UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying#Groups

File:UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying map.svg}} {{Legend|#ffcc00|Team failed to qualify}}]]

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All UEFA member associations were eligible to compete in the qualifying competition, with the host team France qualifying directly to the finals tournament. The other 53 teams were drawn into eight groups of six teams (Groups A–H) and one group of five teams (Group I). The group winners, runners-up, and the best third-placed team (with the results against the sixth-placed team discarded) directly qualified to the finals. The eight remaining third-placed teams contested two-legged play-offs to determine the last four qualifiers for the finals.{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/news/0253-0d7f09f4f5fe-751935be9a95-1000--uefa-euro-2016-regulations-published/|title=UEFA EURO 2016 regulations published|publisher=UEFA|date=18 December 2013}}{{cite web|title=UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying format|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro-2020/news/0253-0d7f0959ed60-b69efa5358f3-1000--uefa-euro-2016-competition-format/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812210436/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro-2020/news/0253-0d7f0959ed60-b69efa5358f3-1000--uefa-euro-2016-competition-format/|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 August 2020|publisher=UEFA}}{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/Regulations/uefaorg/Regulations/02/03/92/81/2039281_DOWNLOAD.pdf|title=Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship 2014–16|publisher=UEFA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219025616/https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/Regulations/uefaorg/Regulations/02/03/92/81/2039281_DOWNLOAD.pdf|archive-date=19 December 2013|url-status=dead}}

Sides were seeded according to the UEFA national team coefficient rankings, which were announced along with the draw procedure and final tournament match schedule after the 23–24 January Executive Committee meeting in Nyon. For the qualifying group stage, the teams were seeded into six pots (Pots 1–5 with 9 teams and Pot 6 with 8 teams) for the qualifying group stage draw according to the UEFA national team coefficient rankings, with the title holders (Spain) automatically seeded into Pot 1. Each nation's coefficient was generated by calculating:

• 40% of the average ranking points per game earned in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying stage.
• 40% of the average ranking points per game earned in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying stage and final tournament.
• 20% of the average ranking points per game earned in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying stage and final tournament.

UEFA stated that nations with the largest markets in terms of contribution to the European Qualifiers revenue would be drawn into one of the groups containing six teams, including England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.{{Cite web |title=Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship: 2014-16 |url=https://www.dfb.de/fileadmin/_dfbdam/104997-2039281_DOWNLOAD.pdf}} UEFA also stated in their regulations that "the teams drawn into the group of five teams will have France added to their group for the purpose of playing centralized friendlies".{{cite web |title=Centralised friendlies |url=https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/competitions/Draws/02/06/15/09/2061509_DOWNLOAD.pdf |publisher=UEFA}}{{Cite web |title=UEFA sets fixture list of Euro 2016 host France |url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/uefa-sets-fixture-list-of-euro-2016-host-france |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=FOX Sports |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=UEFA.com |date=2013-12-18 |title=UEFA EURO 2016 regulations published {{!}} UEFA EURO |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/news/0253-0d7f09f4f5fe-751935be9a95-1000--uefa-euro-2016-regulations-published/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=UEFA |language=en}} However, these friendlies did not count in the qualifying group standings.{{Cite news |agency=Press Association |date=2014-01-23 |title=European Championship hosts France to take part in qualification stages |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jan/23/euro-2016-qualifiers-englandfootballteam |access-date=2024-02-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |title=Euro 2016: Hosts France to feature in qualifying |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/25870855 |access-date=2024-02-21 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}

For the play-offs the four ties were determined by draw, including the order of the two legs of each tie. The teams were seeded for the play-off draw according to the UEFA national team coefficient rankings updated after the completion of the group stage. Each nation's coefficient was generated by calculating:

• 40% of the average ranking points per game earned in the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying group stage.
• 40% of the average ranking points per game earned in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying stage and final tournament.
• 20% of the average ranking points per game earned in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying stage and final tournament.

