Ireland to stage three group games and a round of 16 game at Euro 2020

**geysir** · 25/09/2017, 8:21 PM

A Rubik's Cube format.

I've got as far as a minute into the video, I keep pressing the 10 second playback function but to no avail, I'm none the wiser.

**pineapple stu** · 25/09/2017, 8:41 PM

Seems fairly straightforward?

Ten qualifying groups, with the top two in each qualifying. No play-offs. No foostering about. Back to the olden days.

Then the winners of Divs 1-4 of the Nations League qualify as well, to make 24. We knew the Div 4 winner would qualify, even if it's San Marino.

Only complication is that if you reach the Nations League knock-outs, and have already qualify for the Euros, you don't get to play in the Nations League play-offs, and are instead replaced by the runner-up in your Nations League group. That sounds silly. UEFA seem to be intent on ruining a potentially interesting format. You can basically only win the Nations League if you didn't qualify for the Euros.

**geysir** · 25/09/2017, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Seems fairly straightforward?

Ten qualifying groups, with the top two in each qualifying. No play-offs. No foostering about. Back to the olden days.

Then the winners of Divs 1-4 of the Nations League qualify as well, to make 24. We knew the Div 4 winner would qualify, even if it's San Marino.

Only complication is that if you reach the Nations League knock-outs, and have already qualify for the Euros, you don't get to play in the Nations League play-offs, and are instead replaced by the runner-up in your Nations League group. That sounds silly. UEFA seem to be intent on ruining a potentially interesting format. You can basically only win the Nations League if you didn't qualify for the Euros.

There are no play offs but yet there are play offs

The video ain't straightforward
The video starts starts at some chosen spot in the elongated qualification process with a dazzling display of red, blue, green and yellow spotted paths
20 teams will have already qualified by then but still participate in the euro leagues where the 4 remaining places still have to be filled by teams who have to negotiate a maze around the teams who have already qualified and are not engaged in the business end of this section.

From the text version - spot the discrepancy
Qualifying group stage
The 55 teams will be split into ten groups of five or six. Four of the five groups of five will contain one team that has qualified for the UEFA Nations League finals (to be played June 2019). The top two from each group will qualify for the final tournament, determining the first 20 places.

**DeLorean** · 26/09/2017, 7:20 AM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

We knew the Div 4 winner would qualify, even if it's San Marino.

So would we be better off in Division 4?

**pineapple stu** · 26/09/2017, 8:26 AM

Originally Posted by DeLorean

So would we be better off in Division 4?

Yes, we've known that for ages.

Originally Posted by geysir

There are no play offs but yet there are play offs

The qualifying groups have no play-offs. No best runner-up calculations, no worrying about seeding. Just the top two qualify, end of story.

The Nations League has play-offs, but we've known that since the format was announced.

Originally Posted by geysir

20 teams will have already qualified by then but still participate in the euro leagues

Not correct. The Nations League happens first, and from that, 16 teams will reach the divisional play-offs (4 from each division, or one from each group within each division). This will happen by Nov 2018.

Then Euro 2020 qualifying happens - from Mar to Nov 2019. So at this stage, no-one has qualified for the Euros via the Nations League.

Once qualifying is over, the play-offs of the Nations League take place (Mar 2020), with any team who qualified for both the play-offs and the Euros being replaced in the play-offs by the next best team in the Nations League who didn't qualify for the Euros. This bit is daft.

The UEFA article says the draw for the Euros will be in December 2019, before 4 of the qualifiers are even known. This bit is also daft, and leads to them postulating an "additional tournament draw" in April 2020 if required.

I'll agree the article is badly written, but the video (when it doesn't freeze) is good.

This does all appear to differ from the schedule schedule on the wiki article on both competitions, incidentally.

**DeLorean** · 26/09/2017, 8:30 AM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Yes, we've known that for ages.

So long that it would be forgivable for one to forget?

**pineapple stu** · 26/09/2017, 8:45 AM

No. That's never forgivable, DeL!

There was an article posted here only this month on it (joe_denilson's link post)

**DeLorean** · 26/09/2017, 9:00 AM

Never saw that. Qualifying for competitions based on results in the weaker group(s) is bizarre.

**pineapple stu** · 26/09/2017, 10:10 AM

Yeah, though I don't mind it too much - why not have the smaller teams something to play for? And if, say, the Faroes qualify and get thumped in three group games, so what? I don't see the harm in giving them something to get excited over. (Though it might screw around with the third-place rankings - one win against the Faroes and you could be almost assured a place in the last 16)

But the Nations League format as a whole seems a bit daft. We could end up playing two countries twice - and that's it.

Even something like 9 divisions of 6 seems better. Play home and away - 10 games. (There's surely space for that many over two years?) Top 2 promoted each year, bottom 2 relegated. (Yes, it's a lot, but who really cares?) Div 1 v Div 2 winner for a Euro spot; if the winner has already qualified, then the place carries down to the best team in the play-off winner's division not to have qualified. Div 3 v Div 4 for a Euro spot, and so on. Div 9 winner can't qualify.

**DeLorean** · 28/09/2017, 7:44 AM

The Convention Centre in Dublin will host the qualification draw - http://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/dubli...uefa-2020-draw

**seanfhear** · 28/09/2017, 8:02 AM

^^^^^^^^

Is that enough to guarantee automatic qualification for the Tournament .

**DeLorean** · 11/12/2017, 3:16 PM

So should we manage to qualify, we'll be in the same group as Spain - https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soc...2020-1.3319534

**geysir** · 13/12/2017, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by DeLorean

So should we manage to qualify, we'll be in the same group as Spain - https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soc...2020-1.3319534

A predetermined euro final group opponent based on some venue pairing? that one takes the biscuit. The Euro finals format have been taken over by engineers, cautious of devious interventions like risk factors.
Though when it comes to the countdown time for working out the complicated permutations which might allow or work against a team getting into a play off position, the chaos theory will surely prevail.

**DeLorean** · 14/12/2017, 7:52 AM

Originally Posted by geysir

A predetermined euro final group opponent based on some venue pairing?

Yeah, it would sit a bit better with me if the pairings were just drawn randomly. "Sporting strength" and "geographical considerations" appear a bit flimsy and open to exploitation. If logistics were really considered that important it's a bit mad that Baku was chosen in the first place.

**Kingdom** · 14/12/2017, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by DeLorean

Yeah, it would sit a bit better with me if the pairings were just drawn randomly. "Sporting strength" and "geographical considerations" appear a bit flimsy and open to exploitation. If logistics were really considered that important it's a bit mad that Baku was chosen in the first place.

Baku was chosen because the money that the Azeri's are pumping into football (however questionable) is incredible. Ever see the SOCAR ads floating around some of the grounds? That's the Azeri gas afaik.

**BonnieShels** · 14/12/2017, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by DeLorean

Yeah, it would sit a bit better with me if the pairings were just drawn randomly. "Sporting strength" and "geographical considerations" appear a bit flimsy and open to exploitation. If logistics were really considered that important it's a bit mad that Baku was chosen in the first place.

And paired with ROME!

**DeLorean** · 14/12/2017, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by BonnieShels

And paired with ROME!

Well I'd say Rome is one of the 'closest' of the selected cities, give or take. Bucharest/Budapest probably the only two that would be significantly closer to Baku but I suppose that's where the "sporting strength" criteria kicked in!