Israel and Ukraine, two countries currently fighting wars, could face each other for a spot at next year’s European Championship. The two national teams were put on the same qualifying path in Thursday’s playoff draw, with a possible deciding match in March.
Israel was paired with Iceland, while Ukraine will face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the playoff semifinals. The 12 playoff teams will play the six semifinal matches on March 21. All three finals are scheduled for March 26. Neither Israel nor Ukraine can currently host games at home because the wars. If they both advance to the playoff final, they could meet in a neutral country. In the other playoff brackets, Wales will host Finland and the winner will then host Poland or Estonia, and Georgia or Luxembourg host either Euro 2004 champion Greece or Kazakhstan. European soccer governing body UEFA allocated home advantage for the finals in the three brackets. The 12 teams entered the playoffs based on their results and standings in Nations League groups played last year. Their standing in Euro 2024 qualifying groups this year did not affect the seeding for Thursday’s draw. The winners of the three finals will play at the 24-team Euro 2024 tournament, joining the 20 teams that qualified directly and host Germany. Israel, which became a UEFA member in 1994, has never qualified for the European Championship. Ukraine is back in the playoffs for a major soccer tournament after losing at Wales 1-0 last year in a match for a spot at the World Cup in Qatar.