UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs

UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs

UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs decided the last four teams that qualified for the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament, to be staged across Europe in June and July 2021. The 16 teams were selected based on their performance in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League. The matches were originally scheduled for March 2020, but were postponed by UEFA due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.

About UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs in brief

Summary UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offsUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs decided the last four teams that qualified for the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament, to be staged across Europe in June and July 2021. The 16 teams were selected based on their performance in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League. The teams were divided into four paths, each containing four teams, with one team from each path qualifying for the final tournament. The host of the final was decided during the 22 November 2019 draw, chosen between the winners of the semi-final pairings. If scores were level at the end of normal time, 30 minutes of extra time was played. If the scores remained tied, a penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner. The matches were originally scheduled for March 2020, but were postponed by UEFA due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. UEFA announced the partial return of spectators to matches beginning in October 2020, restricted to a maximum of 30 percent of the respective stadium capacity. The team selection process determined the 16 teams that competed in the playoffs based on a set of criteria.

Due to the specificity of the draw procedure, the teams could only be finalised following the conclusion of the qualifying group stage. Depending on the combination of the pairings, the finalised combination of teams could be only be based on the results of the non-group stage. Four separate draws determining the host of each play-off place also took place. The UEFA Executive Committee approved the use of the video assistant referee system for the qualifying playoffs during their meeting in Nyon, Switzerland on 4 December 2019. However, the return of spectator numbers was subject to the decision of local authorities, with regional limits taking precedence over UEFA’s maximum allowed capacity. Away supporters were not allowed at the team venues with regulations distancing venues from UEFA. Social precautionary measures was mandatory for spectators, and additional precautionary measure was implemented in accordance with local authorities.