2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification

The 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying competition was a men's under-21 football competition that determined the 11 teams joining the automatically qualified hosts Poland in the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final tournament.[1]

2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification
Tournament details
Dates26 March 2015 – 15 November 2016
Teams52 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played254
Goals scored713 (2.81 per match)
Top scorer(s) Patrik Schick (10 goals)

A total of 52 UEFA member national teams entered the qualifying competition, with Gibraltar as the only absentee.[2] Players born on or after 1 January 1994 are eligible to participate.

Format

The qualifying competition consists of two rounds:[3]

  • Qualifying group stage: The 52 teams are drawn into nine groups – seven groups of six teams and two groups of five teams. Each group is played in home-and-away round-robin format. The nine group winners qualify directly for the final tournament, while the four best runners-up (not counting results against the sixth-placed team) advance to the play-offs.
  • Play-offs: The four teams are drawn into two ties to play home-and-away two-legged matches to determine the last two qualified teams.

Tiebreakers

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of a group, the following tie-breaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Article 14.01):[3]

  1. Higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question;
  2. Superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question;
  3. Higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question;
  4. Higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question;
  5. If, after having applied criteria 1 to 4, teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 4 are reapplied exclusively to the group matches between the teams in question to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 6 to 10 apply;
  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. Lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received in all group matches (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
  10. Position in the UEFA Under-21 national team coefficient ranking for the qualifying group stage draw.

To determine the four best runners-up from the qualifying group stage, the results against the teams in sixth place are discarded. The following criteria are applied (Regulations Article 14.02):[3]

  1. Higher number of points;
  2. Superior goal difference;
  3. Higher number of goals scored;
  4. Higher number of away goals scored;
  5. Lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
  6. Position in the UEFA Under-21 national team coefficient ranking for the qualifying group stage draw.

In the play-offs, the team that scores more goals on aggregate over the two legs qualifies for the final tournament. If the aggregate score is level, the away goals rule is applied, i.e., the team that scores more goals away from home over the two legs advances. If away goals are also equal, extra time is played. The away goals rule is again applied after extra time, i.e., if there are goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score is still level, the visiting team advances by virtue of more away goals scored. If no goals are scored during extra time, the tie is decided by penalty shoot-out (Regulations Articles 15.01 and 15.02).[3]

Schedule

The qualifying matches are played on dates that fall within the FIFA International Match Calendar.[1]

Stage FIFA International Dates
Qualifying group stage 23–31 March 2015
8–16 June 2015
31 August – 8 September 2015
5–13 October 2015
9–17 November 2015
21–29 March 2016
29 August – 6 September 2016
3–11 October 2016
Play-offs 7–15 November 2016

Qualifying group stage

Draw

The draw for the qualifying group stage was held on 5 February 2015, 09:00 CET (UTC+1), at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[4][5]

The teams were seeded according to their coefficient ranking, calculated based on the following:[6]

Groups 1–7 each contained one team from each of Pots A–F, while Group 8–9 each contained one team from each of Pots A–E. For political reasons, Azerbaijan and Armenia (due to the disputed status of Nagorno-Karabakh), as well as Russia and Ukraine (due to the Russian military intervention in Ukraine), could not be drawn in the same group.[2]

Final tournament hosts
TeamCoeffRank
 Poland25,40224
Teams entering qualifying group stage
Pot A
TeamCoeffRank
 Spain41,4701
 England36,2522
 Italy36,1293
 Germany35,3704
 France35,1075
 Czech Republic34,5166
 Portugal33,8877
 Netherlands33,4228
 Denmark31,9899
Pot B
TeamCoeffRank
 Russia31,34610
  Switzerland31,29611
 Sweden30,36512
 Serbia29,83713
 Israel29,76614
 Ukraine28,95015
 Slovakia27,98216
 Romania27,66817
 Belgium27,53918
Pot C
TeamCoeffRank
 Turkey27,49719
 Slovenia27,25220
 Austria27,17721
 Greece26,98222
 Scotland25,81223
 Croatia25,28625
 Norway24,85926
 Armenia24,44127
 Montenegro24,40228
Pot D
TeamCoeffRank
 Finland23,85129
 Wales23,81830
 Hungary23,77631
 Iceland23,52132
 Bosnia and Herzegovina22,91233
 Georgia22,60634
 Moldova22,43135
 Republic of Ireland21,93636
 Belarus20,63837
Pot E
TeamCoeffRank
 Bulgaria20,31738
 Cyprus18,80939
 Macedonia18,12640
 Lithuania17,51141
 Azerbaijan17,41442
 Kazakhstan17,07643
 Albania16,01444
 Latvia15,83645
 Estonia15,72646
Pot F
TeamCoeffRank
 Faroe Islands14,89647
 Northern Ireland14,65148
 Luxembourg11,25149
 Malta10,83850
 San Marino10,16351
 Andorra8,95052
 Liechtenstein8,12553
Notes
  • Teams marked in bold have qualified for the final tournament.
Did not enter
TeamCoeffRank
 Gibraltar054

Groups
  The nine group winners qualified directly for the final tournament.
  The four best group runners-up (not counting results against sixth-placed team) advanced to the play-offs.

