In the last 8 Euro 2024 qualifying matches, Estonia lost 7 matches and only had one draw, scoring 2 goals and conceding 22 goals, ranking bottom of Group F.
However, the team is 24 places behind Vietnam in the FIFA rankings (Estonia is ranked 118, Vietnam is ranked 94 according to the latest rankings) and still has hope of participating in the Euro 2024 finals taking place in Germany next summer through the play-off round.
The reason is that Estonia was a team with good results in the Nations League before the Euro 2024 qualifiers took place (thanks to two wins against Malta and San Marino), partly thanks to the Czech Republic's victory over Moldova on November 21.
Estonia (in white) still has hope of qualifying for Euro 2024 despite not winning a single match in the qualifying round (Photo: Getty).
This situation arises due to the complexity of UEFA's regulations on ranking national teams and dividing them into 4 leagues A, B, C and D, along the UEFA Nations League rankings.
According to UEFA regulations, the 12 teams participating in the Euro 2024 play-offs through the Nations League will be selected from Leagues A, B and C. Any team that qualifies directly for Germany through the qualifying round will be replaced by the team ranked next to them in the same group in the Nations League.
In the event that fewer than four teams from the same group qualify for the play-offs, the highest-ranked team in League D will be promoted instead. After the Czech Republic beat Moldova 3-0 in the final match and secured a direct ticket to Germany, Estonia officially qualified for the play-offs through UEFA's calculation.
The Euro 2024 play-offs will feature 12 teams divided into three groups, each with two semi-finals, before the winner of the final qualifies for Germany. The semi-finals will take place on March 21, with the final five days later. The three winners of the final will secure three places in Germany next summer.
Estonia will face Poland in the semi-finals of the play-offs from Path A. If they beat Robert Lewandowski and his teammates, Estonia will face the winner of the other semi-final in Path A for a place in the Euro 2024 finals. With the other semi-final match yet to be decided, Estonia or Poland could face Wales, Finland, Ukraine or Iceland in the final of Path A.
Denmark won the Euro in 1992 despite not qualifying for the tournament. The play-off draw will take place today, November 23.
As of the Euro 2024 draw on December 2, 21 teams have already qualified for the finals. They are host Germany and the qualifying teams: Spain and Scotland (Group A), France, Netherlands (Group B), England, Italy (Group C), Turkey, Croatia (Group D), Albania, Czech Republic (Group E), Belgium, Austria (Group F), Hungary, Serbia (Group G), Denmark, Slovenia (Group H), Switzerland, Romania (Group I), Portugal, Slovakia (Group J).
The top seeds in the draw were also confirmed, with Germany, Portugal, France, Belgium, Spain and England.
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