If two or more teams were equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following tie-breaking criteria were applied:

1. Higher number of points obtained in the matches played among the teams in question;
2. Superior goal difference in matches played among the teams in question;
3. Higher number of goals scored in the matches played among the teams in question;
4. Higher number of goals scored away from home in the matches played among the teams in question;
5. If, after having applied criteria 1 to 4, teams still had an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 4 were reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams in question to determine their final rankings.{{efn|When there were two or more teams tied in points, criteria 1 to 4 were applied. After these criteria were applied, they could define the position of some of the teams involved, but not all of them. For example, if there was a three-way tie on points, the application of the first four criteria could only break the tie for one of the teams, leaving the other two teams still tied. In this case, the tiebreaking procedure was resumed, from the beginning, for those teams that were still tied.}} If this procedure did not lead to a decision, criteria 6 to 10 applied;
6. Superior goal difference in all group matches;
7. Higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
8. Higher number of away goals scored in all group matches;
9. Fair play conduct in all group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
10. Position in the UEFA national team coefficient ranking system;

To determine the best third-placed team, the results against the teams in sixth place were discarded. The following criteria were applied:

1. Higher number of points obtained;
2. Superior goal difference;
3. Higher number of goals scored;
4. Higher number of away goals scored;
5. Fair play conduct in all group matches;
6. Position in the UEFA national team coefficient ranking system;

For each play-off tie, the team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs qualified for the final tournament. If the aggregate score was level, the away goals rule was applied, i.e., the team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs advanced. If away goals were also equal, then thirty minutes of extra time was played, divided into two fifteen-minutes halves. The away goals rule was again applied after extra time, i.e., if there were goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score was still level, the visiting team advanced by virtue of more away goals scored. If no goals were scored during extra time, the tie was decided by penalty shoot-out.

; Notes

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File:AUT vs. MDA 2015-09-05 (010).jpg

This was the first qualifying tournament after UEFA announced centralized rights deals for both UEFA Euro and FIFA World Cup qualifying. UEFA had proposed the "Week of Football" concept for the scheduling of qualifying matches as follows:{{Cite web |last=Collett |first=Mike |date=October 9, 2014 |title=Infantino defends 'Week of Football' and Euro 2016 format |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-uefa-infantino/infantino-defends-week-of-football-and-euro-2016-format-idUKKCN0HY1MJ20141009/ |access-date=February 19, 2024 |website=Reuters}}{{Cite web |last=McPherson |first=Ian |date=2013-11-08 |title=Uefa sells handful of European qualifiers |url=https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/uefa_sells_handful_of_european_qualifiers/ |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=SportsPro |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=UEFA.com |date=2014-02-23 |title='New era in national team football' beckons {{!}} UEFA EURO |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/news/0253-0d7f4798eecc-2c1c3750e462-1000--new-era-in-national-team-football-beckons/ |access-date=2024-05-01 |website=UEFA |language=en}}

• Matches took place from Thursday to Tuesday.
• Kick-off times were largely set at 18:00 and 20:45 CET on Saturdays and Sundays, and 20:45 CET on Thursdays, Fridays, Mondays, and Tuesdays.
• On double-header match weeks, teams played on Thursday and Sunday, or Friday and Monday, or Saturday and Tuesday.
• Matches in the same group were played on the same day.

There were ten matchdays for the qualifying group stage, and two matchdays for the play-offs:

Unlike previous qualifying campaigns where group fixtures were determined by negotiation between the national federations, UEFA themselves decided each group's fixture list, released the same day as the draw.

The draw took place at the Palais des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, on 23 February 2014, 12:00 CET. Groups A–H each contain one team from each of Pots 1–6, while Group I contains one team from each of Pots 1–5. For television rights reasons, England, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands were drawn into groups of six teams. Before the draw UEFA confirmed that, for political reasons, Armenia would not be drawn against Azerbaijan (due to the dispute concerning territory of Nagorno-Karabakh) and Gibraltar would not be drawn against Spain (due to the disputed status of Gibraltar). France (Coeff: 30,992; Rank: 11), the 2016 tournament hosts, were partnered with the five-team Group I, allowing them to play friendlies against these countries on their 'spare' dates that did not count in the qualifying group standings.{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/competitions/Draws/02/04/64/31/2046431_DOWNLOAD.pdf|title=UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying draw procedure|publisher=UEFA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202150625/https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/competitions/Draws/02/04/64/31/2046431_DOWNLOAD.pdf|archive-date=2 February 2014|url-status=live}}

The seeding pots were announced on 24 January 2014. The teams in bold qualified to the final tournament.{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/news/0253-0d7f1c7cb186-f513b7988d95-1000--pots-announced-for-euro-qualifying-draw/|title=Pots announced for EURO qualifying draw|publisher=UEFA|date=24 January 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/competitions/General/02/04/77/16/2047716_DOWNLOAD.pdf|title=National Team Coefficients Overview|publisher=UEFA|access-date=29 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202233254/https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/competitions/General/02/04/77/16/2047716_DOWNLOAD.pdf|archive-date=2 February 2014|url-status=live}}

