Forget Qatar – next month, minnows will eye a spot at Germany 2024
The UEFA Nations League may have looked like a bunch of meaningless matches this summer, but for Kazakhstan & Co, things are about to get a whole lot more important.
The final two rounds of Nations League matches take place in September – England will be bidding to avoid an embarrassing demotion from League A, while Wales are in danger of the same fate, but there’s far more than just promotion and relegation at stake across the tournament.
Nations League finishing positions will determine the seeding for October’s Euro 2024 qualifying draw – particularly important for Scotland and Ireland, needing to top their group in League B to guarantee themselves as a second seed. When Euros qualifying takes place next year, the top two sides in each group progress directly to the tournament.
Nations League rankings will also determine the play-offs for the Euros and, as things stand, the four group winners in Nations League C are all likely to go into the play-offs.
Northern Ireland’s poor summer results have put them out of contention, so the countries currently on course for play-off spots are Turkey, Greece, Georgia and the footballing powerhouse of Kazakhstan, who were ranked a lowly 114th in the world this summer and have never previously come remotely close to reaching the Euros, since joining UEFA from the Asian confederation in 2002.
Only one of the four would win the play-offs and reach the Euros in Germany, so there’ll be two playoff semis, then a final – if the Kazakhs don’t quite make it, Turkey vs Greece for a plac
