Euro 2016 Qualification Thread

[Famine]

Well, the draw has just been made for the qualification round of Euro 2016 and boy is it interesting.

For the first time, the hosts (France) are now playing qualification matches, but nothing will rest on their results - it's simply an alternative to having them try to arrange 12 friendly fixtures against relatively meaningless opponents for the next two years.

Also interesting is the inclusion of UEFA's newest and smallest member, Gibraltar. Kept apart from Spain in the draw for political reasons (as with Armenia and Azerbaijan).

Another first - there'll be 24 teams in the finals, expanded from the traditional 16. This means the top 2 teams in each of the nine groups will qualify along with the best third place team once results against the 6th place team in the group are discounted. The remaining 8 third place teams will face a two-leg playoff for qualification. Together with the host nation France, this makes your 24:

Qualified teams:
28/05/2010 -

France (Hosts)
05/09/2015 -

England (Group E; Winners)
07/09/2015 -

Iceland (Group A; Runners-up)
07/09/2015 -

Czech Republic (Group A; Winners)
08/09/2015 -

Austria (Group G; Winners)
08/10/2015 -

Northern Ireland (Group F; Winners)
08/10/2015 -

Portugal (Group I; Winners)
09/10/2015 -

Spain (Group C; Winners)
09/10/2015 -

Switzerland (Group E; Runners-up)
10/10/2015 -

Italy (Group H; Winners)
10/10/2015 -

Belgium (Group B; Winners)
10/10/2015 -

Wales (Group B; Runners-up)
11/10/2015 -

Germany (Group D; Winners)
11/10/2015 -

Poland (Group D; Runners-up)
11/10/2015 -

Romania (Group F; Runners-up)
11/10/2015 -

Albania (Group I; Runners-up)
12/10/2015 -

Russia (Group G; Runners-up)
12/10/2015 -

Slovakia (Group C; Runners-up)
13/10/2015 -

Croatia (Group H; Runners-up)
13/10/2015 -

Turkey (Best third place team)
15/11/2015 -

Hungary (Playoff winners)
16/11/2015 -

Republic of Ireland (Playoff winners)
17/11/2015 -

Sweden (Playoff winners)
17/11/2015 -

Ukraine (Playoff winners)

Group A
1.

Czech Republic - W7 D1 L1 - +19 -12 GD+7 - 22pt
2.

Iceland - W6 D2 L2 - +17 -6 GD+13 - 20pt
3.

Turkey - W5 D3 L2 - +14 -9 GD+5 - 18pt
4.

Netherlands - W4 D1 L5 - +17 -14 GD+3 - 13pt
5.

Kazakhstan - W1 D2 L6 - +6 -16 GD-12 - 5pt
6.

Latvia - W0 D5 L5 - +6 -19 GD-13 - 5pt

09/09/2014 - Czech Republic 2-1 Netherlands
09/09/2014 - Iceland 3-0 Turkey
09/09/2014 - Kazakhstan 0-0 Latvia
10/10/2014 - Latvia 0-3 Iceland
10/10/2014 - Netherlands 3-1 Kazakhstan
10/10/2014 - Turkey 1-2 Czech Republic
13/10/2014 - Iceland 2-0 Netherlands
13/10/2014 - Kazakhstan 2-4 Czech Republic
13/10/2014 - Latvia 1-1 Turkey
16/11/2014 - Czech Republic 2-1 Iceland
16/11/2014 - Netherlands 6-0 Latvia
16/11/2014 - Turkey 3-1 Kazakhstan
28/03/2015 - Czech Republic 1-1 Latvia
28/03/2015 - Kazakhstan 0-3 Iceland
28/03/2015 - Netherlands 1-1 Turkey
12/06/2015 - Iceland 2-1 Czech Republic
12/06/2015 - Kazakhstan 0-1 Turkey
12/06/2015 - Latvia 0-2 Netherlands
03/09/2015 - Czech Republic 2-1 Kazakhstan - Kazakhstan eliminated
03/09/2015 - Netherlands 0-1 Iceland
03/09/2015 - Turkey 1-1 Latvia
06/09/2015 - Latvia 1-2 Czech Republic
06/09/2015 - Turkey 3-0 Netherlands - Czech Republic qualify for Finals, Latvia eliminated
06/09/2015 - Iceland 0-0 Kazakhstan - Iceland qualify for Finals
10/10/2015 - Czech Republic 0-2 Turkey
10/10/2015 - Iceland 2-2 Latvia
10/10/2015 - Kazakhstan 1-2 Netherlands
13/10/2015 - Latvia 0-1 Kazakhstan
13/10/2015 - Netherlands 2-3 Czech Republic - Netherlands eliminated
13/10/2015 - Turkey 1-0 Iceland


Group B
1.

