Two home dates in store – all Ireland must do now is qualify

With ifs and buts aplenty, Daniel McDonnell answers Irish questions about the Euro 2020 draw

What does Saturday’s draw mean for Ireland?

We now know that Ireland will face Spain, Poland and Sweden if they win two away games in March and qualify for next summer’s finals.

How many games will Ireland play in Dublin if they qualify?

Two. They would take on Poland in Dublin on June 15 and then lock horns with Sweden at the Aviva Stadium on June 19 before travelling to Bilbao to meet Spain on June 24. Spain will play all three group matches on home soil as they are a co-host that qualified automatically.

What if Ireland miss out?

The winner of Ireland’s playoff series in Group B will slot into that schedule. So Bosnia, Slovakia or Northern Ireland will play twice in Dublin 4 if they get through.

Any other group matches in Dublin?

Yes. Poland and Sweden will play at the Aviva on June 24 at the same time that Spain take on the playoff winners in Bilbao.

What time are those games at? The game against Poland is 5pm local time on a Monday. The game against Sweden is a 2pm start on the Friday, while the Poland and Sweden showdown is a 5pm local start on a Wednesday, which will make rush hour challenging.

Are there knockout games in Dublin?

One. And it’s going to be a good one. The winners of Group D (England, Croatia, Czech Republic and the League C playoff ) face the runner-up in Group F which should be Germany, Portugal or France.

What’s the ticket situation?

Fans from around Europe have already applied for tickets for games through the lottery system. 1.5 million tickets for the competition were distributed by this method. This draw means that some Ireland fans will now have tickets for the Poland v Sweden game. Fans that want to return tickets legally can do so through a resale portal.

Are there more tickets to come? Yes. An extra batch of tickets will go on sale to fans of the 20 qualified countries now that they all know their schedules. The same will apply to March when the playoff winners are known; extra tickets for all of Ireland’s group games will be dispensed at that point in a process that will be managed by the respective associations.

What would happen to Ireland if they qualified for the finals and made it out of their group?

We are seriously in hypothetical territory now, but they would be going on their travels for the round of 16. Glasgow, Copenhagen, Budapest and Bilbao are options.