international windows, allowing for triple-headers to be played in order to complete the league phase of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League as scheduled.[27] The changes to the International Match Calendar for October and November 2020 were approved by the FIFA Council on 25 June 2020.[28]

Times are CET/CEST,[note 2] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses). Kick-off times were generally 20:45, with some exceptions at 18:00 based on the local time zone.

Path A

The winner of Path A, Hungary, entered Group F in the final tournament. If Romania had won Path A, they would have instead entered Group C.

Bracket
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
8 October 2020 – Sofia
 
 
 Bulgaria1
 
12 November 2020 – Budapest
 
 Hungary3
 
 Hungary2
 
8 October 2020 – Reykjavík
 
 Iceland1
 
 Iceland2
 
 
 Romania1
 

Summary

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Semi-finals
Iceland  2–1  Romania
Bulgaria  1–3  Hungary
Final
Hungary  2–1  Iceland

Semi-finals
Iceland 2–1 Romania
 Report
Attendance: 60[29]
Bulgaria 1–3 Hungary
 Report
Attendance: 1,929[30]

Final
Hungary 2–1 Iceland
 Report
Attendance: 0[note 3]

Path B

The winner of Path B, Slovakia, entered Group E in the final tournament.

Bracket
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
8 October 2020 – Sarajevo
 
 
 Bosnia and Herzegovina1 (3)
 
12 November 2020 – Belfast
 
 Northern Ireland (p)1 (4)
 
 Northern Ireland1
 
8 October 2020 – Bratislava
 
 Slovakia (a.e.t.)2
 
 Slovakia (p)0 (4)
 
 
 Republic of Ireland0 (2)
 

Summary

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Semi-finals
Bosnia and Herzegovina  1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–4 p)  Northern Ireland
Slovakia  0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p)  Republic of Ireland
Final
Northern Ireland  1–2 (a.e.t.)  Slovakia

Semi-finals

Final
Northern Ireland 1–2 (a.e.t.) Slovakia
 Report
Attendance: 1,060[34]
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

Path C

The winner of Path C, Scotland, entered Group D in the final tournament.

Bracket
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
8 October 2020 – Oslo
 
 
 Norway1
 
12 November 2020 – Belgrade
 
 Serbia (a.e.t.)2
 
 Serbia1 (4)
 
8 October 2020 – Glasgow
 
 Scotland (p)1 (5)
 
 Scotland (p)0 (5)
 
 
 Israel0 (3)
 

Summary

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Semi-finals
Scotland  0–0 (a.e.t.) (5–3 p)  Israel
Norway  1–2 (a.e.t.)  Serbia
Final
Serbia  1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p)  Scotland

Semi-finals
Norway 1–2 (a.e.t.) Serbia
 Report
Attendance: 200[36]

Final

Path D

The winner of Path D, North Macedonia, entered Group C in the final tournament. If Romania had won Path A, the winner of Path D would have instead entered Group F.

Bracket
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
8 October 2020 – Tbilisi
 
 
 Georgia1
 
12 November 2020 – Tbilisi
 
 Belarus0
 
 Georgia0
 
8 October 2020 – Skopje
 
 North Macedonia1
 
 North Macedonia2
 
 
 Kosovo1
 

Summary

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Semi-finals
Georgia  1–0  Belarus
North Macedonia  2–1  Kosovo
Final
Georgia  0–1  North Macedonia

Semi-finals
Georgia 1–0 Belarus
 Report
Attendance: 0[note 8]
North Macedonia 2–1 Kosovo
 Report
Attendance: 0[note 9]

Final
Georgia 0–1 North Macedonia
Report
Attendance: 0[note 10]

Goalscorers

There were 25 goals scored in 12 matches, for an average of 2.08 goals per match.

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Discipline

A player would have been automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[1]

  • Receiving a red card (red card suspensions could be extended for serious offences)

Yellow card suspensions from the qualifying group stage were not carried forward to the play-offs, finals or any other future international matches.

Goal of the Round

Following the semi-finals and finals, UEFA.com shortlisted four goals for users to vote on as "Goal of the Round", which was sponsored by SOCAR.[41]

Round Goalscorer Opponent Score Minute Result Ref.
Semi-finals Florent Hadergjonaj  North Macedonia 1–1 29' 1–2 [42]
Finals Dominik Szoboszlai  Iceland 2–1 90+2' 2–1 [43]

Notes
  1. The restriction would have applied to the following pairings: Armenia / Azerbaijan, Gibraltar / Spain, Kosovo / Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo / Russia, Kosovo / Serbia, Russia / Ukraine.
  2. CEST (UTC+2) for the semi-finals (8 October), and CET (UTC+1) for the finals (12 November).
  3. The Hungary v Iceland match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary.[31]
  4. The Bosnia and Herzegovina v Northern Ireland match, originally scheduled to be played at Bilino Polje Stadium, Zenica, was later moved to Stadion Grbavica, Sarajevo.
  5. The Slovakia v Republic of Ireland match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia.[33]
  6. The Scotland v Israel match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland.[35]
  7. The Serbia v Scotland match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia.[37]
  8. The Georgia v Belarus match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia.[38]
  9. The North Macedonia v Kosovo match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia.[39]
  10. The Georgia v North Macedonia match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia.[40]