Belgium - W7 D2 L1 - +24 -5 GD+19 - 23pt
2.

Wales - W6 D3 L1 - +11 -4 GD+7 - 21pt
3.

Bosnia-Herzegovina - W5 D2 L3 - +17 -12 GD+5 - 17pt
4.

Israel - W4 D1 L5 - +16 -14 GD+2 - 13pt
5.

Cyprus - W4 D0 L6 - +15 -17 GD -1 - 12pt
6.

Andorra - W0 D0 L10 - +4 -36 GD-32 - 0pt

09/09/2014 - Andorra 1-2 Wales
09/09/2014 - Bosnia 1-2 Cyprus
10/10/2014 - Belgium 6-0 Andorra
10/10/2014 - Cyprus 1-2 Israel
10/10/2014 - Wales 0-0 Bosnia
13/10/2014 - Andorra 1-4 Israel
13/10/2014 - Bosnia 1-1 Belgium
13/10/2014 - Wales 2-1 Cyprus
16/11/2014 - Belgium 0-0 Wales
16/11/2014 - Cyprus 5-0 Andorra
16/11/2014 - Israel 3-0 Bosnia
28/03/2015 - Andorra 0-3 Bosnia
28/03/2015 - Belgium 5-0 Cyprus
28/03/2015 - Israel 0-3 Wales
31/03/2015 - Israel 0-1 Belgium
12/06/2015 - Andorra 1-3 Cyprus
12/06/2015 - Bosnia 3-1 Israel
12/06/2015 - Wales 1-0 Belgium
03/09/2015 - Belgium 3-1 Bosnia
03/09/2015 - Cyprus 0-1 Wales
03/09/2015 - Israel 4-0 Andorra - Andorra eliminated
06/09/2015 - Wales 0-0 Israel
06/09/2015 - Bosnia 3-0 Andorra
06/09/2015 - Cyprus 0-1 Belgium
10/10/2015 - Andorra 1-4 Belgium - Belgium qualify for finals
10/10/2015 - Bosnia 2-0 Wales
10/10/2015 - Israel 1-2 Cyprus - Wales qualify for finals
13/10/2015 - Belgium 3-1 Israel - Israel eliminated
13/10/2015 - Cyprus 2-3 Bosnia - Cyprus eliminated
13/10/2015 - Wales 2-0 Andorra


Group C
1.

Spain - W9 D0 L1 - +23 -3 GD+20 - 27pt
2.

Slovakia - W7 D1 L2 - +17 -8 GD+9 - 22pt
3.

Ukraine - W6 D1 L3 - +14 -4 GD+10 - 19pt
4.

Belarus - W3 D2 L5 - +7 -14 GD-6 - 11pt
5.

Luxembourg - W1 D1 L8 - +6 -27 GD-21 - 4pt
6.

