The Euro 2024 tournament is now in its final round of group fixtures, and the race for the best third-placed teams is heating up. After playing two games in their respective groups, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Albania initially held the qualifying positions for the top third-placed teams. However, this could all change in the upcoming matches.
To determine which teams will progress to the last 16, UEFA uses specific criteria. The team with the highest number of points, better goal difference, more goals scored, more wins, fewer disciplinary points based on yellow and red cards, and a higher position in the overall European Qualifiers rankings will be crowned as the best third-placed team.
Currently, teams from Groups D, E, C, and B are in line to advance as the top third-placed teams. UEFA has a table with potential pairings for the last 16 based on different scenarios. For example, if Group B’s winner advances as one of the top three teams and Group C’s winner also finishes in that position, then WB vs. 3E would be one of the pre-determined matchups between winners and qualifying third-placed teams.
However, it’s important to note that while these preliminary rankings give us an idea of who might advance to the last 16; they do not determine who plays who specifically in that stage of competition. Ultimately, it’s up to how each team performs in their remaining matches before we can make any concrete predictions about which players will take to the field next year at Euro 2024.
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