Does anyone know how they pre-determine which group winners get the significant advantage of playing a 3rd place team in the Round of 16? 4 group winners will play 4 3rd place "wildcards." 2 group winners will play 2nd place teams. And 2 2nd place teams will face 2nd place teams. I get that this is necessary in a 24 team tournament with a 16 team knockout round but just wondering how they decide which group winners get that benefit. If the 48 team 2026 World Cup has 12 groups of 4 and a 32 team knockout, then some 3rd place teams would qualify. Would USA being the host get a preferential pre-determined match vs a 3rd place team if they win their group?
Euro 2024 Thread
- Thread starter Sean Miller Fan
- Start date
There are 6 groups of 4 teams. The 4 third place teams are chosen by points accumulated with the tiebreaker being goal differential. I believe the 4 first place teams that play them are chosen the same way. That is done to try to make the third group games meaningful for teams which already clinched their group. So far, it hasn’t made much of a difference. Spain rested most of their starters and still beat Albania 1-0. Italy and Croatia had a lot to play for and Italy scored a goalazo in the 9th minute of added time to tie Croatia and probably eliminate Croatia from the competition.
The brackets are pre-set with the exception of who the 3rd place teams play since you dont know which of the 4 3rd place teams will advance. But before-hand, you knew Germany would play a runner-up and not a 3rd place team. Why? Is this just luck of the draw. In theory, that's a pretty big advantage for a team if it works out as it should. In 2026, I'd much rather USA play a 3rd place team, say, United Arab Emirates in the Round of 32 than a 2nd place team, say Switzerland.
They make up a big chart ahead of time with all the possible combinations on it and which third place team would play which first place team in any given scenario. So once they figure out the four teams they just look at the chart and place the teams accordingly.
For example, right now the four best third place teams are from groups A, C, D and E. If that's how it finishes then the winner of B plays the 3rd from E, the winner of C plays D3, the winner of E plays C3 and the winner of F plays A3.
I assumed England got slotted in a garbage group based on past performance but I have no idea. I don’t think they were great in qualifying but I could be wrong. They won their group Looking like crap and scoring a measly 2 goals in 3 games against modest competition. For all that they get rewarded with a 3rd place team which sucks for those of us who want them to lose. But one of the possibilities is Netherlands which I wouldn’t mind seeing. I have no idea how that would become reality. But I do think it’s possible because they will finish as one of the worst group winners and Netherlands one of the best 3rd place winners.
England looks lost. They had almost no good scoring chances although they had possession in Slovenia’s half of the pitch almost the whole match.
For our Chelsea fan here, I thought Palmer in the few minutes he played was their best player. I guess it goes to show that if you sign 35-plus new players as Chelsea has done the past two seasons, you are bound to get one or two good ones. I think Gallagher will also be very good for Chelsea.
For our Chelsea fan here, I thought Palmer in the few minutes he played was their best player. I guess it goes to show that if you sign 35-plus new players as Chelsea has done the past two seasons, you are bound to get one or two good ones. I think Gallagher will also be very good for Chelsea.
I saw most of the second half of the Turkey - Czechia game today, and that was about as bonkers as it gets. Turkey wins on a goal in the 4th minute of stoppage time, 2-1. The ref gave a total of 19 cards. No, that's not a typo, 19 cards. And that doesn't include the fact that he gave at least two to coaches on Turkey's bench. Czechia played a man down most of the match because a guy got his second yellow in the 20th (before I was watching). A second Czechia player got a second yellow red after the game ended. Turkey was luckier, in that they had 11 players get yellows, but none of them got a second yellow.
It appears as if the officials are determined to see that Germany doesn’t lose.
First, a horrible VAR offside decision takes away a Danish goal. The alleged offside occurred two passes before the goal and the guy who allegedly was offside (he wasn’t) was not involved in the play. Interesting, the still photo relied on by VAR which showed the Danish player inches offside against the German marking him didn’t show another German player farther to the left who was a foot beyond the Danish player and put him onside if he otherwise had been offside.