FYR Macedonia - W1 D1 L8 - +6 -18 GD-12 - 4pt

08/09/2014 - Luxembourg 1-1 Belarus
08/09/2014 - Spain 5-1 Macedonia
08/09/2014 - Ukraine 0-1 Slovakia
09/10/2014 - Belarus 0-2 Ukraine
09/10/2014 - Macedonia 3-2 Luxembourg
09/10/2014 - Slovakia 2-1 Spain
12/10/2014 - Belarus 1-3 Slovakia
12/10/2014 - Luxembourg 0-4 Spain
12/10/2014 - Ukraine 1-0 Macedonia
15/11/2014 - Luxembourg 0-3 Ukraine
15/11/2014 - Macedonia 0-2 Slovakia
15/11/2014 - Spain 3-0 Belarus
27/03/2015 - Macedonia 1-2 Belarus
27/03/2015 - Slovakia 3-0 Luxembourg
27/03/2015 - Spain 1-0 Ukraine
14/06/2015 - Belarus 0-1 Spain
14/06/2015 - Slovakia 2-1 Macedonia
14/06/2015 - Ukraine 3-0 Luxembourg
04/09/2015 - Luxembourg 1-0 Macedonia
04/09/2015 - Spain 2-0 Slovakia
04/09/2015 - Ukraine 3-1 Belarus - Macedonia, Luxembourg, Belarus eliminated
08/09/2015 - Belarus 2-0 Luxembourg
08/09/2015 - Macedonia 0-1 Spain
08/09/2015 - Slovakia 0-0 Ukraine
09/10/2015 - Macedonia 0-2 Ukraine
09/10/2015 - Slovakia 0-1 Belarus
09/10/2015 - Spain 4-0 Luxembourg - Spain qualify for Finals
12/10/2015 - Belarus 0-0 Macedonia
12/10/2015 - Luxembourg 2-4 Slovakia
12/10/2015 - Ukraine 0-1 Spain - Slovakia qualify for Finals


Group D
1.

Germany - W7 D1 L2 - +24 -9 GD+15 - 22pt
2.

Poland - W6 D3 L1 - +33 -10 GD+23 - 21pt
3.

Republic of Ireland - W5 D3 L2 - +19 -7 GD+12 - 18pt
4.

Scotland - W4 D3 L3 - +22 -12 GD+10 - 15pt
5.

Georgia - W3 D0 L7 - +10 -16 GD-6 - 9pt
6.

Gibraltar - W0 D0 L10 - +2 -56 GD-54 - 0pt

07/09/2014 - Georgia 1-2 Republic of Ireland
07/09/2014 - Germany 2-1 Scotland
07/09/2014 - Gibraltar 0-7 Poland
11/10/2014 - Poland 2-0 Germany
11/10/2014 - Republic of Ireland 7-0 Gibraltar
11/10/2014 - Scotland 1-0 Georgia
14/10/2014 - Germany 1-1 Republic of Ireland
14/10/2014 - Gibraltar 0-3 Georgia
14/10/2014 - Poland 2-2 Scotland
14/11/2014 - Georgia 0-4 Poland
14/11/2014 - Germany 4-0 Gibraltar
14/11/2014 - Scotland 1-0 Republic of Ireland
29/03/2015 - Georgia 0-2 Germany
29/03/2015 - Republic of Ireland 1-1 Poland
29/03/2015 - Scotland 6-1 Gibraltar
14/06/2015 - Gibraltar 0-7 Germany
14/06/2015 - Poland 4-0 Georgia
14/06/2015 - Republic of Ireland 1-1 Scotland
04/09/2015 - Georgia 1-0 Scotland
04/09/2015 - Germany 3-1 Poland
04/09/2015 - Gibraltar 0-4 Republic of Ireland - Gibraltar eliminated
07/09/2015 - Poland 8-1 Gibraltar
07/09/2015 - Republic of Ireland 1-0 Georgia - Georgia eliminated
07/09/2015 - Scotland 2-3 Germany
08/10/2015 - Georgia 4-0 Gibraltar
08/10/2015 - Republic of Ireland 1-0 Germany
08/10/2015 - Scotland 2-2 Poland - Scotland eliminated
11/10/2015 - Germany 2-1 Georgia - Germany qualify for Finals
11/10/2015 - Gibraltar 0-6 Scotland
11/10/2015 - Poland 2-1 Republic of Ireland - Poland qualify for Finals


Group E
1.

England - W10 D0 L0 - +31 -3 GD+28 - 30pt
2.

Switzerland - W7 D0 L3 - +24 -8 GD+16 - 21pt
3.

Slovenia - W5 D1 L4 - +18 -11 GD+7 - 16pt
4.

Estonia - W3 D1 L6 - +4 -9 GD-5 - 10pt
5.

Lithuania - W3 D1 L7 - +7 -21 GD-14 - 10pt
6.

