UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying

UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
Tournament details
Dates 7 September 2014 – 17 November 2015
Teams 53 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played 128
Goals scored 343 (2.68 per match)
Attendance 2,889,766 (22,576 per match)
Top scorer(s) England Danny Welbeck
(6 goals)

The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2016 is a football competition scheduled to be played from September 2014 to November 2015 to determine the 23 teams to join France, who qualify automatically as hosts of UEFA Euro 2016.[1][2] A total of 53 UEFA member national teams will participate in the qualifying process for the tournament places, with Gibraltar taking part for the first time.

The draw took place at the Palais des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, on 23 February 2014.[3][4] Sides were seeded according to the UEFA national team coefficient rankings, which were announced along with the draw procedure and final tournament match schedule after the 23–24 January Executive Committee meeting in Nyon.[5]

Branding

UEFA unveiled the branding for the qualifiers on 15 April 2013. It shows a national jersey inside a heart, and represents Europe, honour and ambition. The same branding will also be used for the European qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[6]

Qualified teams

  Country has qualified
  Country may qualify
  Country has failed to qualify
Team Qualified as Qualified on Previous appearances in tournament1
 France Hosts 28 May 2010 8 (1960, 1984, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012)
1 Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.

Format

All UEFA member associations are eligible to compete in the qualifying competition, with the hosts (France) qualifying directly to the finals tournament.[7] The other 53 teams are drawn into eight groups of six teams (Groups A–H) and one group of five teams (Group I).[8] The group winners, runners-up, and the best third-placed team (with the results against the sixth-placed team discarded) directly qualify to the finals. The eight remaining third-placed teams contest two-legged play-offs to determine the last four qualifiers for the finals.[5][9][10]

Seeding system

For the qualifying group stage, the teams were seeded into six pots (Pots 1–5 with 9 teams and Pot 6 with 8 teams) for the qualifying group stage draw according to the UEFA national team coefficient rankings, with the title holders (Spain) automatically seeded into Pot 1. Each nation's coefficient is generated by calculating:

UEFA stated that nations with the largest markets in terms of contribution to the European Qualifiers revenue would be drawn into one of the groups containing six teams.[10] They include England, Spain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.[8] UEFA has also stated in their regulations that "the teams drawn into the group of five teams will have France added to their group for the purpose of playing centralised friendlies".[10]

For the play-offs the four ties are determined by draw, including the order of the two legs of each tie. The teams are seeded for the play-off draw according to the UEFA national team coefficient rankings updated after the completion of the group stage. Each nation's coefficient is generated by calculating:

Tiebreakers

If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following tie-breaking criteria are applied:[10]

  1. Higher number of points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
  2. Superior goal difference resulting from the matches played between the teams in question;
  3. Higher number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
  4. Higher number of goals scored away from home in the matches played between the teams in question;
  5. If, after having applied criteria 1 to 4, teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 4 are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams in question to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 6 to 10 apply;
  6. Superior goal difference in all group matches;
  7. Higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
  8. Higher number of away goals scored in all group matches;
  9. Fair play conduct in all group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
  10. Position in the UEFA national team coefficient ranking system;

To determine the best third-placed team, the results against the teams in sixth place are discarded. The following criteria are applied:

  1. Higher number of points obtained;
  2. Superior goal difference;
  3. Higher number of goals scored;
  4. Higher number of away goals scored;
  5. Fair play conduct in all group matches;
  6. Position in the UEFA national team coefficient ranking system;

For each play-off tie, the team that scores more goals on aggregate over the two legs qualifies for the final tournament. If the aggregate score is level, the away goals rule is applied, i.e., the team that scores more goals away from home over the two legs advances. If away goals are also equal, then thirty minutes of extra time is played, divided into two fifteen-minutes halves. The away goals rule is again applied after extra time, i.e., if there are goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score is still level, the visiting team advances by virtue of more away goals scored. If no goals are scored during extra time, the tie is decided by penalty shoot-out.

