UEFA’S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE begins a two-day meeting in Switzerland this afternoon with the aim of ironing out the details of the Euro 2016 qualifiers.
Chaired by president of European football’s governing body Michel Platini, top of the agenda in Nyon will be confirming the qualifying draw format and seeding system, discussing the match schedule for the finals in France and reshaping how international weeks are played.
Ireland, sitting 19th in the UEFA rankings, will be hoping to clinch the final spot in Pot 2, which would give them a greater chance of avoiding some of the stronger nations.
According to Football-Rankings.info, these are the projected pots with 24 teams qualifying for the tournament:
Pot 1: Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, England, Portugal, Greece, Russia, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Pot 2: Croatia, Ukraine, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Republic of Ireland
Pot 3: Serbia, Turkey, Slovenia, Israel, Norway, Slovakia, Romania, Austria, Montenegro
Pot 4: Armenia, Poland, Scotland, Finland, Latvia, Wales, Bulgaria, Estonia, Belarus
Pot 5: Iceland, Northern Ireland, Albania, Lithuania, Moldova, FYR Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Cyprus
Pot 6: Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Faroe Islands, Malta, Andorra, San Marino, Gibraltar
While the draw for the Euro 2016 qualifiers doesn’t take place in Nice until 23 February, UEFA will hold a press conference tomorrow afternoon to confirm the procedure.
