Understanding the third-placed table for Euro 2024
Euro 2024 is into the final round of group fixtures to determine who progresses to the last 16
- Published
The Euro 2024 group stage is complete and we now know who has reached the last 16 as the four best third-placed teams.
Netherlands, Georgia, Slovakia and Slovenia are the sides to go through, as Hungary and Croatia miss out.
But how is it determined who faces who in the last 16? BBC Sport takes a look.
- Published26 June
How are the best third-placed teams decided?
According to Uefa, the four best third-placed teams are determined, in the order given, by the following criteria:
A. Higher number of points
B. Superior goal difference
C. Higher number of goals scored
D. Higher number of wins
E. Lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in all group matches (red card = three points, yellow card = one point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = three points)
F. Position in the overall European qualifiers rankings
How are the last-16 match-ups decided?
Teams from Groups D, F, E and C progressed as the best third-placed sides.
That is one of 15 combinations of sides that could, in theory, have gone through by this method, and Uefa has devised a table for who would face who in the last 16 for all those potential outcomes, shown below.
Who could face who
| The four best-placed: | WB | WC | WE | WF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A B C D | A3 | D3 | 3B | C3 |
| A B C E | A3 | E3 | 3B | C3 |
| A B C F | A3 | F3 | 3B | C3 |
| A B D E | D3 | E3 | A3 | 3B |
| A B D F | D3 | F3 | A3 | 3B |
| A B E F | E3 | F3 | 3B | A3 |
| A C D E | E3 | D3 | C3 | A3 |
| A C D F | F3 | D3 | C3 | A3 |
| A C E F | E3 | F3 | C3 | A3 |
| A D E F | E3 | F3 | D3 | A3 |
| B C D E | E3 | D3 | 3B | C3 |
| B C D F | F3 | D3 | C3 | 3B |
| B C E F | F3 | E3 | C3 | 3B |
| B D E F | F3 | E3 | D3 | 3B |
| C D E F | F3 | E3 | D3 | C3 |
In the above, WB, WC, WE and WF stands for the winners of Groups B, C, E and F, who are the teams that will play the qualifying third-placed sides.
Who plays who is pre-determined, so the final rankings of the table of the best third-placed teams is irrelevant.
As mentioned earlier, those currently going through, in alphabetical order, are third-placed sides from Groups A, C, D and E.
That would lead to these last-16 ties:
WB v 3E
WC v 3D
WE v 3C
WF v 3A
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