The group stage draw for the European Championships 2024 takes place on Saturday at 5pm, so PLZ soccer looks at all the teams involved and the potential opponents for Scotland on their road to European glory.
24 nations from across Europe have been divided into four pots based on their results in the European qualifying stage.
The hosts Germany are in pot 1 alongside; Portugal, Spain, England, France and Belgium.
In pot 2 it’s; Hungary, Turkey, Romania, Denmark, Albania and Austria.
Pot 3 is where we find Scotland alongside; Netherlands, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Czech Republic.
Pot 4 consists of; Italy, Serbia and Switzerland with the remaining three places being given to the winners of the play off round that will be completed in March 2024.
With Scotland being placed in Pot 3 they will face 1 team from Pot 1, one team from Pot 2 and one team from Pot 4.
So what would be considered as the worst possible group for Scotland?
Starting with Pot 1, the World Cup runners up France would arguably be the toughest of starts for the Scots.
Denmark are the strongest outfit in pot 2, with the likes of Christian Eriksen and Kasper Schmeichel being the the highlights of the squad set to be on the plane to Germany this summer.
Scotland will have some confidence if drawn against the Danes given their 2-0 victory in their last meeting.
Steve Clark will be hoping for a weaker side in Pot 4, to try and get their Euro campaign off to the best possible start.
However with Italy scraping through their qualification group they are a potential opposition for Scotland in Germany this summer.
Does it get much tougher for the tartan army than a group with France, Denmark, Scotland and Italy?
Scotland could have luck on their side in Hamburg on Saurday night and manage to draw the pot of dreams.
The lowest ranked side in Pot 1 are the hosts Germany who have struggled in recent times, they were knocked out of the 2022 World Cup in the group stages and have only won 3 out of their 11 fixtures since.
In Pot 2 a potential fixture against Slovenia would be seen as the easiest of the lot for Scotland. Facing a team that haven’t qualified for the European championships for the past 24 years, going back to the 2000 competion being held across Belgium and the Netherlands.
In Pot 4 the easiest opposition would have to be one of the potential qualifiers of the play off rounds. The lowest ranked side that could still qualify would be Estonia sitting in 122nd in the Fifa world rankings.
So a group with Germany, Slovenia and Estonia or France, Denmark and Italy are all possible for the Scots at the draw.
Scotland fans let us know what would you dream group for Euro 2024?
The draw kicks off at 5pm on Saturday night and to stay up to date with the full draw tune into PLZ Soccers social media channels.
