Paris: Russia will be barred from taking part in Euro 2024, having been suspended from UEFA and FIFA competitions, as the former approved the procedure for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying draw, which will take place in Frankfurt on October 9.
A total of 53 teams will participate in the draw, which will allocate the participants to 10 groups — seven groups of five teams and three groups of six teams, with the top two in each advancing.
Euro 2024 hosts Germany qualify automatically for the final tournament and therefore do not figure in the draw. The remaining three spots in the 24-team final tournament will be decided via play-offs to be contested in March 2024.
The UEFA Executive Committee met in Hvar, Croatia and decided that, “All Russian teams are currently suspended following the decision of the UEFA Executive Committee of 28 February 2022, which was further confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 15 July 2022. Russia is therefore not included in the UEFA European Football Championship 2022-24 qualifying draw.”
–IANS