The qualification process for the 2024 iteration of the European Championship is coming to a close, with the March international break to decide the final places at the tournament in Germany.
The Euro 2024 lineup is nearly complete, with 21 teams having booked their spots following the conclusion of the qualifying group phase.
There will, however, be a playoff process to determine the final few teams to complete the tournament's lineup. The nations involved now know what is required for them to be in the main draw next year, with the group phase determined at a UEFA draw ceremony on December 2.
The Sporting News explains how the playoffs work for Euro 2024, who will be competing in them and when all the games take place.
MORE: When is the full Euro 2024 tournament draw? Date, venue, how it works
When are the Euro 2024 playoffs?
The Euro 2024 playoffs take place in March 2024. Twelve teams will take part.
There will be six semifinals, all held on March 21, 2024, and then three finals held on March 26. All games are one-off, single-legged affairs.
The six semifinals will be split into three sections — Path A, Path B and Path C — with two games in each and a separate draw to determine which semifinal winner will host that path's final. The teams in each path are seeded based on their UEFA Nations League ranking, with the top seed facing the fourth seed, and second facing third.
The winners of the three finals will be added to the final lineup for Euro 2024.
Euro 2024 playoff fixtures
Here's confirmation of the semifinal fixtures and potential final matches.
| Semifinals | Date | Time (ET) |
| Georgia vs Luxembourg | Thurs, Mar. 21 | 1 p.m. |
| Greece vs Kazakhstan | Thurs, Mar. 21 | 3:45 p.m. |
| Wales vs Finland | Thurs, Mar. 21 | 3:45 p.m. |
| Poland vs Estonia | Thurs, Mar. 21 | 3:45 p.m. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Ukraine | Thurs, Mar. 21 | 3:45 p.m. |
| Israel vs Iceland | Thurs, Mar. 21 | 3:45 p.m. |
| Finals | Date | Time (ET) |
| Georgia/Luxembourg vs. Greece/Kazakhstan | Tues, Mar. 26 | TBC |
| Wales/Finland vs. Poland/Estonia | Tues, Mar. 26 | TBC |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina/Ukraine vs. Israel/Iceland | Tues, Mar. 26 | TBC |
Who qualifies for the Euro 2024 playoffs?
With Germany qualifying automatically for Euro 2024 as the host nation, plus 20 teams (the top two from each of the 10 qualifying groups) also reaching the tournament, that leaves three places left at the 24-team tournament. Those places will go to the winners of the playoff finals in the three different paths.
The 12 teams involved are those who failed to qualify via the traditional qualifying groups but who earned a reprieve through the playoffs thanks to their performance in the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League.
Teams who have secured a top-two place in their Euros qualifying groups are not involved in the playoffs, regardless of their Nations League performances. For example, Netherlands, Spain, Serbia and Scotland all won their Nations League groups but also qualified for the finals so are exempt from the playoff process.
Which teams are in the Euro 2024 playoffs?
The confirmed contenders were split into the following paths and seedings, based on their overall Nations League rankings:
| Team | Path | Seed |
| Poland | A | 1 |
| Wales | A | 2 |
| Finland | A | 3 |
| Estonia | A | 4 |
| Israel | B | 1 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | B | 2 |
| Ukraine | B | 3 |
| Iceland | B | 4 |
| Georgia | C | 1 |
| Greece | C | 2 |
| Kazakhstan | C | 3 |
| Luxembourg | C | 4 |
The draw for the playoffs took place on November 23 with each team now knowing the path they need to take to qualify for the tournament.
The 6 play-off semi-finals will be played on 21 March 2024 🗓️
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) November 23, 2023
The 3 play-off finals will take place on 26 March 2024 🗓️#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/F2WXObhZIE
Euro 2024 group stage draw
The full draw for the Euro 2024 group stages was made on Saturday, December 2. This is how things will look for teams hoping to qualify via the playoffs.
Euro 2024 groups
Group A
| Team |
| Germany |
| Scotland |
| Hungary |
| Switzerland |
Group B
| Team |
| Spain |
| Croatia |
| Italy |
| Albania |
Group C
| Team |
| Slovenia |
| Denmark |
| Serbia |
| England |
Group D
| Team |
| Playoff Winner A |
| Netherlands |
| Austria |
| France |
Group E
| Team |
| Belgium |
| Slovakia |
| Romania |
| Playoff Winner B |
Group F
| Team |
| Turkey |
| Playoff Winner C |
| Portugal |
| Slovakia |
