Charlotte FC duo Karol Ĺwiderski and Jere Uronen have received national team call-ups for the final round of UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers.
This prestigious continental competition brings Europe's top teams together to compete for the title of regional champion. Similar to the World Cup, this opportunity arises only once every four years, making participation a tremendous honor. Only 23 national teams will join hosts Germany in the 24-team UEFA EURO 2024 finals.
There are 53 teams in UEFA eligible to qualify (excluding hosts Germany, who automatically qualify for the tournament) fighting for 23 places. Those 53 teams were split into ten groups. The top two teams from each group - 20 total teams - will qualify automatically to the UEFA EURO 2024 finals.
The remaining three spots will be determined by a 12-team playoff consisting of the highest performing teams in the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League that did not qualify directly via a top-two finish in qualifying.
Poland's Path
Karol Swiderski's Poland currently sit in third place in Group E on 10 points. Albania (13 points) and Czechia (11 points) sit above them in the top two spots and Moldova (9 points) are just below in fourth, so they need to make up ground in this final window.
The bad news is that Poland only have one match remaining, while Czechia, Albania, and Moldova both have two remaining. The good news is that Poland's only match is a six-pointer against Czechia, who sit only one point ahead of them.
Poland still have a chance to qualify automatically in second place, but their pathway is complicated as they rely on other results. First, on November 17th, they must win against Czechia and hope Moldova draw or lose against Albania. Then, while Poland play an unrelated international friendly against Latvia on November 21st, they need Czechia to drop points against Moldova.
For further complication, because Moldova hold the tiebreaker over Poland, the result needed from that final Czechia vs Moldova game depends on Moldova's result versus Albania. If Moldova drew Albania, then Poland need a Czechia-Moldova draw. If Moldova lost to Albania, Poland can take either a draw or a Moldova victory.
Finland's Path
Jere Uronen's Finland currently sit in fourth place in Group H on 12 points. Unfortunately, they are seven points back from Denmark (19 points) in second place, meaning they have no possibility to catch the Danes for automatic qualification.
The Playoffs
If you didn't quite keep up with that math (especially for Poland), never fear. As things stand right now, both Poland and Finland will have a second chance via the playoffs.
They both sit comfortably in the top 12 in the UEFA Nations League Standings when you take away teams that will directly qualify, giving them a last chance to snag one of the three final spots up for grabs.
Poland's Fixtures
- Poland vs Czechia - Friday, November 17th at 2:45 PM (UEFA EURO Qualifier)
- Poland vs Latvia - Tuesday, November 21st at 2:45 PM (International Friendly)
Finland's Fixtures
- Finland vs Northern Ireland - Friday, November 17th at 12:00 PM (UEFA EURO Qualifier)
- San Marino vs Finland - Monday, November 20th at 2:45 PM (UEFA EURO Qualifier)