Schedule

This is the first qualifying tournament after UEFA announced centralised rights deals for both UEFA Euro and FIFA World Cup qualifying. UEFA has proposed the "Week of Football" concept for the scheduling of qualifying matches:[11]

There are ten matchdays for the qualifying group stage, and two matchdays for the play-offs:[5]

Stage Matchday Dates
Qualifying group stage Matchday 1 7–9 September 2014
Matchday 2 9–11 October 2014
Matchday 3 12–14 October 2014
Matchday 4 14–16 November 2014
Matchday 5 27–29 March 2015
Matchday 6 12–14 June 2015
Matchday 7 3–5 September 2015
Matchday 8 6–8 September 2015
Matchday 9 8–10 October 2015
Matchday 10 11–13 October 2015
Play-offs 1st leg 12–14 November 2015
2nd leg 15–17 November 2015

Unlike previous qualifying campaigns where group fixtures were determined by negotiation between the national federations, UEFA themselves decided each group's fixture list, released the same day as the draw.[8][10]

Qualifying group stage

Seeding

The seeding pots were announced on 24 January 2014.[12][13]

Pot 1
Team Coeff Rank
 Spain 42,158 1
 Germany 41,366 2
 Netherlands 38,541 3
 Italy 35,343 4
 England 34,885 5
 Portugal 34,314 6
 Greece 33,540 7
 Russia 32,946 8
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 31,416 9
Pot 2
Team Coeff Rank
 Ukraine 31,156 10
 Croatia 30,652 12
 Sweden 30,111 13
 Denmark 29,660 14
  Switzerland 29,572 15
 Belgium 28,732 16
 Czech Republic 28,234 17
 Hungary 27,802 18
 Republic of Ireland 26,733 19
Pot 3
Team Coeff Rank
 Serbia 25,985 20
 Turkey 25,955 21
 Slovenia 25,834 22
 Israel 25,442 23
 Norway 25,341 24
 Slovakia 25,333 25
 Romania 25,038 26
 Austria 24,572 27
 Poland 23,095 28
Pot 4
Team Coeff Rank
 Montenegro 22,991 29
 Armenia 22,861 30
 Scotland 22,234 31
 Finland 22,001 32
 Latvia 20,771 33
 Wales 20,551 34
 Bulgaria 20,391 35
 Estonia 19,988 36
 Belarus 19,646 37
Pot 5
Team Coeff Rank
 Iceland 19,243 38
 Northern Ireland 19,201 39
 Albania 19,151 40
 Lithuania 19,026 41
 Moldova 18,301 42
 Macedonia 17,376 43
 Azerbaijan 16,901 44
 Georgia 16,766 45
 Cyprus 14,235 46
Pot 6
Team Coeff Rank
 Luxembourg 14,050 47
 Kazakhstan 13,961 48
 Liechtenstein 12,220 49
 Faroe Islands 11,751 50
 Malta 10,740 51
 Andorra 8,560 52
 San Marino 7,420 53
 Gibraltar 0 54

The draw took place at the Palais des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, on 23 February 2014, 12:00 CET.[3] The following draw procedure was applied:[14]

Groups

Legend
Group winners, runners-up, and the best third-placed team among all groups directly qualify for the finals
Remaining eight third-placed teams advance to the play-offs

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Czech Republic Iceland Netherlands Turkey Latvia Kazakhstan
1  Czech Republic 5 4 1 0 11 6 +5 13 Advance to final tournament — 2–1 2–1 10 Oct 1–1 3 Sep
2  Iceland 5 4 0 1 12 2 +10 12 12 Jun — 2–0 3–0 10 Oct 6 Sep
3  Netherlands 5 2 1 2 11 6 +5 7 Final tournament or play-offs 13 Oct 3 Sep — 1–1 6–0 3–1
4  Turkey 5 1 2 2 6 8 −2 5 1–2 13 Oct 6 Sep — 3 Sep 3–1
5  Latvia 5 0 3 2 2 11 −9 3 6 Sep 0–3 12 Jun 1–1 — 13 Oct
6  Kazakhstan 5 0 1 4 4 13 −9 1 2–4 0–3 10 Oct 12 Jun 0–0 —
Updated to match(es) played on 28 March 2015. Source: UEFA

