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We’re into the business end of the group stage at Euro 2024 with plenty still to play for – including who will secure the four positions as the best third-placed teams.
After playing two games in their respective groups, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia and Albania were the sides in the qualifying position, but that will likely change in the coming days.
But once locked in, how is it determined who faces who in the last 16? BBC Sport takes a look.
How are the best third-placed teams decided?
According to Uefa, the four best third-placed teams are determined, in the order given, by the following criteria:
A. Higher number of points
B. Superior goal difference
C. Higher number of goals scored
E. Lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in all group matches (red card = three points, yellow card = one point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = three points)
F. Position in the overall European Qualifiers rankings
How are the last 16 match-ups decided?
As things stand this is how the table looks for the best third-placed teams. The top four go through, while the sides in fifth and sixth are eliminated.
There’s obviously plenty of twists and turns to come, but if that is how things finished after the final round of group games, then it would be teams from Groups D, E, C and B who progress as the best third-placed teams.
That is one of 15 combinations of sides that could, in theory, go through by this method, and Uefa have devised a table for who would face who in the last 16 for all those potential outcomes, shown below.
In the above, WB, WC, WE and WF stands for the winners of Groups B, C, E and F, who are the teams that will play the qualifying third-placed sides.
Who plays who is pre-determined, so the final rankings of the table of the best third-placed teams is irrelevant.
As mentioned earlier, those currently going through, in alphabetical order, are third-placed sides from Groups B, C, D and E.
That would lead to these last-16 ties: