The group stage of qualifying for next summer’s European Championship was complete this week, with several Chelsea players among those to have secured their nation’s place at the tournament.
Following the conclusion of the year-long Euros qualifying campaign in the November international break, 21 of the 24 countries which will be taking part in the next European Championship are now known.
20 initial qualifiers, divided into four pots, will definitely join hosts Germany in the tournament draw, which takes place in Hamburg on Saturday 2 December, with the final three nations set to complete the line-up after the qualifying play-offs in March 2024.
Here is the rundown of which players from the current Chelsea squad have helped their country secure a place at Euro 2024, how they qualified and which pot they will be in for next month’s draw.
France – Pot one
Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Wesley Fofana, Malo Gusto, Christopher Nkunku
About to embark on their 12th year under the management of former Chelsea midfielder Didier Deschamps, France had already secured their qualification in last month’s international break, thanks to a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands. Having gone undefeated throughout qualifying, they are behind only Portugal in the seedings for the draw.
Spain – Pot one
Another country who sealed their qualification in October, Spain will be hoping their 12th successive appearance at the Euros ends with a record fourth victory, having reached the semi-finals two years ago.
Belgium – Pot one
Lavia also saw his involvement in qualifying limited by injury, having received his first senior call-up for their opening win over Sweden. They remained undefeated throughout their campaign to top Group F with a 3-2 victory over second-placed Austria in October. They have reached the quarter-finals of the last two Euros.
England – Pot one
Ben Chilwell, Levi Colwill, Conor Gallagher, Reece James, Cole Palmer, Raheem Sterling
Four different Chelsea players featured for England during qualifying, in addition to Colwill earning his first senior call-up and Sterling’s hope of breaking back into the squad by the summer. The Three Lions secured their place at Euro 2024 last month with a win over Italy, the same team they lost to in the final of the last tournament.
Albania – Pot two
Injury prevented Broja from taking part in qualifying, having become a regular in the senior squad last year. His team got across the line though, with a 1-1 draw at Moldova in their penultimate match enough to secure top spot in Group E. This will be only their second appearance at a Euros.
Netherlands – Pot three
Ian Maatsen
Maatsen had his first senior involvement with the Dutch national team towards the end of their qualifying campaign. They sealed second place in a tough Group B, four points behind France, by beating the Republic of Ireland 1-0 this month, finishing with a comfortable 6-0 win over Gibraltar.
Serbia – Pot four
Serbia will be competing at the Euros for the first time as an independent nation, having last featured as part of Yugoslavia in 2000. A youthful team dramatically secured their debut with a 2-2 home draw with Bulgaria in their final match of qualifying.
Ukraine – Play-offs
Having been drawn in a difficult Group C, Ukraine had to settle for third place behind England and Italy, the two finalists from Euro 2020, although only on head-to-head record after a 0-0 draw with Italy in their last game. They still have a chance to qualify through the play-offs, though. They will take on Bosnia-Herzegovina away in the semi-finals on Thursday 21 March, with the winner facing Israel or Iceland in the final five days later for a place at Euro 2024.
Qualified countries
Pot one: Germany, Portugal, France, Spain, Belgium, England
Pot two: Hungary, Turkiye, Romania, Denmark, Albania, Austria
Pot three: Netherlands, Scotland, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czechia
Pot four: Italy, Serbia, Switzerland
Play-offs
Path A: Poland v Estonia, Wales v Finland
Path B: Israel v Iceland, Bosnia-Herzegovina v Ukraine
Path C: Georgia v Luxembourg, Greece v Kazakhstan