Article summary
The 2018/19 qualifying round has 44 hopefuls beginning their bids to join hosts Bulgaria in the final tournament.
Article top media content
Article body
Qualifying round draw
Group 1 (15–21 October): Czech Republic, Denmark*, Ukraine, Faroe Islands
Group 2 (19–25 October): Norway, Russia, Croatia*, Israel
Group 3 (22–28 October): Italy, Finland, Romania, Montenegro*
Group 4 (4–10 October): Scotland. Poland*, Slovakia, Lithuania
Group 5 (19–25 September): England, Iceland, Azerbaijan, Moldova*
Group 6 (19–25 September): Belgium, Portugal*, Turkey, Andorra
Group 7 (22–28 October): Republic of Ireland, Serbia*, Wales, Albania
Group 8 (23–29 September): Austria, Belarus, Slovenia, Estonia*
Group 9 (12–18 October): Switzerland, Greece*, Northern Ireland, Kazakhstan
Group 10 (20–26 September): France, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia*
Group 11 (17–23 October): Netherlands*, Sweden, Latvia, Georgia
*Hosts
09:00CET, 24 November, Nyon
• There are four seeding pots in accordance with the coefficient rankings list, with the 12 countries with the highest ranking in Pot A, the next 12 in Pot B, and so on.
• Each group will have one team from each pot, with hosts then appointed to stage the mini-tournaments, provisionally scheduled between 1 August and 28 October 2018.
Draw procedure & seeding pots
Pot A: England, Norway, France, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic, Scotland, Belgium
Pot B: Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Poland, Hungary, Russia*, Serbia, Greece, Portugal, Belarus
Pot C: Slovenia, Northern Ireland, Turkey, Wales, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine*, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Azerbaijan, Latvia
Pot D: FYR Macedonia, Faroe Islands, Montenegro, Israel, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Georgia, Andorra, Albania
*Based on previous decisions of the UEFA Executive Committee and UEFA Emergency Panel, Russia and Ukraine cannot be drawn in the same group.
Bye to elite round: Germany, Spain
Bye to final tournament: Bulgaria (hosts)
Who is involved?
• Hosts Bulgaria qualify directly for the final tournament in May 2019.
• Top seeds Germany and Spain receive a bye to the elite round.
• The remaining 44 entrants start in the qualifying round where they will be split into 11 groups of four.
• Albania are making their tournament debut.
Road to Bulgaria
• The top two sides in every group plus the four third-placed teams with the best record against the top two in their section join Spain and France in the elite round draw on 23 November 2018, with the games in spring 2019.
• Seven teams will eventually qualify for the finals to join Bulgaria from 5 to 17 May 2019.