England's relegation in the Nations League has not only scuppered their preparation ahead of the World Cup but also left Gareth Southgate's side with a tougher task of qualifying for Euro 2024
England will not be a top seed during Euro 2024 qualification in the latest humiliating blow to Gareth Southgate 's side.
The Three Lions recently suffered relegation in the Nations League during a nightmare international break and are in the midst of a concerning six-game winless run. A morale-boosting 3-3 draw on Monday at home to Germany - coincidently where Euro 2024 will take place - wasn't enough to keep England among the 10 teams who UEFA will seed first during next week's qualifying draw.
Set to be held in Frankfurt on Sunday, October 9 at 11am UK time, the Three Lions will be in Pot 2 and should be handed a tougher qualifying group than usual - at least on paper. Reigning world champions France will also be a second seed, having lost their spot in the top tier to Poland, whose gritty 1-0 victory over Wales on Sunday saw them jump up to Pot 1.
In qualifying, there will be seven groups of five nations and three groups of six. The 20 teams who finish in first and second place will automatically qualify for the tournament. Hosts Germany and three teams via the play-offs round out the 24-nation competition which kicks off on Friday, June 14, 2024 at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
It will be the second European Championship for which teams' results from their Nations League groups will affect their chances of playing at the finals, most prominently in the play-offs. Sadly for England, they mustered just three points from six games this time around and will compete in League B when the Nations League restarts for 2024-25.
That won't be anywhere near Southgate and co's biggest worry for now, though, as the World Cup is right around the corner. If the Three Lions don't fare well in Qatar, then the under-fire boss might have to forget leading his nation in Germany, with calls from the sack growing louder this month.
England were relegated in the Nations League last week
Southgate has remained stoic in the face of adversity and hopes that September's struggles can make England battle-hardened and ready for the World Cup. "It has been a tough period and they have grown," the Three Lions manager explained in the aftermath of Monday's thrilling draw.
"You will always face pressure and at some point you have to be exposed. We played a friendly against Ivory Coast in March and they went to 10 men and it became a non-event and we learnt nothing, this week we have learned a huge amount. As a group they have come together and they will benefit in the long run."
Southgate added: "I've got to say the players have been fantastic the last few days. They've taken some individual responsibility. They've collectively talked as a group on their own, with us, and the whole experience has been one we needed, I think, to grow the next part as a team because you're going to have pressure in a World Cup.
England will be a second seed in Euro 2024 qualifying
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"You can try and avoid pressure but it's coming. Maybe it's the third group game, maybe it's a quarter-final - whatever it might be, it's coming. So, better that we feel it and we learn how to deal with it.
"We talked about how we needed to react if Germany score tonight and the players reacted in the right way. We showed some character but also a lot of quality in the chances we created throughout the whole game and particularly for the goals we scored."
Euro 2024 qualifying draw pots in full
- Pot 1: Netherlands, Hungary, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Croatia, Portugal, Poland, Switzerland
- Pot 2: Wales, England, Bosnia, Israel, France, Austria, Scotland, Finland, Serbia, Czech Republic
- Pot 3: Sweden, Armenia, Romania, Slovenia, Ireland, Montenegro, Iceland, Albania, Ukraine, Norway
- Pot 4: Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Greece, Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands. Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo
- Pot 5: Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Cyprus,Belarus, Lithuania, Gibraltar, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova, Malta
- Pot 6: Andorra, San Marino, Lichtenstein