EURO 2024 PLAY-OFF DRAW: Wales draw Finland in their semi-final and could face either Poland or Estonia in the final en route to the tournament in Germany next year
- Wales have the opportunity to secure qualification via two home ties in Cardiff
- Dragons had a limp end to qualifiers with draws against Turkey and Armenia
- Trent and Bellingham can play together but can’t get in each other’s way – IAKO
Wales will play Finland in their Euro 2024 Path A semi-final play-off, and could meet either Poland or Estonia in the final in their bid to reach next summer’s finals in Germany.
Rob Page’s side had an uneven qualifying campaign which saw them cede ground to Tukery and Armenia and finish outside of the automatic qualification places.
The two teams will meet in Wales in late March of next year.
Elsewhere in the draw, Israel was paired with Iceland in Path B, and the winner of that tie play either Bosnia and Herzegovina or Ukraine.
Path C was pre-determined prior to the draw, and features semi-final ties between Georgia and Luxembourg, and Greece against Kazakhstan.
Wales will face off with Finland and then have to deal with the winner of Poland versus Estonia
Coach Rob Page remains bullish about his squad’s chances despite a limp end to qualifiers
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Finland finished third in Northern Ireland’s qualifying group – four points behind both Denmark and Slovenia – after winning six of their 10 fixtures.
They sit 62nd in the FIFA rankings, 34 places below Wales, and are aiming to qualify for the European Championships for only the second time following their debut at Euro 2020.
Should Wales beat Finland, they will have the opportunity to host the winner of Poland versus Estonia at home after their semi-final winner was selected to play the tie at home.
After a disappointing end to their qualifying campaign on Tuesday which saw the Dragons draw with Turkey despite claiming a lead via Neco Williams’ goal within the first 10 minutes, Page was still confident about his side’s chances to make it to next summer’s competition.
Finland finished third in their group after winning six of their 10 fixtures and have their sights on the country’s second-ever European championship qualification
‘That level of performance against Turkey is what we need to do,’ said Page, who was still bubbling over about what appeared to be a clear-cut penalty opportunity Wales were denied.
‘If we do that when we come back together in March, we’ll be okay.
‘I’m glad we’ve got a home draw. It’s a fortress here.
‘We are a team still in transition without Gareth Bale and Joe Allen,’ Page continued. ‘We have had to introduce young players into the team and we go into the play-offs with confidence.’
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