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Belgium Wales Israel Cyprus Bosnia and Herzegovina Andorra
1  Belgium 5 3 2 0 13 1 +12 11 Advance to final tournament — 0–0 13 Oct 5–0 3 Sep 6–0
2  Wales 5 3 2 0 7 2 +5 11 12 Jun — 6 Sep 2–1 0–0 13 Oct
3  Israel 5 3 0 2 9 6 +3 9 Final tournament or play-offs 0–1 0–3 — 10 Oct 3–0 3 Sep
4  Cyprus 5 2 0 3 9 10 −1 6 6 Sep 3 Sep 1–2 — 13 Oct 5–0
5  Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 1 2 2 5 6 −1 5 1–1 10 Oct 12 Jun 1–2 — 6 Sep
6  Andorra 5 0 0 5 2 20 −18 0 10 Oct 1–2 1–4 12 Jun 0–3 —
Updated to match(es) played on 31 March 2015. Source: UEFA

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Slovakia Spain Ukraine Belarus Republic of Macedonia Luxembourg
1  Slovakia 5 5 0 0 11 2 +9 15 Advance to final tournament — 2–1 8 Sep 9 Oct 14 Jun 3–0
2  Spain 5 4 0 1 14 3 +11 12 5 Sep — 1–0 3–0 5–1 9 Oct
3  Ukraine 5 3 0 2 6 2 +4 9 Final tournament or play-offs 0–1 12 Oct — 5 Sep 1–0 14 Jun
4  Belarus 5 1 1 3 4 10 −6 4 1–3 14 Jun 0–2 — 12 Oct 8 Sep
5  Macedonia 5 1 0 4 5 12 −7 3 0–2 8 Sep 9 Oct 1–2 — 3–2
6  Luxembourg 5 0 1 4 3 14 −11 1 12 Oct 0–4 0–3 1–1 5 Sep —
Updated to match(es) played on 27 March 2015. Source: UEFA

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Poland Germany Scotland Republic of Ireland Georgia (country) Gibraltar
1  Poland 5 3 2 0 16 3 +13 11 Advance to final tournament — 2–0 2–2 11 Oct 13 Jun 7 Sep
2  Germany 5 3 1 1 9 4 +5 10 4 Sep — 2–1 1–1 11 Oct 4–0
3  Scotland 5 3 1 1 11 5 +6 10 Final tournament or play-offs 8 Oct 7 Sep — 1–0 1–0 6–1
4  Republic of Ireland 5 2 2 1 11 4 +7 8 1–1 8 Oct 13 Jun — 7 Sep 7–0
5  Georgia 5 1 0 4 4 9 −5 3 0–4 0–2 4 Sep 1–2 — 8 Oct
6  Gibraltar 5 0 0 5 1 27 −26 0 0–7 13 Jun 11 Oct 4 Sep 0–3 —
Updated to match(es) played on 29 March 2015. Source: UEFA

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification England Slovenia Switzerland Lithuania Estonia San Marino
1  England 5 5 0 0 15 1 +14 15 Advance to final tournament — 3–1 8 Sep 4–0 9 Oct 5–0
2  Slovenia 5 3 0 2 10 4 +6 9 14 Jun — 1–0 9 Oct 8 Sep 6–0
3   Switzerland 5 3 0 2 11 3 +8 9 Final tournament or play-offs 0–2 5 Sep — 4–0 3–0 9 Oct
4  Lithuania 5 2 0 3 3 10 −7 6 12 Oct 0–2 14 Jun — 1–0 8 Sep
5  Estonia 5 1 1 3 1 5 −4 4 0–1 1–0 12 Oct 5 Sep — 14 Jun
6  San Marino 5 0 1 4 0 17 −17 1 5 Sep 12 Oct 0–4 0–2 0–0 —
Updated to match(es) played on 27 March 2015. Source: UEFA

