England National Football Team UEFA Euro Standings
Gareth Southgate is taking time to reflect on his future as England manager after last Saturday’s crushing 2-1 loss against Spain in Berlin. Unfortunately, since that heartbreaking defeat many are questioning if he should stay.
England have had difficulty reaching finals of tournaments because their path involves many top sides in each knockout bracket.
UEFA Euro Qualifiers
The UEFA Euro Qualifiers serve as the gateway for teams aspiring to participate in the European Championship. This quadrennial football tournament ranks only second to the World Cup and comprises all UEFA member countries.
2024 saw 24 teams compete to become champions at Berlin on July 14th, with six groups of four being divided up and the top two from each and the best four third-placed teams qualifying for the knockout stage.
Starting in 2020, qualification was tied to the new UEFA Nations League competition with finals places being determined through performance in this tournament rather than group stage results. Play-offs remained, and spots for each of ten qualifying groups earned by their top two teams were confirmed as guaranteed spots with third and fourth placed finishing teams joining them via two paths in play-offs (one reserved for highest-ranking group winners in League D (unless they had already qualified directly); another path open to all eligible teams based on ranking).
England National Football Team Vs Italy National Football Team Lineups
Group Tables
If you’re following this year’s European Championship qualifiers, keeping tabs on group tables will allow you to see which sides may advance to the next stage. Each round of games played will update this list; be sure to take note of which teams rank highest within each of six groups.
Gareth Southgate must find some sort of inspiration if he wants his team to advance in their competition, especially against opponents they should have easily defeated so far. Their inept performances against opposition they should have dispatched easily have raised doubts as to whether they have what it takes to reach major tournament finals.
The top two teams in each group will automatically advance to the knockout stage; those finishing third to 24th in their groups will compete in a two-leg playoff for a spot there, with selection based on UEFA club coefficients; this round does not count towards qualifying for Champions League or Europa League this time around.
Knockout Stage
Under the new system, the top two teams in each group and four third-place finishers will automatically qualify for the last 16. Teams finishing ninth to 24th will enter a knockout phase play-off against one placed 25th or lower to determine who earns eight spots in this stage of competition.
Gareth Southgate insists the buzz surrounding his England side is exaggerated but it’s evident they’re struggling at major tournaments – though that could change if they beat Spain in Stuttgart in the quarterfinals on July 5.
The final place in the league phase is reserved for champions from associations ranked 21-25. Historically, this spot went to one of the Big Five leagues; however, with Netherlands’ win against Israel now available to champions from any association ranked between 25-55; one other place will go towards rewarding Europe’s most successful leagues.
Finals
England have endured an inauspicious Euro 2024 so far, playing their trademark anaemic attacking football which has bedeviled their major tournament history. Luckily for them, none of the top teams were placed in their group.
Southgate has accomplished an outstanding task in revolutionising England team culture through his leadership. Club allegiances no longer serve as fault lines and bottle-neck pressure has been replaced with pride in identity.
Now, that success is being tested. England are becoming less than convincing at defending, and are often vulnerable to conceding goals in defence – no wonder they drew with Denmark!
At European level, different leagues use different systems for promotion and relegation within their top tiers. Premier League, La Liga and Serie A all use automatic relegation whereby three bottom teams automatically fall to the second tier; Championship and Segunda Division however have two promotion spots open; wherein the third-placed team in each league plays off against its fourth-place team in two-legged semi-final before competing against them directly for one off final promotion places.