Albania’s draw away to the Czech Republic was perhaps the key moment in their qualifying campaign. In Group E, they were drawn alongside Moldova and the Faroe Islands as well as a Polish side that underwhelmed.
Austria enjoyed a good qualifying, finishing as runners-up behind Belgium in Group F. They pushed the group winners all the way at home and secured a valuable point away in Brussels. Marcel Sabitzer was Austria’s top scorer with four goals.
Belgium once again confirmed how easy the qualifiers can be. They finished top of Group F with 20 points from eight matches and remained unbeaten against Austria, Azerbaijan, Estonia and Sweden. Manager Domenico Tedesco were rarely troubled, further proof that in the last decade, Belgium have become very apt at defeating smaller teams, who often play in a low block. The Red Devils last lost a European qualifier in 2015, against Wales, 1-0.
With star man Luka Modric set for one last dance with his country, Croatia will push to go one step further as the side always on the cusp of history looks to switch the script.
Looking for revenge after the heartbreak of Euro 2020, England shape up as one of the tournament favourites.
France topped Group B of the qualifiers with 22 points and a goal difference of +26, going unbeaten.
Georgia finished fourth in Group A behind fellow finalists Spain and Scotland as well as Norway but claimed a ticket to the big time via the playoffs.
After the trauma felt during Euro 2020 and the disappointment of the 2022 World Cup, Denmark are ready to bounce back after a comfortable qualification campaign proved they still have plenty of bite.
As hosts, Germany did not participate in the qualifiers for the tournament. It’s the first time they have hosted the competition since West Germany hosted in 1988.
Hungary secured their place at Euro 2024 in style – they went unbeaten with five victories and three draws in their eight games and finished top of their group for the first time in qualifying history.
Off the back of a rollercoaster period for the Azzurri which saw the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, the Italians return to the European Championships as holders – a title dulled by the Azzurri’s absence at the 2022 World Cup after failing to qualify.
It was hardly plain sailing for the Dutch. A 4-0 defeat against France left the Netherlands chasing qualification for the rest of the campaign and in a two-horse race with Greece, they claimed a pivotal 1-0 victory in Athens to secure a ticket in the next game against the Republic of Ireland.
Poland left it late to secure qualification to this summer’s European Championships, progressing by way of penalty shootout versus 10-man Wales back in March.
Portugal breezed through the qualifiers to win every single match of their campaign for the first time.