Holland + Ødegaard… Norway misses out on Euro 2024 qualification → PO too
Norway has failed to qualify for the European Football Confederation (UEFA) European Championship (Euro 2024). Elling Holland’s (Manchester City) Euro dreams have come to an end.
After 10 rounds of Euro 2024 qualifying group matches were played around the world on Monday (July 19), Norway’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages were dashed.
Tickets to the 24-nation Euro 2024 tournament will be secured by 20 nations, excluding hosts Germany, through the group stage. There will be 10 groups, with seven groups of five teams and three groups of six teams. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the knockout rounds.
The remaining three spots will be distributed through the playoffs. Playoff spots will be allocated according to the overall UEFA Nations League standings for the 2022/23 season. The 12 group winners of League A, B and C will qualify for the playoffs, but if they have already qualified, the second-placed team in each league group will receive a playoff spot. If there are not enough playoff teams in each league, the winner of League D, Estonia, will get a spot.
The playoffs will be divided into Passes A, B, and C per league, with semifinal and final matches per pass to determine the three finalists.
Norway played their Group A eighth-place match against Spain on Oct. 16 at home in Oslo’s Ulebull stadium, losing 0-1 after Gabi scored a fourth-minute winner in the second half.
The Norwegians, who were outgunned on objective strength, started Holland, Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal), and 2003-born midfielder Oscar Borg (Manchester City) against Spain.
However, Norway struggled against Spain, an ultra-elite side that plays in La Liga and all over Europe, and were unable to overturn Gabi’s goal. 무지개토토
The loss left Norway in third place in Group A (3 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses – 10 points). They failed to secure a ticket to the knockout stage, which is awarded to the second place finisher in each group. They cannot catch second-place Scotland (5 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss – 16 points) despite the results of the rest of their November qualifiers.
The only option left for Norway was to make the playoffs. Norway finished second in Nations League League B Group 4 last season behind Serbia (3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses – 10 points). Scotland topped Group B1, Israel topped Group B2, and Bosnia and Herzegovina topped Group B3.
In addition, the results of Finland, Ukraine, and Iceland were crucial, as Norway had the lowest score among the top two League B teams. Finland and Iceland finished fourth in Group H and third in Group J, respectively, and thus qualified for the playoffs first. Ukraine faces Italy in their final match in Group C. If they win, they will move into second place and advance directly to the knockout rounds, while Italy will head to the League A playoffs.