San Marino - W0 D1 L9 - +1 -36 GD-35 - 1pt

08/09/2014 - Estonia 1-0 Slovenia
08/09/2014 - San Marino 0-2 Lithuania
08/09/2014 - Switzerland 0-2 England
09/10/2014 - England 5-0 San Marino
09/10/2014 - Lithuania 1-0 Estonia
09/10/2014 - Slovenia 1-0 Switzerland
12/10/2014 - Estonia 0-1 England
12/10/2014 - Lithuania 0-2 Slovenia
14/10/2014 - San Marino 0-4 Switzerland
15/11/2014 - England 3-1 Slovenia
15/11/2014 - San Marino 0-0 Estonia
15/11/2014 - Switzerland 4-0 Lithuania
27/03/2015 - England 4-0 Lithuania
27/03/2015 - Slovenia 6-0 San Marino
27/03/2015 - Switzerland 3-0 Estonia
14/06/2015 - Estonia 2-0 San Marino
14/06/2015 - Lithuania 1-2 Switzerland
14/06/2015 - Slovenia 2-3 England
04/09/2015 - Estonia 1-0 Lithuania
04/09/2015 - San Marino 0-6 England - England qualify for Finals, San Marino eliminated
04/09/2015 - Switzerland 3-2 Slovenia
08/09/2015 - England 2-0 Switzerland
08/09/2015 - Lithuania 2-1 San Marino
08/09/2015 - Slovenia 1-0 Estonia
09/10/2015 - England 2-0 Estonia
09/10/2015 - Slovenia 1-1 Lithuania - Lithuania eliminated
09/10/2015 - Switzerland 7-0 San Marino - Switzerland qualify for Finals
12/10/2015 - Estonia 0-1 Switzerland - Estonia eliminated
12/10/2015 - Lithuania 0-3 England
12/10/2015 - San Marino 0-2 Slovenia


Group F
1.

Northern Ireland - W6 D3 L1 - +16 -8 GD+8 - 21pt
2.

Romania - W5 D5 L0 - +11 -2 GD+9 - 20pt
3.

Hungary - W4 D4 L2 - +11 -9 GD+2 - 16pt
4.

Finland - W3 D3 L4 - +9 -10 GD-1 - 12pt
5.

Faroe Islands - W2 D0 L8 - +6 -17 GD-11 - 6pt
6.

Greece - W1 D3 L6 - +7 -14 GD-7 - 6pt

07/09/2014 - Faroe Islands 1-3 Finland
07/09/2014 - Greece 0-1 Romania
07/09/2014 - Hungary 1-2 Northern Ireland
11/10/2014 - Finland 1-1 Greece
11/10/2014 - Romania 1-1 Hungary
11/10/2014 - Northern Ireland 2-0 Faroe Islands
14/10/2014 - Faroe Islands 0-1 Hungary
14/10/2014 - Finland 0-2 Romania
14/10/2014 - Greece 0-2 Northern Ireland
14/11/2014 - Greece 0-1 Faroe Islands
14/11/2014 - Hungary 1-0 Finland
14/11/2014 - Romania 2-0 Northern Ireland
29/03/2015 - Hungary 0-0 Greece
29/03/2015 - Northern Ireland 2-1 Finland
29/03/2015 - Romania 1-0 Faroe Islands
14/06/2015 - Finland 0-1 Hungary
14/06/2015 - Faroe Islands 2-1 Greece
14/06/2015 - Northern Ireland 0-0 Romania
04/09/2015 - Faroe Islands 1-3 Northern Ireland
04/09/2015 - Greece 0-1 Finland
04/09/2015 - Hungary 0-0 Romania - Greece eliminated
07/09/2015 - Finland 1-0 Faroe Islands - Faroe Islands eliminated
07/09/2015 - Northern Ireland 1-1 Hungary
07/09/2015 - Romania 0-0 Greece
08/10/2015 - Hungary 2-1 Faroe Islands
08/10/2015 - Northern Ireland 3-1 Greece - Northern Ireland qualify for Finals
08/10/2015 - Romania 1-1 Finland - Finland eliminated
11/10/2015 - Faroe Islands 0-3 Romania
11/10/2015 - Finland 1-1 Northern Ireland - Romania qualify for Finals
11/10/2015 - Greece 4-3 Hungary


Group G
1.

Austria - W9 D1 L0 - +22 -5 GD+17 - 28pt
2.

Russia - W6 D2 L2 - +21 -5 GD+16 - 20pt
3.

Sweden - W7 D2 L1 - +14 -5 GD+9 - 18pt
4.