Group 1
Main article: 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 1
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Czech Republic 10 7 2 1 29 10 +19 23 Final tournament — 1–0 3–3 4–1 2–1 4–1
2  Belgium 10 6 0 4 14 11 +3 18 2–1 — 1–2 2–0 0–1 2–1
3  Montenegro 10 4 4 2 13 11 +2 16 0–3 3–0 — 0–0 3–3 1–0
4  Malta 10 3 2 5 9 20 −11 11 0–7 2–3 0–1 — 1–0 3–2
5  Latvia 10 2 3 5 10 13 −3 9 1–1 0–2 0–0 1–2 — 0–2
6  Moldova 10 2 1 7 8 18 −10 7 1–3 0–2 1–0 0–0 0–3 —
Source: UEFA

Group 2
Main article: 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 2
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Italy 10 7 3 0 17 3 +14 24 Final tournament — 1–1 1–0 1–0 2–0 3–0
2  Serbia 10 7 2 1 27 8 +19 23 Play-offs 1–1 — 3–1 3–2 5–0 5–0
3  Slovenia 10 5 0 5 18 11 +7 15 0–3 2–0 — 3–1 3–0 4–0
4  Republic of Ireland 10 4 0 6 14 17 −3 12 1–4 1–3 2–0 — 3–0 1–0
5  Lithuania 10 3 1 6 5 17 −12 10 0–0 0–2 1–0 3–1 — 1–0
6  Andorra 10 1 0 9 1 26 −25 3 0–1 0–4 0–5 0–2 1–0 —
Source: UEFA

Group 3
Main article: 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 3
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Macedonia 10 6 3 1 13 7 +6 21 Final tournament — 2–2 0–0 1–0 2–0 2–0
2  France 10 6 2 2 17 8 +9 20 1–1 — 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–0
3  Iceland 10 5 3 2 13 9 +4 18 3–0 3–2 — 2–4 2–0 1–1
4  Ukraine 10 4 2 4 14 12 +2 14 0–2 1–0 0–1 — 4–0 1–1
5  Scotland 10 2 2 6 8 17 −9 8 0–1 1–2 0–0 2–2 — 3–1
6  Northern Ireland 10 0 2 8 6 18 −12 2 1–2 0–3 0–1 1–2 1–2 —
Source: UEFA

Group 4
Main article: 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 4
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Portugal 10 8 2 0 34 5 +29 26 Final tournament — 0–0 1–0 4–0 2–0 4–0
2  Israel 10 6 3 1 21 4 +17 21 0–3 — 4–0 4–0 3–0 4–0
3  Greece 10 4 1 5 13 14 −1 13 0–4 0–1 — 2–1 3–1 5–0
4  Albania 10 3 3 4 11 20 −9 12 1–6 1–1 0–0 — 2–1 2–0
5  Hungary 10 3 3 4 19 16 +3 12 3–3 0–0 2–1 2–2 — 4–0
6  Liechtenstein 10 0 0 10 1 40 −39 0 1–7 0–4 0–2 0–2 0–6 —
Source: UEFA

Group 5
Main article: 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 5
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Denmark 10 9 1 0 24 3 +21 28 Final tournament — 1–0 3–1 0–0 4–1 2–0
2  Bulgaria 10 5 2 3 11 7 +4 17 0–3 — 2–0 0–0 3–0 2–0
3  Romania 10 5 1 4 15 14 +1 16 0–3 0–2 — 2–1 4–0 3–0
4  Wales 10 4 4 2 14 12 +2 16 0–4 3–1 1–1 — 1–1 2–1
5  Luxembourg 10 1 3 6 5 18 −13 6 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–3 — 1–0
6  Armenia 10 0 1 9 6 21 −15 1 1–3 0–1 2–3 1–3 1–1 —
Source: UEFA

Group 6
Main article: 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 6
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Sweden 10 7 3 0 24 7 +17 24 Final tournament — 1–1 4–2 3–2 5–0 3–0
2  Spain 10 7 2 1 31 9 +22 23 Play-offs 1–1 — 0–3 5–0 5–0 6–0
3  Croatia 10 6 2 2 24 11 +13 20 1–1 2–3 — 1–0 2–1 4–0
4  Georgia 10 4 1 5 17 17 0 13 0–1 2–5 2–2 — 3–0 4–0
5  Estonia 10 1 1 8 3 26 −23 4 0–3 0–2 0–4 0–1 — 0–0
6  San Marino 10 0 1 9 1 30 −29 1 0–2 0–3 0–3 0–3 1–2 —
Source: UEFA

Group 7
Main article: 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 7
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Germany 10 10 0 0 35 8 +27 30 Final tournament — 4–2 4–0 3–1 4–3 4–1
2  Austria 10 7 1 2 22 12 +10 22 Play-offs 1–4 — 2–0 7–0 4–3 1–0
3  Finland 10 4 2 4 13 10 +3 14 0–1 0–1 — 0–0 2–0 3–0
4  Azerbaijan 10 2 3 5 8 19 −11 9 0–3 0–2 0–1 — 3–0 1–1
5  Russia 10 2 3 5 15 19 −4 9 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–2 — 2–0
6  Faroe Islands 10 0 1 9 3 28 −25 1 0–6 0–1 1–6 0–1 0–3 —
Source: UEFA