Then, a second horrible VAR handball call gave Germany a PK. The ball barely grazed a finger of a Danish player whose arm was in a natural position as he ran and the unintentional handball didn’t affect the flight of the ball.
VAR should be making soccer fairer. Instead, it’s becoming a joke. The BBC analysts were going nuts over both calls until Germany scored a second goal, after which they seemed to forget that it should have been 1-0 Denmark at that point instead of 1-0 Germany.
First, a horrible VAR offside decision takes away a Danish goal. The alleged offside occurred two passes before the goal and the guy who allegedly was offside (he wasn’t) was not involved in the play. Interesting, the still photo relied on by VAR which showed the Danish player inches offside against the German marking him didn’t show another German player farther to the left who was a foot beyond the Danish player and put him onside if he otherwise had been offside.
Then, a second horrible VAR handball call gave Germany a PK. The ball barely grazed a finger of a Danish player whose arm was in a natural position as he ran and the unintentional handball didn’t affect the flight of the ball.
VAR should be making soccer fairer. Instead, it’s becoming a joke. The BBC analysts were going nuts over both calls until Germany scored a second goal, after which they seemed to forget that it should have been 1-0 Denmark at that point instead of 1-0 Germany.
Slovakia is 3 better first touches from having 3 more great chances at goal. England’s defense is wide open. They were all difficult first touches to get right, but at this level I would have expected at least one of them to have resulted in a clean shot.
England just looks lost in the attacking third.
England just looks lost in the attacking third.
I think they were just exhausted by the end. Good effort from them, and I had fun watching as the only Slovakia fan in the bar!
Where was this again? I can’t believe the whole bar wasn’t rooting for the upset. ?
England barely beat one half of Czechoslovakia. Congrats.
BTW, why do we have to start calling them Czechia and Turkiye. Im not doing it
BTW, why do we have to start calling them Czechia and Turkiye. Im not doing it
The Pitch in Lawrenceville. Run by former Pipers bartender. Go there sometime so we can meet up in person
I agree. We should continue calling both of the former halves of Czechoslovakia by the name Czechoslovakia. It will be as confusing as hell, but it will teach those Europeans that there are consequences breaking your country in half!
The Slovakian player who gave up the corner which led to the tying goal was a MF player who came on in the 81st minute. So he should not have been exhausted. He had all kinds of space to turn and kick that ball deep into England’s end. Instead, he kicked it out for a corner which then led to the deflected throw-in that Bellingham scored from.
I’m still amazed that the Slovakian player missed the wide-open half-pitch chip over Pickford a few minutes earlier. Pickford has been coming out like that all tourney long urging his team to get going on offense. I have been waiting for a team to try a long one over his head. This one was perfect — a quick turnover right in the middle of the pitch at midfield. He had no chance on that chip and it’s not like the goal is only meters wide. We used to kick them in for fun from there at the end of practice. Pitt made one against Washington two years ago in the NCAAs.
If he makes that, it’s 2-0 with 15 minutes left and England is finished. Instead, this was the kind of win that spurs a team to win the tourney. They have a lot of scoring talent, although I think their defense is suspect. They rely a lot on their outside backs to stop other teams wingers because their CBs, especially Stones, are slow. The way Slovakia shredded them on that goal was telling, and as I wrote earlier, Slovakia was 2 or 3 better first touches away from having wide-open scoring chances in the first half. Pickford may be the best GK in England but he is not elite IMO. There is a reason none of the top Premier League teams has an English GK.
I’m still amazed that the Slovakian player missed the wide-open half-pitch chip over Pickford a few minutes earlier. Pickford has been coming out like that all tourney long urging his team to get going on offense. I have been waiting for a team to try a long one over his head. This one was perfect — a quick turnover right in the middle of the pitch at midfield. He had no chance on that chip and it’s not like the goal is only meters wide. We used to kick them in for fun from there at the end of practice. Pitt made one against Washington two years ago in the NCAAs.
