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European national soccer teams are currently in the midst of the qualifying rounds for next summer’s tournament in Germany, and the Republic of Ireland has found themselves in quite a unique situation.
Given their current standing in their group and the play-off format that essentially puts teams in a losers bracket and gives them a second chance at qualifying, Ireland would actually be better off losing their upcoming qualifying match against the Netherlands in November.
The problem, however, is that Ireland’s chances of qualifying for said playoff are significantly better if they lose. In fact, a win against the Dutch would virtually kill off their chances of making the playoff.
While Stephen Kenny’s side can no longer make it to Germany automatically from Group B – having lost five of their six matches so far – they can still make the play-offs.
UEFA’s decision to determine the 12 teams that enter March’s play-offs by their performance in the 2022-23 Nations League- – to then decide the final three spots at the finals — offers a glimmer of hope. [via The Daily Mail]
At the time of this writing, the teams that have qualified for the 2024 Euros are Germany (who automatically qualify as hosts), France, Portugal, Spain, England, Scotland, Turkey, Belgium, and Austria.
The following teams, while still having the potential to automatically qualify, are currently guaranteed at least a playoff spot: Netherlands, Italy (the defending champions), Croatia, Serbia, Georgia, Greece, Denmark, Finland, Kazakhstan, Israel, Luxembourg, and Bosnia Herzegovina.
Finally, Sweden, Lithuania, Northern Ireland, San Marino, Cyprus, Gibraltar, North Macedonia, Malta, Latvia, Belarus, Andorra and Liechtenstein have all been officially eliminated.
National team players will be heading back to their clubs this weekend before the next international break in mid-November.