Our Euro explainer... Wales’ fixtures, qualification hopes and how the Nations League could yet help out Giggs’ team
WALES begin their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign against Slovakia tomorrow.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the qualifiers...
How does Wales’ group work?
Wales were drawn into Group E alongside 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan.
And the teams who finish in the top two spots at the end of the qualifiers will book their place at Euro 2020.
Wales play all four sides twice, once at home and once away, meaning they will play a total of eight games.
What about friendlies?
GIVEN that Ryan Giggs’ troops are in a group containing only five teams rather than six, under UEFA regulations, they have to play two friendly fixtures on the empty matchdays where they would normally have played a qualifying game if they were in a six-team group.
The first empty slot saw Wales face Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday night, with Giggs’ side winning 1-0 at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground.
And the second will see Wales host Belarus on Tuesday, September 10.
A venue for that fixture is yet to be confirmed.
What are Wales’ Euro 2020 qualifying fixtures and kick-off times? Wales v Slovakia -
24 (2pm kick-off)
Croatia v Wales -
(2pm kick-off)
Hungary v Wales -
Tuesday, June 11 (7:45pm kick-off)
Wales v Azerbaijan -
Friday, September 6 (7:45pm kick-off) Thursday October 10 (7:45pm kick-off) Sunday, October 13 (7:45pm kick-off)
Slovakia v Wales - Wales v Croatia - Azerbaijan v Wales -
Saturday, November 16 (2pm kick-off) Tuesday, November 19 (7:45pm kick-off)
Wales v Hungary -
Sunday, March Saturday, June 8
Will the games be on TV?
Yes, all of Wales’ Euro 2020 qualifiers will be screened live on S4C and on Sky Sports.
What are the chances of Wales qualifying for Euro 2020?
(All odds correct at time of publishing)
Wales to qualify for Euro 2020: 1/8 (Sky Bet)
Group E betting (888Sport) Croatia - To win the group 2/5; To finish in the top two 1/10 Wales - To win the group 5/1; To finish in the top two 9/10 Slovakia - To win the group 5/1; To finish in the top two 9/10 Hungary - To win the group 25/1; To finish in the top two 6/1 Azerbaijan - To win the group 100/1; To finish in the top two 8/1
What has Ryan Giggs said about the qualifying campaign?
“I’m confident because of the players that we’ve got,” said the Wales boss.
“It’s not going to be easy, it never is. We’ve qualified once (for a major tournament) in the last 60 years but we’ve got a talented group of players.
“We’re playing Slovakia first who will probably be our main rivals so it’s a big game.”
What about the Nations League and what happens if Wales don’t finish in the top two?
Interestingly enough, Wales could miss out on a top two spot in Group E and still qualify for Euro 2020. Thanks to the introduction of the Nations League last year, Wales could yet be just two wins away from a place at the next Euros, regardless of what happens in their upcoming qualifying campaign.
Of course, Giggs will hope that his side can qualify through the regular format, but should they finish outside the top two in Group E, Wales will be hoping for favours from elsewhere so they can have a crack at the Nations League play-offs.
Wales finished second in group 4 of League B, behind winners Denmark who earned a place in the play-offs and ahead of Republic of Ireland who were relegated to League C.
However, if a team who are in the Nations League play-offs secure their place at Euro 2020 via the regular qualifying format, their place will be allocated to the next best-ranked side.
So who is currently in the Nations League play-offs and how could it help Wales?
The following teams all topped their Nations League groups to secure their spot in the play-offs:
League A: England, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland. League B: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Denmark, Sweden, Ukraine. Finland, Norway, Serbia, Scotland. League D: Belarus, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia.
League C: All of the sides listed above could qualify for Euro 2020 via the traditional route, meaning play-off places would then be up for grabs for sides like Wales who didn’t top their Nations League groups. So using Wales’ Nations League group as an example, if Bosnia & Herzegovina (the best ranked League B side) qualify through the regular system, their play-off place will go to Russia (the best ranked after Bosnia & Herzegovina). If the Russians also qualify, it would then go to Austria, and if they also qualified, it would then go to Wales, and so on.
If there are not enough nonqualified sides in the same league, the place will be taken by the next best team in the overall rankings.
In short, Giggs’ side will be guaranteed a play-off spot if at least three of the following six sides DO qualify via the traditional format: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Denmark, Sweden, Ukraine, Russia and Austria.
The reason for this is that Wales are currently ranked 19th out of the 55 UEFA sides following the conclusion of the inaugural Nations League group stage.
It means they are three places behind the quartet of Bosnia, Denmark, Sweden and Ukraine, who were the four group winners from League B’s four pots.
Group results so far:
Croatia 2 Azerbaijan 1, Slovakia 2 Hungary 0.