If he makes that, it’s 2-0 with 15 minutes left and England is finished. Instead, this was the kind of win that spurs a team to win the tourney. They have a lot of scoring talent, although I think their defense is suspect. They rely a lot on their outside backs to stop other teams wingers because their CBs, especially Stones, are slow. The way Slovakia shredded them on that goal was telling, and as I wrote earlier, Slovakia was 2 or 3 better first touches away from having wide-open scoring chances in the first half. Pickford may be the best GK in England but he is not elite IMO. There is a reason none of the top Premier League teams has an English GK.
No, just call them Czech Republic. That's what I know them as. They had 30 years to change to Czechia and didnt. Too late now. Are we going to have to start calling Dominican Republic Dominicana? Not happening.
Well you can continue to do so just like you say streaming isn’t tv. And you can continue to look like an uninformed fool. Which is right on brand.
You would think the way they play, Slovenia would practice PKs constantly. Their kicks weren’t terrible but they gave them all away and shot low where to GK can make a save if he dives. Costa also came off his line early in all 3 and wasn’t called. Oblast is one of the best GKs in the world and he wasn’t close on any of Portugal’s kicks. All well taken.
Meanwhile, CR7 missed a PK but he has a very good record on them overall. Direct free kicks is another story. In UEFA he now is 0-33 and in overall international play, he is 1-61. Yet, he takes every one for Portugal, even though Silva and Fernandes have better percentages on free kicks in league play.
Meanwhile, CR7 missed a PK but he has a very good record on them overall. Direct free kicks is another story. In UEFA he now is 0-33 and in overall international play, he is 1-61. Yet, he takes every one for Portugal, even though Silva and Fernandes have better percentages on free kicks in league play.
According to the announcers it was the first time ever in their history that they played a game that ended in PKs, so maybe they forgot that's what happens if the game ends in a tie?
Cassius Clay and Lew Alcindor, not pleased.
How about we call countries what they want to be called, just as a simple matter of respect?
Everything is available somewhere, even most HS games, even middle school or youth games. I wouldn’t say those games are "televised" because they are stream-only, usually behind a paywall. Similarly, most Big 12 games are on ESPN+ only so I dont consider those televised. Stream-only isnt televised. Network TV or cable or satellite is "televised."
Well you’re dull. Televised means transmitted by television. While streams are available on many devices, television is one of them. So if you can get something on your tv it’s televised. By - you know (or should by now) - definition.
I got news for you buddy. Cable and satellite is behind a paywall. 45 years ago (or somewhere in that neighborhood) that version of you would have said cable/satellite isn’t televised.
Televised means you dont need internet to watch it. It means your 90 year old grandpa can warch it.
The guy who scored the 2 goals for Turkey vs Austria has been suspended by UEFA for making a gesture associated with a far-right Turkish organization called the Grey Wolves.
i bet they wish right now they hadn't subbed him and williams out
Win or lose, Spain’s coach deserves every bit of scorn which is going to be directed at him after this match. He effectively took out his entire offense and allowed Germany to spend the final 12 minutes attacking without any fear of a counter. The speed which was keeping Germany on the back foot for so much of the match was gone.
Germany spent the entire match attacking Spain’s left, where a Guy who can’t even get on the pitch for Chelsea was playing, and it finally paid off. But, it would have been 2-0 IMO if Spain had kept its two wingers out there. The best defense is an effective counterattack which forces the other team to be cautious. Spain had a defensive MF playing center forward.
Germany spent the entire match attacking Spain’s left, where a Guy who can’t even get on the pitch for Chelsea was playing, and it finally paid off. But, it would have been 2-0 IMO if Spain had kept its two wingers out there. The best defense is an effective counterattack which forces the other team to be cautious. Spain had a defensive MF playing center forward.
Germany had 3 players in the area and none of them even moved to try to cover Merino, the only Spanish player in the box. Inexcusable.
But, how about Anthony Taylor trying to keep Germany alive by extending 3 minutes of added time into the 7th minute.
I’m very glad Spain won, and particularly happy for the 6 Basque players on the squad. I love the Basque Country and I love pintxos.
But, how about Anthony Taylor trying to keep Germany alive by extending 3 minutes of added time into the 7th minute.
I’m very glad Spain won, and particularly happy for the 6 Basque players on the squad. I love the Basque Country and I love pintxos.
