|
UEFA have ranked the Republic alongside Bosnia-Herzegovina and Latvia, amongst others, in the fourth of seven pots for the draw which takes place in Montreux, Switzerland on January 27 next.
Austria and Switzerland are direct qualifiers for the finals as hosts, while the remaining 50 nations will be drawn into one group of eight and six groups of seven teams. The seven group winners and seven runners-up will qualify for the finals.
The UEFA system for pot ranking is based on results achieved in the qualifying competitions for Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.
2008 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING COMPETITION DRAW POTS:
Pot 1: Greece, Holland, Portugal, England, Czech Republic, France, Sweden.
Pot 2: Germany, Croatia, Italy, Turkey, Poland, Spain, Romania.
Pot 3: Serbia & Montenegro, Russia, Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Slovakia.
Pot 4: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Republic of Ireland, Belgium, Latvia, Israel, Scotland, Slovenia.
Pot 5: Hungary, Finland, Estonia, Wales, Lithuania, Albania, Iceland.
Pot 6: Georgia, FYR Macedonia, Belarus, Armenia, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Moldova.
Pot 7: Liechtenstein, Azerbaijan, Andorra, Malta, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, San Marino.