Montenegro - W3 D2 L5 - +10 -13 GD -3 - 11pt
5.

Liechtenstein - W1 D2 L7 - +2 -26 GD-24 - 5pt
6.

Moldova - W0 D2 L8 - +4 -16 GD-12 - 2pt

08/09/2014 - Austria 1-1 Sweden
08/09/2014 - Montenegro 2-0 Moldova
08/09/2014 - Russia 4-0 Liechtenstein
09/10/2014 - Liechtenstein 0-0 Montenegro
09/10/2014 - Moldova 1-2 Austria
09/10/2014 - Sweden 1-1 Russia
12/10/2014 - Austria 1-0 Montenegro
12/10/2014 - Russia 1-1 Moldova
12/10/2014 - Sweden 2-0 Liechtenstein
15/11/2014 - Austria 1-0 Russia
15/11/2014 - Moldova 0-1 Liechtenstein
15/11/2014 - Montenegro 1-1 Sweden
27/03/2015 - Liechtenstein 0-5 Austria
27/03/2015 - Moldova 0-2 Sweden
27/03/2015 - Montenegro 0-3 Russia - Match abandoned, walkover awarded
14/06/2015 - Liechtenstein 1-1 Moldova
14/06/2015 - Russia 0-1 Austria
14/06/2015 - Sweden 3-1 Montenegro
04/09/2015 - Austria 1-0 Moldova
04/09/2015 - Montenegro 2-0 Liechtenstein
04/09/2015 - Russia 1-0 Sweden
08/09/2015 - Liechtenstein 0-7 Russia - Moldova, Liechtenstein eliminated.
08/09/2015 - Moldova 0-2 Montenegro
08/09/2015 - Sweden 1-4 Austria - Austria qualify for Finals
09/10/2015 - Liechtenstein 0-2 Sweden
09/10/2015 - Moldova 1-2 Russia
09/10/2015 - Montenegro 2-3 Austria - Montenegro eliminated
12/10/2015 - Austria 3-0 Liechtenstein
12/10/2015 - Russia 2-0 Montenegro - Russia qualify for Finals
12/10/2015 - Sweden 2-0 Moldova


Group H
1.

Italy - W7 D3 L0 - +16 -7 GD+9 - 24pt
2.

Croatia - W6 D3 L1 - +20 -5 GD+15 - 20pt**
3.

Norway - W6 D1 L3 - +13 -10 GD+3 - 19pt
4.

Bulgaria - W3 D2 L5 - +9 -12 GD -3 - 11pt
5.

Azerbaijan - W1 D3 L6 - +9 -16 GD-11 - 6pt
6.

Malta - W0 D2 L7 - +3 -15 GD-12 - 2pt

09/09/2014 - Azerbaijan 1-2 Bulgaria
09/09/2014 - Croatia 2-0 Malta
09/09/2014 - Norway 0-2 Italy
10/10/2014 - Bulgaria 0-1 Croatia
10/10/2014 - Italy 2-1 Azerbaijan
10/10/2014 - Malta 0-3 Norway
13/10/2014 - Croatia 6-0 Azerbaijan
13/10/2014 - Malta 0-1 Italy
13/10/2014 - Norway 2-1 Bulgaria
16/11/2014 - Azerbaijan 0-1 Norway
16/11/2014 - Bulgaria 1-1 Malta
16/11/2014 - Italy 1-1 Croatia
28/03/2015 - Azerbaijan 2-0 Malta
28/03/2015 - Bulgaria 2-2 Italy
28/03/2015 - Croatia 5-1 Norway
12/06/2015 - Croatia 1-1 Italy
12/06/2015 - Malta 0-1 Bulgaria
12/06/2015 - Norway 0-0 Azerbaijan
03/09/2015 - Azerbaijan 0-0 Croatia
03/09/2015 - Bulgaria 0-1 Norway
03/09/2015 - Italy 1-0 Malta - Malta eliminated
06/09/2015 - Norway 2-0 Croatia - Azerbaijan eliminated
06/09/2015 - Malta 2-2 Azerbaijan
06/09/2015 - Italy 1-0 Bulgaria - Bulgaria eliminated
10/10/2015 - Azerbaijan 1-3 Italy - Italy qualify for Finals
10/10/2015 - Croatia 3-0 Bulgaria
10/10/2015 - Norway 2-0 Malta
13/10/2015 - Bulgaria 2-0 Azerbaijan
13/10/2015 - Italy 2-1 Norway
13/10/2015 - Malta 0-1 Croatia - Croatia qualify for Finals


Group I
1.

