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"It's obviously going to be tough but there were a couple of other draws that were harder," Staunton told Sky Sports.
"From a travel point of view it's worked out well, we've missed some of the long trips. We have Wales on our doorstep also, Czech Republic are not going to be easy - they will be good competitive games.
"Two places are up for grabs, you don't have to qualify though the play-offs and I think everybody's happy with that."
Staunton admitted he would want to face Germany and the Czech Republic earlier in the campaign, adding: "Maybe they'll be a bit tired and we can catch them on the hop. From the fans' point of view it is a good draw."
Staunton's Welsh counterpart John Toshack was also pleased with the draw. "With all due respect to the other teams in our group, we have to say we cannot complain about the draw. We are reasonably pleased," he said.