Two issues of the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs

Abstract

The play-offs of the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying tournament determine the last four participants in the UEFA European Championship 2020. 16 teams, which have failed to obtain a slot in the qualifying group stage, will be selected and divided into four paths of four teams each based on the inaugural season 2018-19 of the UEFA Nations League. We provide a critical examination of the relevant UEFA regulation and show that its articles contradict each other and allow for an unfair formation of the play-off paths: it might happen that all conditions cannot be satisfied simultaneously and a group winner might face stronger opponents than a non-group winner from the same league despite its better performance in the UEFA Nations League. Simple and straightforward solutions for both problems are suggested.