Portugal - W7 D0 L1 - +11 -5 GD+6 - 18pt
2.

Albania - W4 D2 L2 - +10 -5 GD+5 - 14pt
3.

Denmark - W3 D3 L2 - +8 -5 GD+3 - 12pt
4.

Serbia - W2 D1 L5 - +8 -13 GD -5 - 4pt*
5.

Armenia - W0 D2 L6 - +5 -14 GD-9 - 2pt

07/09/2014 - Denmark 2-1 Armenia
07/09/2014 - Portugal 0-1 Albania
07/09/2014 - Serbia 1-1 France - Friendly
11/10/2014 - Armenia 1-1 Serbia
11/10/2014 - Albania 1-1 Denmark
11/10/2014 - France 2-1 Portugal - Friendly
14/10/2014 - Armenia 0-3 France - Friendly
14/10/2014 - Denmark 0-1 Portugal
14/10/2014 - Serbia 0-3 Albania - Match abandoned, walkover awarded
14/11/2014 - France 1-1 Albania - Friendly
14/11/2014 - Portugal 1-0 Armenia
14/11/2014 - Serbia 1-3 Denmark
29/03/2015 - Albania 2-1 Armenia
29/03/2015 - France 2-0 Denmark - Friendly
29/03/2015 - Portugal 2-1 Serbia
14/06/2015 - Albania 1-0 France - Friendly
14/06/2015 - Armenia 2-3 Portugal
14/06/2015 - Denmark 2-0 Serbia
04/09/2015 - Portugal 0-1 France - Friendly
04/09/2015 - Denmark 0-0 Albania - Serbia, Armenia eliminated.
04/09/2015 - Serbia 2-0 Armenia
07/09/2015 - Armenia 0-0 Denmark
07/09/2015 - Albania 0-1 Portugal
07/09/2015 - France 2-1 Serbia - Friendly
08/10/2015 - Albania 0-2 Serbia
08/10/2015 - France 4-0 Armenia - Friendly
08/10/2015 - Portugal 1-0 Denmark - Portugal qualify for Finals
11/10/2015 - Armenia 0-3 Albania
11/10/2015 - Denmark 1-2 France - Friendly
11/10/2015 - Serbia 1-2 Portugal


Third Place Team Rankings
1.

Turkey - W5 D1 L2 - +12 -7 GD+5 - 16pt - Group A
2.

Hungary - W4 D3 L1 - +8 -5 GD+3 - 15pt - Group F
3.

Ukraine - W4 D1 L3 - +11 -4 GD+7 - 13pt - Group C
4.

Norway - W4 D1 L3 - +8 -10 GD-2 - 13pt - Group H
5.

Denmark - W3 D3 L2 - +8 -5 GD+3 - 12pt - Group I
6.

Sweden - W3 D3 L2 - +11 -9 GD+2 - 12pt - Group G
7.

Republic of Ireland - W3 D3 L2 - +8 -7 GD+1 - 12pt - Group D
8.

Bosnia - W3 D2 L3 - +11 -12 GD-1 - 11pt - Group B
9.

Slovenia - W3 D1 L4 - +10 -11 GD-1 - 10pt - Group E

Turkey qualify for finals.

Playoffs
12/11/2015 - Norway 0-1 Hungary
13/11/2015 - Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-1 Republic of Ireland
14/11/2015 - Sweden 2-1 Denmark
14/11/2015 - Ukraine 2-0 Slovenia
15/11/2015 - Hungary 2-1 Norway - Hungary win 3-1 on aggregate, Hungary qualify for finals
16/11/2015 - Republic of Ireland 2-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina - Republic of Ireland win 3-1 on aggregate, Republic of Ireland qualify for finals
17/11/2015 - Denmark 2-2 Sweden - Sweden win 4-3 on aggregate, Sweden qualify for finals
17/11/2015 - Slovenia 1-1 Ukraine - Ukraine win 3-1 on aggregate, Ukraine qualify for finals