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{{legend|#BBF3BB|Group winners, runners-up and the best ranked third-placed team qualified directly for UEFA Euro 2016}}

{{legend|#BBF3FF|The remaining third-placed teams advanced to the play-offs}}

{{legend|#FFCCCC|Other teams were eliminated after the qualifying group stage}}

{{Main|UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group A}}

{{UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying group tables|Group A|show_matches=yes|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules}}

{{Main|UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group B}}

{{UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying group tables|Group B|show_matches=yes|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules}}

{{Main|UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group C}}

{{UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying group tables|Group C|show_matches=yes|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules}}

{{Main|UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group D}}

{{UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying group tables|Group D|show_matches=yes|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules}}

{{Main|UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group E}}

{{UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying group tables|Group E|show_matches=yes|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules}}

{{Main|UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group F}}

{{UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying group tables|Group F|show_matches=yes|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules}}

{{Main|UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group G}}

{{UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying group tables|Group G|show_matches=yes|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules}}

{{Main|UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group H}}

{{UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying group tables|Group H|show_matches=yes|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules}}

{{Main|UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group I}}

{{UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying group tables|Group I|show_matches=yes|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules}}

The highest ranked third-placed team from the groups directly qualified for the tournament, while the remainder entered the play-offs. As Group I contained five teams and the rest contained six, matches against any sixth-placed team in each group were not included in this ranking. As a result, a total of eight matches played by each team count toward the purpose of the third-placed ranking table.

Turkey became the best third-placed team, after winning against Iceland in its last match, while at the same time Kazakhstan beat Latvia to finish fifth in Group A.{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8058d57502-08cf4a75664b-1000--croatia-turkey-qualify-how-the-groups-ended/|title=Croatia, Turkey qualify: how the groups ended|date=13 October 2015|work=UEFA}}

{{UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying group tables|3rd place}}

{{Main|UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying play-offs}}

The eight remaining third-placed teams contested two-legged play-offs to determine the last four qualifiers for the finals. The teams were seeded for the play-off draw according to the UEFA national team coefficient rankings updated after the completion of the qualifying group stage. The draw for the play-offs was held on 18 October 2015, 11:20 CEST, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon.{{cite web|url=http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro-finals/draws/round=2000447/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150304150344/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro-finals/draws/round=2000447/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2015|title=Play-off draw|publisher=UEFA|access-date=18 October 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8081af8a46-8b017aac63e3-1000--sweden-v-denmark-highlight-of-play-off-draw/|title=Sweden v Denmark highlight of play-off draw|publisher=UEFA|date=18 October 2015}}

{{#lst:UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying play-offs|Seeding}}

The first legs were played on 12–14 November, and the second legs were played on 15–17 November 2015. The four play-off winners (Ukraine, Sweden, Republic of Ireland and Hungary) qualified for the final tournament.

{{#lst:UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying play-offs|Matches}}

File:Robert Lewandowski 2011.jpg scored 13 goals in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying round, equalling David Healy's record in 2008 for most goals in a qualifying campaign.{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d80578af302-67dcd0042fc2-1000--lukaku-sets-new-european-qualifiers-scoring-record/|title=Lewandowski equals Healy's scoring record|publisher=UEFA|date=11 October 2015}}]]

{{#invoke:Goalscorers|main|UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying|inlineref={{refn|group=note|name=tally|The goal tally takes into account the original result of fixtures that were subsequently forfeited, not the awarded scoreline.}}}}

UEFA unveiled the branding for the qualifiers on 15 April 2013. It shows a national jersey inside a heart, and represents Europe, honour and ambition. The same branding was also used for the European qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup.{{cite news|title=European qualifiers branding launched|url=http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/administration/marketing/news/newsid=1941055.html|access-date=10 September 2014|publisher=UEFA|date=15 April 2013}}

{{Reflist|group=note}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Qualification for the 2016 UEFA European Championship}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140304074221/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=2016/index.html UEFA Euro 2016] at UEFA.com

{{UEFA Euro 2016}}

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Euro Qualifying

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