Estonia to face Poland in Euro 2024 play-offs semi-finals
Estonia will face Poland away in its UEFA European Championships play-offs semi-final on March 21 next year.
This follows Croatia's 1:0 home win against Armenia Tuesday night, when the final Euro 2024 qualifiers took place, meaning Croatia has now qualified and does not need to enter the play-offs.
Notwithstanding its loyal fan base, Estonia finished its Group F qualifying campaign with a solitary point after a draw with Azerbaijan, and a goal difference of -20, but this does not bar the team from making the play-offs, due to the distribution of spots across the four tiers of the Nations League.
Estonia tops League D of this organization, and since not enough teams made it from Leagues A-C, the Sinisärgid make up the numbers.
A total of 12 teams are in the running for three playoff positions, Sky Sports reports, including Wales, Finland, Ukraine and Greece, in addition to Estonia and Poland.
While the play-offs draw takes place Thursday morning, it is already known that Estonia will be playing away to Poland in its semi-final, on March 21.
This will be followed by the play-offs finals five days later, whoever gets through.
Euro 2024 playoffs opponents confirmed!
— Estonian Football Podcast (@EstonianFBP) November 21, 2023
Estonia will have a tricky away game to start their playoffs vs Poland
https://t.co/XG9iJyrbES
In fact, should Estonia progress past the opening play-offs round, teams it could be facing include Wales, Finland or Ukraine, depending on how things work out.
The draw will also determine which teams are playing at home and which will be on the road.
Already qualified for the Euro 2024 finals in Germany are: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and Germany as hosts.
As noted three more teams will be joining this list when the play-offs are compete.
A win for the Czech Republic over Moldova on Monday meant that Estonia, which finished bottom of Group F, clung on for a play-offs spot even as Sweden and Azerbaijan, who both finished ahead of Estonia, are eliminated. Belgium and Sweden went through from Group F.
The Euro 2024 finals main draw takes place December 2, the finals take place June 14-July 14 next year.
Before that, Estonia faces Poland on March 21 next year. The play-offs finals take place on March 26.
Poland defeated Latvia 2:0 in a friendly at home on Tuesday evening, one of the goals being scored by veteran striker and team captain Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona). The Poles' best record in the European Championship finals so far came in 2016, when the team made the quarter finals. Poland had co-hosted the competition with Ukraine in 2012.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
Source: Sky Sports