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Romania Northern Ireland Hungary Finland Faroe Islands Greece
1  Romania 5 4 1 0 7 1 +6 13 Advance to final tournament — 2–0 1–1 8 Oct 1–0 7 Sep
2  Northern Ireland 5 4 0 1 8 4 +4 12 13 Jun — 7 Sep 2–1 2–0 8 Oct
3  Hungary 5 2 2 1 4 3 +1 8 Final tournament or play-offs 4 Sep 1–2 — 1–0 8 Oct 0–0
4  Finland 5 1 1 3 5 7 −2 4 0–2 11 Oct 13 Jun — 7 Sep 1–1
5  Faroe Islands 5 1 0 4 2 7 −5 3 11 Oct 4 Sep 0–1 1–3 — 13 Jun
6  Greece 5 0 2 3 1 5 −4 2 0–1 0–2 11 Oct 4 Sep 0–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 29 March 2015. Source: UEFA

Group G

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Austria Sweden Russia Montenegro Liechtenstein Moldova
1  Austria 5 4 1 0 10 2 +8 13 Advance to final tournament — 1–1 1–0 1–0 12 Oct 5 Sep
2  Sweden 5 2 3 0 7 3 +4 9 8 Sep — 1–1 14 Jun 2–0 12 Oct
3  Russia 5 2 2 1 9 3 +6 8 Final tournament or play-offs 14 Jun 5 Sep — 12 Oct 4–0 1–1
4  Montenegro 5 1 2 2 3 5 −2 5 9 Oct 1–1 0–3[lower-alpha 1] — 5 Sep 2–0
5  Liechtenstein 5 1 1 3 1 11 −10 4 0–5 9 Oct 8 Sep 0–0 — 14 Jun
6  Moldova 5 0 1 4 2 8 −6 1 1–2 0–2 9 Oct 8 Sep 0–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 27 March 2015. Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ↑ Montenegro home match against Russia was awarded as a 3–0 win to Russia[16] after match was abandoned after 67 minutes due to crowd violence and scuffle between players (caused by Dmitri Kombarov being hit by an object thrown from the Montenegrin sector[17]). The original score was 0–0 and Russia missed a penalty moments before the match got abandoned. This was the second delay of the match as in the first minute, Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was hit by a flare, causing a 33-minute delay.[18] Both teams were then charged by the UEFA.[19]

Group H

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Croatia Italy Norway Bulgaria Azerbaijan Malta
1  Croatia 5 4 1 0 15 2 +13 13 Advance to final tournament — 12 Jun 5–1 10 Oct 6–0 2–0
2  Italy 5 3 2 0 8 4 +4 11 1–1 — 13 Oct 6 Sep 2–1 3 Sep
3  Norway 5 3 0 2 7 8 −1 9 Final tournament or play-offs 6 Sep 0–2 — 2–1 12 Jun 10 Oct
4  Bulgaria 5 1 2 2 6 7 −1 5 0–1 2–2 3 Sep — 13 Oct 1–1
5  Azerbaijan 5 1 0 4 4 11 −7 3 3 Sep 10 Oct 0–1 1–2 — 2–0
6  Malta 5 0 1 4 1 9 −8 1 13 Oct 0–1 0–3 12 Jun 6 Sep —
Updated to match(es) played on 28 March 2015. Source: UEFA

Group I

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Portugal Denmark Albania Serbia Armenia
1  Portugal 4 3 0 1 4 2 +2 9 Advance to final tournament — 8 Oct 0–1 2–1 1–0
2  Denmark 4 2 1 1 6 4 +2 7 0–1 — 4 Sep 13 Jun 2–1
3  Albania[lower-alpha 1] 4 2 1 1 4 5 −1 7 Final tournament or play-offs 7 Sep 1–1 — 8 Oct 2–1
4  Serbia[lower-alpha 1] 4 1 1 2 6 6 0 1 11 Oct 1–3 3–0[lower-alpha 1] — 4 Sep
5  Armenia 4 0 1 3 3 6 −3 1 13 Jun 7 Sep 11 Oct 1–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 29 March 2015. Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Serbia's abandoned home match against Albania was awarded as 3–0 win to Serbia, who were also deducted three points because home fans invaded the pitch and attacked Albania players when a drone carried a pro-Albanian flag over the stadium.[20] The decision was appealed by both Serbia and Albania,[21][22] but was upheld by UEFA.[23] Both associations have filed further appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.[24]

Ranking of third-placed teams

The highest ranked third-placed team from the groups directly qualifies for the tournament, while the remainder enter the play-offs. As Group I contains five teams and the rest contain six, matches against any sixth-placed team in each group are not included in this ranking. As a result, a total of eight matches played by each team count toward the purpose of the third-placed ranking table.

