Predicting the Winners and Qualifiers from Every Euro 2016 Qualification Group
It’s been less than two months since the World Cup final, but on Sunday qualification will begin for the next European Championship, which will be held in France from June 10 to July 10, 2016.
For the first time, 24 nations will compete in the tournament proper, and over the next 14 months the 23 sides that will join the hosts in the group stage draw will be determined.
The first and second-place teams from each of the qualification programme’s nine brackets will book their places automatically, as will the best third-place finisher. The remainder of the third-place outfits will contest a quartet of two-legged play-offs to complete the set of 23.
So, with the particulars out of the way, let’s get down to business.
Ahead of Sunday’s matches we’ve picked the teams we think will automatically qualify for Euro 2016, as well as those that will go into the play-off round.
Group A: Czech Republic, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Netherlands, Turkey
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Winner: The Netherlands
The Netherlands were without some key players when they lost 2-0 to Italy on Thursday. Manager Guus Hiddink has an array of attacking options that, when available, can trouble any defensive unit in international football.
Runner-up: Turkey
Turkey won 2-1 in Denmark the last time out and will open their Euro 2016 qualification campaign in Iceland on Tuesday. In the likes of Omer Toprak, Arda Turan and Burak Yilmaz manager Fatih Terim has a capable, veteran core, and Semih Kaya, Oguzhan Ozyakup and Hakan Calhanoglu add an element of youth.
Group B: Andorra, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, Israel, Wales
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Winner: Belgium
This is a tricky bracket, but Belgium simply have too much talent to let it slip away from them. An in-form Romelu Lukaku would no doubt help their cause, and Eden Hazard will surely be keen to put a poor World Cup behind him with some standout performances in Euro 2016 qualifying.
Runner-up: Bosnia-Herzegovina
Don’t be surprised if the fight for second place in Group B comes down to the October 2015 showdown between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Wales in Zenica.
Having just been to a major tournament, Bosnia-Herzegovina will be looking to become a consistent player on the international stage, and their superior depth should see them pip Wales to automatic qualification.
Group C: Belarus, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine
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Winner: Spain
Spain may be in something of a rebuilding phase, but the draw was kind to them and they should walk this bracket. The quality of opposition, or lack thereof, will also serve to help striker Diego Costa gain some confidence on the international stage for his adopted country.
Runner-up: Slovakia
Slovakia impressed at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa but haven’t done much since. This is very much Napoli playmaker Marek Hamsik’s team, and given a lack of attacking talent up front, they’ll defend their way into the European Championship.
Group D: Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland
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Winner: Germany
Philipp Lahm, Miroslav Klose and Per Mertesacker have all retired from international football since Germany won the World Cup in July, but their exits only create room for the next batch of uber-talented German players.
The likes of Mats Hummels, Toni Kroos, Marco Reus and Thomas Muller are just now entering their primes, and as a result Germany should be the team to beat in France in 2016.
Runner-up: Republic of Ireland
Second place in Group D will come down to the Republic of Ireland and Poland, and even though the Poles have dominated the Irish in their head-to-head history, they’re in something of a down cycle at the moment.
Ireland have quite a capable midfield including the likes of Glenn Whelan, James McCarthy, Wes Hoolahan and Robbie Brady.
Group E: England, Estonia, Lithuania, San Marino, Slovenia, Switzerland
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Winner: Switzerland
Sorry, England, but Switzerland are far and away the best team in this group. Ranked ninth in the world at present, they quite nearly toppled Argentina at the 2014 World Cup and in Gokhan Inler, Valon Behrami and Granit Xhaka have a top-level midfield.
Xherdan Shaqiri and Valentin Stocker provide pace and tricks from the wide positions.
Runner-up: England
England will still qualify automatically for Euro 2016. Unfortunately, they’ll be without striker Daniel Sturridge when they face Switzerland on Monday, and their two games against the Swiss will likely prove vital in determining the winner of this section.
Group F: Greece, Faroe Islands, Finland, Hungary, Northern Ireland, Romania
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Winner: Greece
Greece progressed to the 2014 World Cup after beating Romania over two legs in a qualification play-off, and they should get the better of their rivals once again in the buildup to Euro 2016.
Claudio Ranieri is now the man in charge, and while he inherits a capable group of defenders, he’ll also help open things up offensively for the Euro 2004 champions.
Runner-up: Romania
Romania’s last appearance at a major competition was in Euro 2008, when they went out at the group stage. Impressively, they played Argentina to a scoreless draw last March and have a capable group of defenders, including Vlad Chiriches, Razvan Rat, Gabriel Tamas and Dorin Goian.
Group G: Austria, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Sweden
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Winner: Sweden
Sweden’s Erik Hamren is one of the longest-serving managers in international football. That stability will serve his side well in Euro 2016 qualifying, as will the presence of a certain Zlatan Ibrahimovic. No doubt the PSG striker will be eager to participate in one more major tournament before he retires.
Runner-up: Montenegro
Nevermind that Russia aren’t in the best of moments; Montenegro are good enough to qualify for Euro 2016 on their own merit.
Stevan Jovetic and Mirko Vucinic form a potentially lethal attacking tandem, and seasoned internationals such as Marko Basa, Stefan Savic and Nikola Drincic should see the Brave Falcons through to the group stage draw.
Group H: Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Malta, Norway
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Winner: Italy
New Italy manager Antonio Conte earned rave reviews for his side’s 2-0 win over the Netherlands on Wednesday, and the Azzurri should have little problem winning this bracket.
As usual, Italy’s strength is in defense and midfield, but Conte will have no doubt been delighted to see striker Ciro Immobile open his international goalscoring account against the Dutch.
Runner-up: Croatia
Croatia were bitterly disappointed to go out at the group stage of the 2014 World Cup, but they’ll shortly be headed back to a major tournament following a second-place finish in Euro 2016 qualification Group H.
Midfielder Luka Modric is in the prime of his career, and Ivan Rakitic will only get better after joining Barcelona.
Group I: Albania, Armenia, Denmark, Portugal, Serbia
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Winner: Portugal
Portugal tend to make difficult work of qualifying, and with tough opponents such as Denmark and Serbia in their section that’s likely to be the case once again.
But there’s simply no denying Cristiano Ronaldo when the Real Madrid attacker is on form, which is more often than not.
Runner-up: Serbia
Serbia don’t have the firepower of either Portugal or Denmark, but they possess the best defensive unit in Group I. Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic is team captain, and Matija Nastasic, Nenad Tomovic and Aleksandar Kolarov also operate in front of goalkeepers Vladimir Stojkovic and Zeljko Brkic.
Best Third-Place Team and Play-off Participants
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Best third-place team: Wales
Wales haven’t contested a major competition since 1976, but they’ll put the 40-year wait behind them ahead of Euro 2016. In Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen they have top-end talent, and Ben Davies and Ashley Williams are capable defenders. They’ll go straight into the draw.
Play-off participants: Czech Republic, Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, Northern Ireland, Russia, Bulgaria, Denmark
The four play-off ties will be played between November 12-14, 2015 (first leg) and November 15-17, 2015 (second leg).