References
  1. "Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship 2018–20" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  2. "UEFA Nations League format approved". UEFA.com. 4 December 2014.
  3. "UEFA Nations League format and schedule confirmed". UEFA. 4 December 2014.
  4. "Regulations of the UEFA Nations League 2018/19" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  5. "EURO 2020 play-offs to take place in October/November". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  6. "UEFA postpones EURO 2020 by 12 months". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  7. "UEFA Nations League format confirmed". UEFA. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  8. "UNL Media Briefing" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 20 September 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  9. "UEFA EURO 2020 final tournament draw: how it will work". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  10. "European Qualifiers 2018–20 – Play-off Draw Procedure" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  11. "UEFA EURO 2020 play-off draw". UEFA.com.
  12. "Game changer: group stage for UEFA Women's Champions League". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  13. "Two triple-headers approved for 2021 March and September national team windows". UEFA. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  14. "Decision to be taken by the UEFA Executive Committee in respect of the UEFA EURO 2020 play-offs" (PDF). UEFA. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  15. "UEFA allows return of fans at maximum 30% of capacity pending approval of local authorities". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  16. "2018/19 UEFA Nations League rankings" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  17. "UEFA EURO 2020 play-off draw: All you need to know". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  18. "UEFA EURO 2020 play-off draw". UEFA.com.
  19. "European Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2020: how it works". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  20. "European Qualifiers 2018–20 – Play-off Draw Procedure" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  21. "Fixture list: European Qualifiers 2018–20 – Play-Offs" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  22. "Resolution of the European football family on a coordinated response to the impact of the COVID-19 on competitions". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  23. "UEFA a comunicat noile date de disputare ale play-off-ului Campionatului European" [UEFA has announced the new dates of the European Championship play-offs]. Romanian Football Federation (in Romanian). 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  24. "UEFA postpones all June national team matches". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  25. "UEFA Executive Committee agenda for June meeting". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  26. "EURO 2020 play-offs: All you need to know". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  27. "UEFA competitions to resume in August". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  28. "FIFA Council unanimously approves COVID-19 Relief Plan". FIFA. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  29. "Leikskýrsla: Ísland 2–1 Rúmenía" [Match report: Iceland 2–1 Romania]. Football Association of Iceland (in Icelandic). 8 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  30. "Férfi A-válogatott: Bulgária 1–3 Magyarország" [Men's A-Team: Bulgaria 1–3 Hungary]. Hungarian Football Federation (in Hungarian). 8 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  31. Huber, Tamás (9 November 2020). "Zárt kapus az Izland elleni Eb-pótselejtező és a Fradi–Barca is" [The European Championship qualifier against Iceland and Fradi v Barca are also closed goals]. Index. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  32. "Ian Baraclough's boys emerge victorious in Sarajevo showdown to secure place in final". Irish Football Association. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  33. Fitzmaurice, Aidan (29 September 2020). "Green light for play-off despite Slovakia state of emergency". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  34. Fullerton, Gareth (12 November 2020). "Northern Ireland vs Slovakia: Irish FA urges ticketless fans to stay away from Windsor Park". BelfastLive. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  35. "UEFA EURO 2020 play-off ticket refunds". Scottish Football Association. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  36. "Фантастично издање Србија | Велика победа у ослу за још један корак до Првенства Европе, Шкотска ривал у Београду" [Fantastic edition of Serbia | Great victory in Oslo for another step to the European Championship, Scotland the rival in Belgrade]. Football Association of Serbia (in Serbian). 8 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  37. Atkinson, Mark (4 November 2020). "So many posers: How do Scotland line up in Serbia?". The Scotsman. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  38. "საქართველოს ფეხბურთის ფედერაციის განცხადება" [Statement of the Georgian Football Federation]. Georgian Football Federation (in Georgian). 5 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  39. Spasoski, Zoran (2 October 2020). "Против Косово без публика: УЕФА даде зелено светло, но здравствените протоколи во Македонија не дозволуваат навивачи на стадионите" [Against Kosovo without spectators: UEFA gives green light, but health protocols in Macedonia do not allow stadium fans]. Sloboden Pechat (in Macedonian). Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  40. "საქართველოს ნაკრებს ჩრდილოეთ მაკედონიასთან თამაში უმაყურებლოდ მოუწევს" [Georgian national team will have to play against Northern Macedonia without spectators]. First Channel (in Georgian). 5 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  41. "SOCAR Goal of the Round". UEFA. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  42. UEFA Euro 2020 [@EURO2020] (15 October 2020). "This Florent Hadergjonaj effort claims Goal of the Round title" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020 – via Twitter.
  43. UEFA Euro 2020 [@EURO2020] (19 November 2020). "Late-winner to secure EURO 2020 qualification! Dominik Szoboszlai claims Goal of the Round title" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020 – via Twitter.
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