Here’s how Ireland can use the Nations League to qualify for the Euros

Conan Doherty

You’d nearly be better off, in the long run, in a lower league.

One of these teams, for example, is going to Euro 2020.

Georgia
Kazakhstan
Latvia
Andorra
Belarus
Luxembourg
Moldova
San Marino
Azerbaijan
Faroe Islands
Malta
Kosovo
Macedonia
Armenia
Liechtenstein
Gibraltar

They’re all in League D of the Nations League and the playoffs for Euro 2020 are going to be divided into A, B, C, and D – based on the Nations League system. So, if you’re in D, you play D-standard teams for a shot of the big time.

It’s total nonsense – Ireland would actually be better off in a lower league and be guaranteed playoff games against weaker countries. If Ireland were in League D instead of B, they wouldn’t have to worry about the qualifiers at all – just wait for the playoffs which will pit them against teams like that.

The flip side is they will get promoted if they top their group so it’s difficult to really manipulate the system in the long run.

How to qualify for Euro 2020

24 teams will compete in the European Championships again.

Qualifier groups

Okay, there are 10 groups for the qualification campaign (which begins in March). The top two go through to the Euros automatically.

That means 20 teams qualify via the group stage which runs from March to November.

There’s a Nations League Final Four stint in June but that isn’t relevant. It’s only for League A and it means nothing – it’s just a cup to win.

There will be no playoff for third-place finishers of the normal qualification groups. Playoffs will be allocated based on Nations League.

So 20 teams go through from the groups – that leaves four.

Nations League

The Nations League will run from September to November. Ireland are in League B and that’s all that matters in this campaign.

We play Denmark and Wales in our group – home and away – and, if we don’t qualify automatically through the normal qualifier groups, our performance in the Nations League will be judged.

Four teams from each league – A, B, C, D – will be put into a playoff against each other. Semi-final and then final.

One team from each league will qualify for Euro 2020. That’s where the four extra teams come from. One from A, B, C, D.

If you top your Nations League group, you are guaranteed a playoff semi-final in the league you competed in.

So if Ireland were in League D, they’d have two favourable games between them and the main tournament. They’re in League B so it would be a tough semi-final and final.

If the team on top of your group has already qualified through the normal system, it doesn’t go to the next team down in that group – it goes to the next best non-qualified performer of the entire league – League B in Ireland’s case. All the groups can be viewed here.

However, there are perks to being in League B. There are only 12 teams in League A and, if more than eight of those qualify automatically for Euro 2020 via the normal system – which is very likely – there won’t be enough to make up their four playoff teams.

In that case, teams from League B will be brought in who have: 1) not already qualified and 2) not been ranked highly enough to make their League B playoff.

So even if Ireland weren’t good enough for the League B playoff, they could still be brought into the League A one.

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