EURO 2020 Qualifiers Groups Report

The first fixtures of 2020 EURO qualifiers are behind us and with that, we got to see how well the teams perform on the international level. Now while we wait for the next matchday to take place on 7th June, let’s check how the first two matchdays went, which teams surprised us and which underperformed.

Image source: UEFA.com

GROUP A

From the start, this group was bound to belong to England. While there were some skeptics who did not believe in England, due to not-so-impressive performances in recent years, they proved us all wrong with an exceptional performance against the Czech Republic (5:0) and Montenegro (1:5). Solely looking at those results, it’s clear that England is a class above all other teams and will most likely come out on top. As for the remaining four teams, nothing is yet decided as all are more than capable of finishing 2nd and with that get themselves a ticket to appear in the main event.

#	Team	MP	Points
1	England	2	6
2	Bulgaria	2	2
3	Kosovo	1	1
4	Montenegro	2	1
5	Czech Republic	1	0

GROUP B

A disappointing result of two favourites; Portugal and Serbia just might have made this group more interesting for the fixtures that will follow. The 2016 EURO champions, Portugal only managed to grab two points in the two matches they played, which was a disappointing result, to say the least. While it’s true they were paired with two of the strongest teams in the group; Serbia and Ukraine, they did not expect to draw both. Nonetheless, the race for the top 2 is still far from over and anything can happen.

#	Team	MP	Points
1	Ukraine	2	4
2	Luxembourg	2	3
3	Portugal	2	2
4	Serbia	1	1
5	Lithuania	1	0

GROUP C

Looking at this group, there is no question who will end up on top. With teams like Netherlands and Germany, remaining Northern Ireland, Estonia and Belarus stand little to no chance. As it stands now, the table might suggest differently with Northern Ireland at the top, however, we must acknowledge, the two heavyweights played against each other on the last matchday, while Northern Ireland still waits to play against Germany and Netherlands. Could Northern Ireland end up upsetting Germany or Netherlands and finish top 2? Probably not, but then again football is full of surprises.

#	Team	MP	Points
1	Northern Ireland	2	6
2	Germany	1	3
3	Netherlands	2	3
4	Estonia	1	0
5	Belarus	2	0

GROUP D

This group, just like group A, looks like it was expected. Ireland and Switzerland are at the top, while Denmark, Gibraltar, and Georgia remain at the bottom. Out of the bottom 3 teams, Denmark could push for the top 2 and even finish the qualifications up there. They have proven their strength in a 3:3 draw against Switzerland and with Ireland as their next opponents, Denmark could easily sit at the top after the next two matchdays.

#	Team	MP	Points
1	Ireland	2	6
2	Switzerland	2	4
3	Denmark	1	1
4	Gibraltar	1	0
5	Georgia	2	0

GROUP E

Disappointing results from World Cup finalists; Croatia. This is how we can sum up this group. There have been a lot of hopes put into the Croatian team who impressed us all in the World Cup 2018, however, they were not themselves in the EURO qualifiers. Croatia started off their campaign with a close win against Azerbaijan (2:1) to which they added a 2:1 defeat against Hungary. Not really something we and they hoped to see. As it stands now the top 4 teams share 3 points so nothing is yet decided, however, Croatia needs to wake up before the next matchday if they are serious about leaving a mark in EURO 2020.

#	Team	MP	Points
1	Slovakia	2	3
2	Wales	1	3
3	Hungary	2	3
4	Croatia	2	3
5	Azerbaijan	1	0

GROUP F

No surprises here. Spain comfortably leads the group with two wins, with Sweden close behind holding a win and a draw. To be fair, it would be silly to think any other team than Spain will finish up at the top. But there is still a question of the 2nd place. As it stands now Sweden is in the best position however we cannot disregard Norway, as they are more than capable of catching up to their neighbours.

#	Team	MP	Points
1	Spain	2	6
2	Sweden	2	4
3	Romania	2	3
4	Malta	2	3
5	Norway	2	1
6	Faroe Islands	2	0

GROUP G

Austria is probably the biggest disappointment in this group, as they failed to win both of their matches. As for other teams, Poland sits at the top with two wins followed by Israel and North Macedonia who share 4 points and Slovenia at 3rd place with two draws. Austria and Latvia both remain without a single point and sit at the bottom.

#	Team	MP	Points
1	Poland	2	6
2	Israel	2	4
3	North Macedonia	2	4
4	Slovenia	2	2
5	Austria	2	0
6	Latvia	2	0

GROUP H

Again not a lot of surprises in this group. France and Turkey comfortably sit at the top with 6 points each, followed by Albania, Iceland, Andorra, and Moldova, who all had slim chances of finishing in the top 2, to begin with. The final table should look similar to how it looks now.

#	Team	MP	Points
1	France	2	6
2	Turkey	2	6
3	Albania	2	3
4	Iceland	2	3
5	Andorra	2	0
6	Moldova	2	0

GROUP I

The first spot is occupied by Belgium, which should not come off a surprise. As for the 2nd spot, there are 4 teams all with 3 points who could end up fighting for the final promotion spot. While I have my doubts about Cyprus and Kazakhstan being in the fight till the end, the ball is round and everything can happen, so we just might see a heated fight for the final promotion spot.

#	Team	MP	Points
1	Belgium	2	6
2	Russia	2	3
3	Kazakhstan	2	3
4	Cyprus	2	3
5	Scotland	2	3
6	San Marino	2	0

GROUP J

Italy who has disappointed in the World Cup, by not even qualifying for it, has stepped up in the qualifiers and managed to defeat the two opponents they met with ease. Finland fell with a final score of 2:0, while Italy showed no mercy to Liechtenstein (6:0). Italy has always been a superpower in football and after the “small” hiccup in 2018, I cannot imagine them letting go of another opportunity. As for the 2nd spot finish, it will be Greece vs Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both great teams who could easily do some damage to the main event. With one match between the two teams ending in a draw (2:2), it’s still all a big question which one will prevail and advance to EURO 2020.