*Serbia deducted three points for role in Serbia-Albania match abandonment; Albania awarded 3-0 win after appeals
**Croatia deducted one point for racist behaviour in Croatia-Italy match


Top Scorers
13 - Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
11 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
9 - Thomas Muller (Germany)
8 - Artyom Dzyuba (Russia)
8 - Edin Dzeko (Bosnia)
7 - Kyle Lafferty (Northern Ireland)
7 - Wayne Rooney (England)
7 - Steven Fletcher (Scotland)
7 - Marc Janko (Austria)
7 - Andriy Yarmolenko (Ukraine)
7 - Gareth Bale (Wales)

 

[Carbonox]

Wow. Group F could be close

 

[Wiegert]

Oh snap. Didn't notice Gibraltar were included when I skimmed the list earlier. I know they'll be the whipping boys in that group and - baring a miracle - will never face Spain in the knockout stages of a competition, but I'd like to see how they fair against other official UEFA teams.

Did Slovakia field a C Team in their draw against Gibraltar last year? Or just didn't bother trying at all? I'd be impressed in any case, but even a 0-0 draw seems too good for their first official match.

Wow. Group F could be close

The weakest group depending on how Greece and Romania perform. And disregarding Italy in Group H, that too could be a group to keep an eye on.

England's only real threat in Group E will be the Swiss, who we faced in the previous Euro Qualifiers. Slovenia don't appear quite as strong as they were at the last World Cup, and Lithuania are somewhat of an unknown quantity. At least we don't have to contend with Ukraine or Montenegro yet again.

Group I could be hotly contested between Denmark, Portugal, Serbia and France. As close to a Group of Death we'll get.

 

[Akmuq]

Ireland vs Germany - The Rematch.


Anyway, Ireland actually have a chance at qualification, Scotland shouldn't be too hard to beat, it's just Poland with Blaszczykowski and Lewandowski for that second spot.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Looks straightforward for England, only Switzerland to worry about...

 

[Ross]

As others have said, Switzerland look like the only major threat for England. We'll have a couple of games against San Marino to experiment with the team as well.

 

[daan]

Ireland vs Germany - The Rematch.


Anyway, Ireland actually have a chance at qualification, Scotland shouldn't be too hard to beat, it's just Poland with Blaszczykowski and Lewandowski for that second spot.

Gerroutofit. You'll struggle against Gibraltar...

 

[Liquid]

Euro 2016 Qualifying: Group B

Wales
Bosnia-Hercegovina
Belgium
Israel
Cyprus
Andorra

Qualification is definitely up for grabs there.

@Wiegert Think they fielded a pretty strong team. Either way, you cannot overstate what a magnificent result it was for them anyway. Danny Higginbotham was MOTM.

 

[Dennisch]

As a whole, it looks like a pretty boring set op groups. Maybe group I will spark some nice games but for the most, meh.

 

[Touring Mars]

Another first - there'll be 24 teams in the finals, expanded from the traditional 16. This means the top 2 teams in each of the nine groups will qualify along with the best third place team once results against the 6th place team in the group are discounted. The remaining 8 third place teams will face a two-leg playoff for qualification. Together with the host nation France, this makes your 24.

Ah yes... the glimmer of hope for Scottish fans...we've got a tough group, but if we can potentially qualify from 3rd spot, I think we could be in with a shot this time.

Also interesting is the inclusion of UEFA's newest and smallest member, Gibraltar. Kept apart from Spain in the draw for political reasons (as with Armenia and Azerbaijan).

Wow... I didn't realise this either until my Spanish colleague mentioned it this morning... is it just me or does this set a very dangerous precedent?

For the first time, the hosts (France) are now playing qualification matches, but nothing will rest on their results - it's simply an alternative to having them try to arrange 12 friendly fixtures against relatively meaningless opponents for the next two years.

I didn't see the draw so I didn't notice that France are playing in the qualification round - makes sense though.

 

[Liquid]

If Armenia/Azerbaijan and Gibraltar/Spain are kept separate, as are Greece/FYROM I imagine, how is the draw conducted? I know lots are done by seeding but how can they assure that two teams will be in separate groups without tampering with the secrecy and fairness of the overall draw?

