On November 13, 2023, CCTV5 program list, the play off of the European Cup qualifiers has ended, and 16 teams have confirmed their eligibility to participate in next year's European Cup. Among them, 4 teams have won the play off through the achievements of the European League of Nations, namely Hungary, Slovakia and Scotland
On November 13, 2023, CCTV5 program list, the playoff of the European Cup qualifiers has ended, and 16 teams have confirmed their eligibility to participate in the European Cup next year. Among them, 4 teams have won the playoff through the achievements of the European Union, namely Hungary, Slovakia, Scotland and Northern Macedonia. This rule has caused some controversy. Some people believe that the achievements of the European Union should not affect the number of places qualified for the European Cup, while others believe that the achievements of the European Union can increase the competitiveness and diversity of the European Cup.
UEFA is a new event launched by UEFA in 2018, which aims to replace some friendly matches and improve the quality and level of national teams. The League of European Nations is divided into four levels, each level is divided into four groups, each group has three to four teams. The first place in each level group will be promoted to a higher level, and the last place in each level group will be demoted to a lower level. The achievements of the UEFA are also related to the European Cup qualifiers. If the first team at each level does not qualify directly through the European Cup qualifiers, it will get the chance to play the extra round of the European Cup qualifiers. It will play the semi-finals and finals with three other teams at the same level to decide a team that qualified.
The advantage of this rule is that it can provide some weaker teams with a chance to participate in the European Cup, increase the competitiveness and diversity of the European Cup, and also encourage some stronger teams to work harder in the European Union, to avoid the risk of demotion, and to avoid missing the chance of play offs. The disadvantage of this rule is that it can enable some weaker teams to pass the results of the European League of Nations, skip the test of the European Cup qualifiers, and directly enter the play offs, which may occupy the qualification places of some stronger teams, reduce the level and quality of the European Cup, and also let some stronger teams lose some momentum in the European League of Nations, I don't think the results of the UEFA are important, as long as I can qualify in the European Cup qualifiers.
The following are the results of the European Cup qualifying play offs:
level |
Semifinals |
finals |
Outgoing team |
A |
Iceland 1-2 Hungary Bulgaria 1-3 Hungary |
Hungary 2-1 Slovakia |
Hungary |
B |
Bosnia Herzegovina 1-1 Northern Ireland (penalties 3-4) Slovakia 0-0 Ireland (penalty 4-2) |
Northern Ireland 1-2 Slovakia |
Slovakia |
C |
Norway 1-2 Serbia Scotland 0-0 Israel (penalty 5-3) |
Serbia 1-1 Scotland (penalty 4-5) |
Scotland |
D |
Georgia 1-0 Belarus Northern Macedonia 2-1 Kosovo |
Georgia 0-1 North Macedonia |
Northern Macedonia |
The rules of the additional round of the European Cup qualifiers have caused some controversy. Whether the results of the European League should affect the qualification quota is a question worth discussing. You are welcome to leave your views and opinions in the comment area.