According to CCTV5 program list (January 13, 2024), the European Cup qualifying group match has ended, 16 teams have been finalized in the top 24, and the other 8 teams will be decided through the play off. Among them, the Italian team is facing the test of the play off game. If it can not be directly promoted, it may be in the match with the Portuguese team
According to CCTV5 program list (January 13, 2024), the European Cup qualifying group match has ended, 16 teams have been finalized in the top 24, and the other 8 teams will be decided through the play off. Among them, the Italian team is facing the test of the play off. If it cannot be directly qualified, it may meet the Portuguese team in the final, which will be a life and death battle between the new and old European champions.
The European Cup qualifiers are divided into 10 groups, and the first two of each group directly qualify for the European Cup finals. At present, the 16 teams that have been determined to qualify are Spain, Scotland, France, the Netherlands, England, Turkey, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Denmark, Romania, Switzerland, Portugal, Slovakia and the host Germany. Among these teams, 9 were the participating teams in the last European Cup, and 7 were newly promoted teams.
The other 8 qualifying seats will be decided through the play off, and the 12 teams participating in the play off include 10 teams that are second in the group match and 2 teams that are first in the group match of the European Union. Among these teams, 6 were the participating teams in the last European Cup, and 6 were newly promoted teams. The form of the play off is that 12 teams are divided into 3 groups, and each group has 4 teams. The first team goes to the semi-finals, and then to the finals. The champion of each group gets a ticket to the European Cup.
The results of the draw for the play offs are as follows:
group |
Semifinals |
finals |
Group A |
Scotland vs Ukraine Wales VS Austria |
Scotland/Ukraine VS Wales/Austria |
Group B |
Russia vs Poland Sweden vs Czech Republic |
Russia/Poland VS Sweden/Czech Republic |
Group C |
Italy VS Northern Macedonia Portugal vs Turkey |
Italy/Northern Macedonia VS Portugal/Turkey |
Judging from the draw, Group C is the most competitive group. Italy and Portugal are the favourites to win the European Cup, but only one team can qualify. The Italian team is the defending champion of this European Cup, but it was counterattacked by the Swiss team in the qualifier, so it can only participate in the play off as the second in the group. Portugal was the champion of the last European Cup, but it also met the strong opponent England in the qualifier, so it was unable to qualify directly. If these two teams can make it through, they will have a life and death fight in the final. This will be a contest between the old and new European champions, and also between Ronaldo and Chiesa and other stars.
Group A and Group B are relatively average, with no obvious difference between strength and weakness. Each team has a certain chance to advance. In Group A, Scotland and Wales were the dark horses of the last European Cup, and they also performed well in this qualifier, qualifying as the first and second in the group respectively. Ukraine and Austria are the top team members of the League of European Nations, and they also have certain strength and experience. In Group B, Russia and Poland are both regular visitors to the European Cup. They have world-class strikers such as Levan and Juba, but they also have unstable performances in this qualifier. Sweden and the Czech Republic are both dark horses in the European Cup. They have also played an amazing role in this qualifier, and they qualified as the first and second in the group respectively.
The semi-final of the play off will be held on March 24 next year, and the final will be held on March 29. At that time, eight teams will compete for the tickets of the last three European Cups, which will be a cruel knockout match and a wonderful football feast. Please pay close attention to the broadcast of CCTV5, and don't miss any wonderful game.