Group 8
Main article: 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 8
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Slovakia 8 6 1 1 21 6 +15 19 Final tournament — 4–2 5–0 3–1 2–0
2  Netherlands 8 4 2 2 15 10 +5 14 1–3 — 0–0 1–0 4–0
3  Turkey 8 3 2 3 7 8 −1 11 1–1 0–1 — 1–0 0–1
4  Belarus 8 2 2 4 7 11 −4 8 1–0 2–2 0–2 — 2–2
5  Cyprus 8 1 1 6 4 19 −15 4 0–3 1–4 0–3 0–1 —
Source: UEFA

Group 9
Main article: 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 9
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  England 8 6 2 0 20 3 +17 20 Final tournament — 6–1 3–1 3–0 5–0
2  Norway 8 5 1 2 12 10 +2 16 Play-offs 0–1 — 2–1 2–1 2–0
3   Switzerland 8 3 3 2 11 8 +3 12 1–1 1–1 — 3–0 3–1
4  Kazakhstan 8 1 1 6 3 14 −11 4 0–1 0–3 0–1 — 0–0
5  Bosnia and Herzegovina 8 0 3 5 2 13 −11 3 0–0 0–1 0–0 1–2 —
Source: UEFA

Ranking of second-placed teams

To determine the four best second-placed teams from the qualifying group stage which advance to the play-offs, only the results of the second-placed teams against the first, third, fourth and fifth-placed teams in their group are taken into account, while results against the sixth-placed team (for groups with six teams) are not included. As a result, eight matches played by each second-placed team will count for the purposes of determining the ranking.[7]

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 6  Spain 8 5 2 1 22 9 +13 17 Play-offs
2 2  Serbia 8 5 2 1 18 8 +10 17
3 7  Austria 8 5 1 2 20 12 +8 16
4 9  Norway 8 5 1 2 12 10 +2 16
5 4  Israel 8 4 3 1 13 4 +9 15
6 8  Netherlands 8 4 2 2 15 10 +5 14
7 3  France 8 4 2 2 13 8 +5 14
8 1  Belgium 8 4 0 4 10 10 0 12
9 5  Bulgaria 8 3 2 3 8 7 +1 11
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) away goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) coefficient.

Play-offs
Main article: 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-offs

Draw

The draw for the play-offs was held on 14 October 2016, 13:00 CEST (UTC+2), at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[8][9]

Matches

The two play-off winners qualify for the final tournament.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Serbia  2–1  Norway 2–0 0–1
Austria  1–1 (a)  Spain 1–1 0–0

Qualified teams

The following 12 teams qualify for the final tournament.

Team Qualified as Qualified on Previous appearances in tournament1
only U-21 era (since 1978)
 PolandHosts26 January 2015[1]5 (1982, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1994)
 Czech RepublicGroup 1 winners7 October 201612 (19782, 19802, 19882, 19902, 19922, 19942, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2015)
 ItalyGroup 2 winners11 October 201618 (1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2015)
 MacedoniaGroup 3 winners11 October 20160 (debut)
 PortugalGroup 4 winners6 September 20167 (1994, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2015)
 DenmarkGroup 5 winners6 September 20166 (1978, 1986, 1992, 2006, 2011, 2015)
 SwedenGroup 6 winners10 October 20167 (1986, 1990, 1992, 1998, 2004, 2009, 2015)
 GermanyGroup 7 winners7 October 201610 (19823, 19903, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013, 2015)
 SlovakiaGroup 8 winners6 October 20167 (19782, 19802, 19882, 19902, 19922, 19942, 2000)
 EnglandGroup 9 winners6 October 201613 (1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015)
 SerbiaPlay-off winners15 November 20169 (19784, 19804, 19844, 19904, 20045, 20065, 2007, 2009, 2015)
 SpainPlay-off winners15 November 201612 (1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2009, 2011, 2013)
1 Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.

Top goalscorers

Players with six goals or more.[10]

10 goals
9 goals
8 goals
7 goals
6 goals
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References
  1. "Poland to host 2017 Under-21 EUROs". UEFA.com. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  2. "Seedings set for 2017 U21 qualifying draw". UEFA.com. 30 January 2015.
  3. "Regulations of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, 2015–17" (PDF). UEFA.com. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  4. "Qualifying group stage draw". UEFA.com. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  5. "2017 Under-21 qualifying group stage draw". UEFA.com. 5 February 2015.
  6. "2015-17 UEFA European Under-21 Group Stage Draw" (PDF). UEFA.com. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  7. "Austria, Norway, Serbia, Spain in Friday U21 play-off draw". UEFA.com. 11 October 2016.
  8. "Play-off draw". UEFA.com. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  9. "U21 play-offs: Serbia v Norway, Austria v Spain". UEFA.com. 14 October 2016.
  10. "Statistics — Qualifying phase — Player statistics — Goals". UEFA.com. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
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