 

[Wiegert]

@Wiegert Think they fielded a pretty strong team. Either way, you cannot overstate what a magnificent result it was for them anyway. Danny Higginbotham was MOTM.

Looks like only two of Slovakia's top players were out, having checked last night. I'm guessing Higginbotham was Gibraltar's defensive Rock?

And it was an impressive result for a team with such a small talent pool. The fact that it was their first international against a side that wasn't either a club team, semi-pro or not affiliated with FIFA makes it all the more profound.

 

[Carbonox]

Finland playing Hungary tonight in a friendly, good chance to see early what we're up against later in the qualification.

 

[Liquid]

Looks like only two of Slovakia's top players were out, having checked last night. I'm guessing Higginbotham was Gibraltar's defensive Rock?

And it was an impressive result for a team with such a small talent pool. The fact that it was their first international against a side that wasn't either a club team, semi-pro or not affiliated with FIFA makes it all the more profound.

Gibraltar lost their last friendly 4-1.

Ominous.

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

If England do not win ALL of their qualification games then they might as well forfeit their place in the tournament. The teams in their group should be easy for a team that 'are capable of winning the world cup' and are placed (incorrectly) high up in the FIFA rankings.

Even so, if they do qualify I'll be supporting every team they play against.

 

[Wiegert]

Gibraltar lost their last friendly 4-1.

Ominous.

Pretty inconsistent friendly results so far, then.

They did score to take an early lead though, but not what I'd call impressive when it's against the likes of the Faroe Islands. Maybe the Estonia match tonight will give a better idea of how they can perform against somewhat bigger Euro opponents.

 

[Liquid]

They brought on Wrexham CB Dave Artell at 4-1.

Stemmed the tide. Hero.

On 86 minutes.

 

[Wiegert]

Estonia put two past them tonight. I suppose that's a more respectable result for 'Team 54'.

 

[Brend]

Awesome friendly win for Scotland tonight, Strachan has totally changed this team.

 

[Touring Mars]

Awesome friendly win for Scotland tonight, Strachan has totally changed this team.

I have to say that I'm pretty surprised that we won... I thought there was more chance of Kim Jong-un losing the forthcoming general election in North Korea than us winning tonight.

Ye of little faith

 

[Brend]

Scott Brown scoring too!

 

[Inferno251]

Looking forward to watching the Italy Vs Croatia matches in Group H-they should be the top two in their group.
Fun fact, Italy has never beaten Croatia as an independent nation (although it has only been about 20 years...)

 

[Liquid]

Tidy win for Wales, 3-1 over Iceland with some extra polish courtesy of a Bale special.

I'm confident enough that we can qualify. Best team and best chance Wales has had since 1994.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

We have got the players to qualify, but have we got the manager?..

 

[MUSC4EVER]

England have announced Wayne Rooney to be their new captain which would come as no real surprise, also announced was the squad for the friendly v Norway and the first qualifier v Switzerland

Goalkeepers
Hart, Forster, Foster

Defenders
Cahill, Jagielka, Baines, Jones, Stones, Chambers, Rose

Midfielders
Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sterling, Colback, Townsend, Wilshire, Delph

Strikers
Lambert, Rooney, Sturridge, Welbeck

...that's not really a strong squad!...

 

[samurai8juice]

I'm hoping Poland makes it through the qualifying round this year with Lewandowski, Blaszczykowski, and Szczesny carrying the team.

I hope Bosnia-Herzegovina makes it through too.

 

[ASH32]

I have just one thing to say, Colback is in the England squad.

 

[Carbonox]

Faroe Islands vs Finland coming up next weekend (September 7th it was?).

Might be tough, Finland is known for choking against small-time teams regularly

 

[Touring Mars]

Pah... if you can't beat the Faroe Islands, you shouldn't be playing international football!!!






Wait a second...

 

[MUSC4EVER]

England 0-0 Norway in the second half, half full Wembley, fans still making a bit of noise though

Germany getting walloped by Argentina 4-1 at home!

England win for the first time in 6 games thanks to a Rooney penalty, not a good performance in front of the lowest attendance for an England at the new Wembley, just over 40,000 there tonight

It finished Germany 2-4 Argentina, Di Maria provided 3 assists and scored with a sublime chip over the Keeper!