Euro 2020 qualifying – Groups Draw & Betting Odds

European Football

The draw for Euro 2020 was made in Dublin on Sunday, December 2nd and England came out with a pretty favourable draw. All of the qualification matches for Euro 2020 will happen between March and November 2019 in a condensed version of the process.

That is because of the Nations League action which has a backdoor-bearing influence on qualification for the tournament. France are the 4/1 outright favourites to win Euro 2010* (betting odds taken from December 2nd, 2018 at 1:17 pm)

Euro 2020 Winner Odds*

France 4/1
Spain 9/2
Belgium 7/1
England 7/1
Germany 8/1
Portugal 10/1
Netherlands 12/1
Italy 16/1
Croatia 25/1
Switzerland 50/1
Russia 66/1
Wales 66/1
Denmark 66/1
Bar 100/1
* (betting odds taken from December 2nd, 2018 at 1:17 pm)

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Nations League Semi-Finalists

The four teams who made it through to the Nations League semi-finals, England, Switzerland, Portugal and the Netherlands were all together in a special pot for the draw. They will each play in a group (separate) of just five teams, which ensures that their calendars are left open for next year’s Nations League semi-finals. The rest of the groups in Euro 2020 qualification have six teams in each.

Location Logistics

Euro 2020 is going to be spread far and wide across the continent (twelve nations). England, Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Denmark, Hungary, Romania and Russia are all staging Euro 2020 games. No more than two of those could be paired together in a group.

Euro 2020 Group Qualifiers

The top two from each of the Euro 2020 qualification groups will automatically qualify for the tournament.

Euro 2020 Qualification Play-Offs

This is where the Nations League comes back into play. Group winners from the current Nations League are automatically guaranteed a Euro 2020 qualification play-off place. That is, if they don’t earn an automatic Euro 2020 qualification spot.

If a team who has won their Nations League group automatically qualifies for Euro 2020 as well, the next best team in their Nations League group goes to the play offs instead. The play offs will be held at the end of March 2020.

Euro 2020 Draw

Group A: England, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Kosovo.

Group B: Portugal, Ukraine, Serbia, Lithuania, Luxembourg.

Group C: Netherlands, Germany, Northern Ireland, Estonia, Belarus.

Group D: Switzerland, Denmark, Republic of Ireland, Georgia, Gibraltar.

Group E: Croatia, Wales, Slovakia, Hungary, Azerbaijan.

Group F: Spain, Sweden, Norway, Romania, Faroe Islands, Malta.

Group G: Poland, Austria, Israel, Slovenia, Macedonia, Latvia.

Group H: France, Iceland, Turkey, Albania, Moldova, Andorra.

Group I: Belgium, Russia, Scotland, Cyprus, Kazakhstan, San Marino.

Group J: Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Finland, Greece, Armenia, Liechtenstein.

England – Group A

It has been a pretty strong draw for England really who have what appears to be an easy qualification process ahead of them. The next highest seeded team in the world that they will meet is the Czech Republic who are 42nd in the world. Bulgaria, Montenegro and Kosovo make up the group. England’s last game against the Czech Republic ended in a 2-2 draw back in 2008. The two nations haven’t met competitively.

England hold a W6 D4 L0 record against Bulgaria, last beating them comfortably to nil twice in Euro 2012 qualification. The Three Lions have a W1 D3 L0 record against Montenegro, the win coming in their last meeting in World Cup 2014 qualifying. The Three Lions have not met Kosovo before.

Prediction: England win, Czech Republic qualify

Northern Ireland – Group C

It has been a tough draw for Northern Ireland who are going to have a battle on their hands to book an automatic qualification spot. They have drawn not only Germany, who the Irish finished second to in World Cup 2018 qualification, but the Netherlands too. The Netherlands showed a new lease of life during the Nations League as they beat France and Germany to top spot in their group against the odds. Northern Ireland didn’t win their Nations League group (finishing bottom behind Bosnia and Austria) so don’t have the cushion of an immediate backdoor route to the playoffs. Estonia and Belarus make up the numbers in Group C.

Prediction: Germany to win, Netherlands qualify

Ireland – Group D

Ireland will look to enter a fresh new era after a managerial change. Martin O’Neill has gone and it was needed after the Irish finished bottom of their Nations League group behind Denmark and Wales. So that puts them under pressure in not having an immediate backdoor route to the Euro 2020 playoffs. They will meet up with Denmark yet again, the side who knocked them out of World Cup 2018 qualification playoffs and who, as mentioned, won their Nations League group above them.

That gives the Danes the first shot from that particular Nations League group of a playoff spot in Euro 2020 qualifying. Switzerland were the surprise winners of their nations League group after stunning Belgium so they will be a threat. Georgia and Gibraltar make up the numbers.

Prediction: Denmark to win, Switzerland to qualify

Wales – Group E

Wales won’t be too unhappy with their Euro 2020 draw you would feel. Yes, they have to take on World Cup 2018 runners-up Croatia, but other than that, there is a decent chance for the Welsh in this one. Slovakia could be their biggest threat to shake off for the second qualification place, but the Slovakians finished bottom of their Nations League group behind Ukraine and the Czech Republic.

Azerbaijan are naturally going to be the big underdog outsiders for the group, while Hungary could only finish second to Finland in their Nations League group. Some rousing home performances and you can see the Welsh making a strong automatic qualification challenge.

Prediction: Croatia to win, Wales to qualify

Scotland – Group I

There are couple of stiff challenges ahead for Scotland in their Euro 2020 qualification campaign. First of all the favourites to win the group will be Belgium and it would be a shock if the Red Devils indeed didn’t get an automatic qualification place out of this. Russia surprised everyone at the World cup 2018 of course and they finished level on points (beaten on head to head) with Sweden in their Nations League group.

So those are the ones Scotland are most likely going to have to duel the hardest against. But the Scots, because they won their Nations League group have the cushion of a Euro 2020 qualification play-off place. Filling out the rest of the group are Cyprus, Kazakhstan and San Marino.

Prediction: Belgium to win, Russia to qualify