300 days to go ... countdown to UEFA EURO 2016
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Article summary
Saturday marked 300 days to go until UEFA EURO 2016 begins in France: we look at where qualifying stands and the key dates on the road to the first 24-team final tournament.
Article top media content
Article body
Qualifying
• There are two 'weeks of football' left, with virtually every team having four games remaining – two from 3–8 September and two from 8–13 October.
• The nine group winners, the nine group runners-up and the third-placed side with the best record against the teams first, second, fourth and fifth in their sections qualify directly for the final tournament to join hosts France.
• The eight remaining third-placed teams will play off over two legs from 12–17 November to decide the remaining four finalists. The play-off draw is on 18 October in Nyon.
If qualifying were to end now ...
Qualified: France (hosts), Iceland, Czech Republic, Wales, Belgium, Slovakia, Spain (holders), Poland, Germany, England, Switzerland, Romania, Northern Ireland, Austria, Sweden, Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Albania (either Denmark or Albania are best third-placed)
Play-offs: Netherlands, Israel/Cyprus, Ukraine, Scotland, Slovenia, Hungary, Russia, Norway
The draw (12 December, Paris)
• There will be four pots for the draw, with seedings based on the UEFA national team coefficient rankings (see the latest here).
Pot 1: five teams to include Spain, as the reigning European champions, if they qualify
Pots 2, 3 and 4: six teams
• France are not included in the pots as they are automatically assigned as team A1.
• The teams will be drawn into six groups of four (Groups A to F), with the top two in each plus the four best third-placed sides to advance to the knockout phase.
Key dates on road to France
3–8 September: qualifying matches
7 September: France v Serbia friendly at Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux
tbc September: inauguration of redeveloped Parc des Princes and Stade Geoffroy Guichard
8–13 October: final qualifying matches
8 October: France v Armenia friendly at Stade de Nice
12–17 November: qualifying play-offs
tbc November: official inauguration of the Stade Bollaert-Delelis
24 November: 200 days to go
12 December: final tournament draw, Paris
Date tbc after draw: 'Follow your team' tickets released
3 March: 100 days to go
9 June: free David Guetta concert, Champ Mars, Paris
10 June: UEFA EURO 2016 begins
10 July: the final