Scotland’s chances of getting out of Euro 2024 Group A in third place laid bare

SCOTLAND – as we all must know by now – have never qualified from the group stage of ANY major tournament.

It’s a record which Steve Clarke and his squad are desperate to do something about in Germany this summer.

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And with a whopping SIXTEEN teams from the 24 sides which enter the competition able to find their way into the knockout stages, the chances of Scotland hanging around in the competition have never seemed greater.

Here’s what the national team need to do to make history in Germany this summer – and where they would play next if they did make it.

What do Scotland need to do to qualify for the knockout stages and will third place be enough?

• Finish in the top two spots in Group A and Scotland are assured of a spot in the knockout rounds
• Group A also includes Germany, Switzerland and Hungary
• The FOUR third placed teams with the best records across the groups will also progress
• At Euro 2020, two teams who gained three points DIDN’T progress

Who and where would Scotland play if they finish first in the group?

• Win Group A then Scotland would face the Runners up in England’s group, Group C
• The other teams in the section with Gareth Southgate’s men are Slovenia, Serbia and Denmark
• The match will be played at Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Arena on Sat 29 June with an 8pm kick-off

Who and where would Scotland play if they finish second in the group?

• Finish second in Group A and Scotland would face the Runners-up in Group B
• That could be a meeting with holders Italy or our old foes Spain.
• The other two options in that group are Croatia or Albania
• The match would take place in Cologne in Berlin’s Olympiastadion on Sat 29 June with a 5pm kick-off

Who and where would Scotland play if they are one of the top four third place finishers in the group?

• Finish in one of the top four third place teams and Scotland would face the Winners of either Group B, E or F
• Group B has Spain, Croatia, Italy and Albania
• Group E has Belgium, Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine
• Group F has Turkiye, Georgia, Portugal and Czechia
• The final classification depends on which groups the best third placed teams come from
• There’s three possible fixture dates and venues
• We could play Spain/Croatia/Italy/Albania in Cologne on Sunday June 30
• OR we could play Belgium/Slovakia/Romania/Ukraine in Munich on Tuesday July 2
• OR we could play Turkiye/Georgia/Portugal/Czechia in Frankfurt on Monday July 1

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What are the tie-breakers if teams are level at the end of the group stages?

• Points
• Goal difference
• Goals scored
• Wins
• If at the end of the group stage, two teams in the SAME group who are facing each other are level on all the above, a penalty shoot-out will be played
• Lower disciplinary points total
• European Qualifiers overall ranking – except if comparison involves Germany, where lots will be drawn

Go Ballistic – SunSport’s new podcast

SUNSPORT is going Ballistic with the launch of our brilliant new podcast.

Every day of the Euros host Roger Hannah will bring you all the latest news and views from the Scotland camp in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

He will be joined by our men in Germany – Bill Leckie, Robert Grieve and Derek McGregor.

And there will also be special guest appearances from our Euro 2024 columnist Gordon Strachan, regular columnist Kris Boyd and bookie basher Jim Delahunt.

You can watch every episode on our website or our brand new YouTube channel.

What are you waiting for, it’s time to Go Ballistic!

Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page