How England could end up in a Euro 2020 group of death with France and Portugal as Three Lions hope for Sweden and Israel
England could potentially face France and Portugal in the group stages of Euro 2020, with the draw set to take place, with the draw taking place LIVE on talkSPORT 2 at 5pm on Saturday.
The Three Lions qualified for next summer’s tournament with a 7-0 win over Montenegro last week, before ensuring a top seed place with a 4-0 victory in Kosovo.
However, despite being in Pot One, England could still find themselves in a ‘group of death’ scenario when the finals get under way next summer.
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The top ten qualifying group winners take the first ten positions in the draw, followed by the group runners-up, with all countries ranked by points, goal difference and goals scored.
The final four positions in the draw will be occupied by the winners of the qualifying play-offs in March.
However, there will be just six groups at Euro 2020 which means only the top six ranked teams can be seeded in Pot One.
Italy, England, Belgium, Spain and Ukraine have already booked their place in the premier Pot, having ranked first to fifth throughout the qualifying campaign, while Germany leapfrogged France to become the final Pot One seed by beating Northern Ireland.
In Pot Two, France are joined by Poland, Russia, Croatia, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Who has qualified for Euro 2020 and what pot are they in?
20 teams have automatically qualified for next summer's finals, with a further four to book their place via the qualifying play-offs
POT ONE
Belgium
Italy
England
Germany
Spain
Ukraine
POT TWO
France
Poland
Switzerland
Croatia
Netherlands
Russia
POT THREE
Portugal
Turkey
Denmark
Austria
Sweden
Czech Republic
POT FOUR
Wales
Finland
One of Iceland, Romania Bulgaria or Hungary
One of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Slovakia or Republic of Ireland
One of Scotland, Israel, Norway, Serbia
One of Georgia, Belarus, North Macedona or Kosovo
Portugal were knocked down to Pot Three due to Holland’s win against Estonia on Tuesday evening, moving the Dutch to Pot Two and leaving Cristiano Ronaldo and co. in Pot Three with Turkey, Denmark and Sweden, Austria and Czech Republic.
Pot Four has just Wales and tournament debutants Finland in there so far, but the four qualifying play-off winners are all confirmed to be in the same Pot.
Due to the make up of the Pots, England are facing a possible ‘group of death’ which includes France and Portugal, as well as Wales – the Pot 4 team who rank highest in UEFA’s overall ranking which is used for seeding in the draw.
England's worst possible group
- England
- France
- Portugal
- Wales
A best-case scenario for the Three Lions, based on every team’s place in the overall rankings used for the Euro 2020 draw, could see Russia, Sweden and Israel in their group, which would be a very favourable draw for Gareth Southgate’s side.
England's best possible group
- England
- Russia
- Sweden
- Israel
The qualifying play-offs take place next year, and the draw was made on November 22 to determine the semi-finals for each Path.
The matches are one-legged fixtures, with the winners of each semi-final then going on to face each other. The victors of the final in each Path will be part of the Euro 2020 finals, taking their place in Pot 4 for the draw.
Qualifying play-off fixtures
Who will play who in the qualifying play-offs next year?
PATH A
Iceland vs Romania (semi-final 1)
Bulgaria vs Hungary (semi-final 2)
Winner of semi-final 2 to host final
PATH B
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Northern Ireland (semi-final 1)
Slovakia vs Republic of Ireland (semi-final 2)
Winner of semi-final 1 to host final
PATH C
Scotland vs Israel (semi-final 1)
Norway vs Serbia (semi-final 2)
Winner of semi-final 2 to host final
PATH D
Georgia vs Belarus (semi-final 1)
North Macedonia vs Kosovo (semi-final 2)
Winner of semi-final 1 to host final
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