The draw will be held in Montreux, Switzerland, on 27 January 2006 at 12:00 CET.
Austria and Switzerland, as host associations, qualify directly for the final tournament. The
remaining 50 associations will be drawn into one group of eight and six groups of seven
teams.
The seven group winners and the seven runners-up will qualify for the final tournament.
Ireland were placed in the fourth seeded group alongside Bosnia & Herzegovina, Belgium. Latvia, Israel, Scotland and Slovakia. Ireland were seeded 23rd overall amongst the 50 associations.
The teams have been split into seven groups and, for the purposes of the draw, they will occupy seven different pots, based on the results achieved in the qualifying competitions of the UEFA European Football Championship 2004 and of the FIFA World Cup 2006.
The total number of points obtained was divided by the total number of matchesto give the coefficient rankings.
In case of national associations with equal coefficients, the most recent qualifying competition was taken into account to determine the ranking. If associations were still equal, the average goal difference was determinant.
Greece, as reigning European Champions were placed as top seed and in Pot One alongside Netherlands, Portugal, England, Czech Republic, France and Sweden.
Germany were placed in Pot Two alongside Croatia, Italy, Turkey, Poland, Spain and Romania.
The third grouping consisted of Serbia & Montenegro, Russia, Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Slovakia.
Ireland will be drawn alongside one team from each of these groups when the draw will be made.
They will also be drawn alongside one each from the following groups:
Pot 5: Hungary, Finland, Estonia, Wales, Lithuania, Albania and Iceland;
Pot 6: Georgia FYR Macedonia, Belarus, Armenia, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Moldova.
Pot 7: Liechtenstein, Azerbaijan, Andorra, Malta, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, San Marino.