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 G  Russia 4 2 1 1 8 2 +6 7 Advance to final tournament
2 D  Scotland 4 2 1 1 5 4 +1 7 Advance to play-offs
3 F  Hungary 4 2 1 1 4 3 +1 7
4 I  Albania 4 2 1 1 4 5 −1 7
5 E   Switzerland 4 2 0 2 7 3 +4 6
6 C  Ukraine 4 2 0 2 3 2 +1 6
7 B  Israel 4 2 0 2 5 5 0 6
8 H  Norway 4 2 0 2 4 8 −4 6
9 A  Netherlands 4 1 1 2 8 5 +3 4
Updated to match(es) played on 31 March 2015. Source: Group results
Rules for classification: 1) Points from matches against teams ranked first to fifth in the group; 2) Superior goal difference from these matches; 3) Higher number of goals scored in these matches; 4) Higher number of away goals scored in these matches; 5) Fair play ranking in these matches; 6) Position in the UEFA national team coefficient ranking system; 7) Drawing of lots.

Play-offs

The draw for the play-offs will be held in October 2015 after the completion of the group stage.[25] The teams are seeded for the play-off draw according to the UEFA national team coefficient rankings updated after the completion of the group stage.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
12–14 Nov 15–17 Nov
12–14 Nov 15–17 Nov
12–14 Nov 15–17 Nov
12–14 Nov 15–17 Nov

Broadcasting

During the finals, the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) will be located at the Parc des Expositions at la Porte de Versailles in Paris.[26]

Goalscorers

6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal

References

  1. ↑ "UEFA European Football Championship Final Tournament 2016: Tournament Requirements" (PDF). UEFA. June 2009. p. 6, sec. 1. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  2. ↑ "France beat Turkey and Italy to stage Euro 2016". British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Qualifying draw". UEFA.com. 23 February 2014.
  4. ↑ "Nice to get the ball rolling for EURO 2016". UEFA.com. 13 December 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "UEFA EURO 2016 regulations published". UEFA.com. 18 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "European qualifiers branding launched". UEFA. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "UEFA European Football Championship Final Tournament 2016: Tournament Requirements" (PDF). UEFA. June 2009. p. 3, sec. 3. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "European Championship - France 2016". Romanian Football Association.
  9. ↑ "UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying format". UEFA.com.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 "Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship 2014-16" (PDF). UEFA.com.
  11. ↑ "UEFA announces deals for European qualifiers". UEFA.org. 10 April 2013.
  12. ↑ "Pots announced for EURO qualifying draw". UEFA.com. 24 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "National Team Coefficients Overview" (PDF). UEFA.com. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  14. ↑ "UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying draw procedure" (PDF). UEFA.com.
  15. ↑ "Gibraltar and Spain kept apart in Euro 2016 draw". Reuters via Yahoo Sports. 24 January 2014.
  16. ↑ "Russia given 3-0 win over Montenegro after suspended game". 8 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  17. ↑ "Montenegro v Russia abandoned (Telegraph)". 28 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  18. ↑ "Montenegro v Russia abandoned (Daily Mail)". 27 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  19. ↑ "MNE and RUS charged by UEFA". 30 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  20. ↑ "Disciplinary decision on Serbia-Albania match". UEFA.com. 24 October 2014.
  21. ↑ AFP (24 October 2014). "Albania to appeal UEFA punishment over Serbia". Business Insider. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  22. ↑ "Serbia to appeal UEFA decision". Goal.com. 24 October 2014.
  23. ↑ "Decisions upheld for Serbia-Albania match". UEFA.com. 2 December 2014.
  24. ↑ "The football associations of Albania and Serbia file appeals at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)" (PDF). http://www.tas-cas.org''. Court of Arbitration for Sport. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  25. ↑ "Play-off draw". UEFA.com.
  26. ↑ "UEFA EURO 2016 steering group meets in Paris". UEFA. 23 October 2012.

External links