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Updated for clarity:

The fooballseeding website updated with last nights results. The teams we needed to lose did, and now to get into League B, we need a Scotland win + 3 of these 4 to go our way:

• Romania dropping points in Denmark

• Turkey losing in Finland (or drawing and Scotland winning 3-0+ in Slovenia)

• Hungary dropping points against Faroe Islands (or win and Scotland bettering their goal difference in Slovenia)

• Czech Rep dropping points against San Marino

OK, San Marino aren't going to do us a favour but all four teams are out of the world cup so maybe they'll take their eye off the ball.

 A draw vs Slovenia (please no) makes us a top seed in League C and if we lose, Albania would have to beat Italy for us to drop to second seed.

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220px-UEFA_Nations_League.svg.png

UEFA has confirmed the seeding pots for Euro 2020 qualifying will be based upon finishing position in the Nations League: bringing to an end the use of coefficients AFAICS (except in cases of tiebreaks etc)... This is presumably yet another effort to increase the importance of the Nations League - and perhaps also guard against any fears of teams wanting to get relegated in order to have an easier run at playoffs next time around.


Having failed to beat Slovenia, I don't imagine we've got any prospect of starting in Division B now - which means we can at best be in Pot 3 for Euro 2020 qualifying. To do that we'd need to win our section - or be 2 of the best runners-up out of the 4 sections in Division C. We will drop to Pot 4 otherwise...

We couldn't drop to Pot 5 (though if we got relegated we would be in Pot 5 for Euro 2024 unless we won our section and were the best winner in Division D). We can only reach Pot 2 in future by winning our section and thus promotion, then going on to finish 1st or 2nd in a Division B section.

Arguably this development hampers our Euro qualifying hopes in future campaigns. Gutting if we only narrowly missed-out.


World Cup seeding remains unaffected in future and based on world rankings - a combination of points earnt in competitive matches and friendlies.

Nations League will be drawn January 28th. Following its completion Euro 2020 qualifying will be drawn December 2nd next year.

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Weren't we usually hamstrung by our UEFA co-efficient for seeding anyway?  With the World Rankings you can fluctuate, but I seem to remember we were always struggling with the coefficient.  Within reason this could be good for us, as unless I'm misunderstanding it, you're essentially playing for your seeding.  We'll be in Division C, so we'll be fighting it out with teams around our level to see who makes pot 3 and who goes down to pot 4.  Seems to be a more direct way of getting feedback of how we're actually doing rather than the more opaque coefficient system.

However, it's just another reason why the Nations League is so, so important, and I fear we're not going to treat it that way...

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28 minutes ago, Gordopolis said:

Sure it's been stated somewhere in here but when is the draw for the nations' league?

24th of January according to this: http://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/newsid=2501767.html#/

I must be absolutely out of my tiny mind after last night but I am actually looking forward to this, looking at when I have to renew my SSC membership and generally wondering which places I could go on an away trip to. I am the mark of complete insanity.

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11 minutes ago, Dunning1874 said:

Do we reckon the SFA's failure to appreciate the importance of this competition will extend to not offering a season ticket covering both the Nations League and the qualifiers?

They shouldn't be offering a season ticket at all, as that would allow them to make more reactive pricing.

No matter what though, they'll have to sell them separately.  The draw for the qualifiers is in December with the games starting in March, so they won't know when/where etc until after the Nations League is done.  I expect we'll be able to buy a package for the Nations League, then we'll get a season ticket offered for the qualifiers themselves.  They could do a full-on season ticket just offering 3 Nations League games plus 5 qualifiers, but they won't know if we're getting 4 or 5, so doubt it.

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5 hours ago, forameus said:

However, it's just another reason why the Nations League is so, so important, and I fear we're not going to treat it that way...

People in Scottish football seem to generally be pretty thick, so you're probably right. It'll be seen as some daft sideshow rather than something which actually impacts on our potential qualification.

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2 hours ago, Jambomo said:

24th of January according to this: http://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/newsid=2501767.html#/

I must be absolutely out of my tiny mind after last night but I am actually looking forward to this, looking at when I have to renew my SSC membership and generally wondering which places I could go on an away trip to. I am the mark of complete insanity.

We will top the group , win the whole lot , its like the Kirin Cup all over again.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Dunning1874 said:

Do we reckon the SFA's failure to appreciate the importance of this competition will extend to not offering a season ticket covering both the Nations League and the qualifiers?

 

2 hours ago, Nightmare said:

People in Scottish football seem to generally be pretty thick, so you're probably right. It'll be seen as some daft sideshow rather than something which actually impacts on our potential qualification.

 

6 minutes ago, Gordopolis said:

Yep. Really it is option 1 of 2 for qualification, but we'll treat it lightly and Fall short, then tank in the actual qualifiers.


That's what I'm fearing. Even the normally sensible Sports Editor in the normally sensible Scotsman today sidelines it as "UEFA's new, unwieldy and complicated addition to the calendar" and says that "qualifying proper won't begin until 17 months from now", amounting to "a long period of inactivity... an unappealing prospect".

We'd have previous for it of course. Didn't enter the first 3 World Cups... qualified in 1950 but didn't bother going, having said we'd only compete if we were also British champions... qualified in 1954 but only took 13 players and alleged the wrong kit. Didn't enter the first Euros either, IIRC.

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2 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

 

 


That's what I'm fearing. Even the normally sensible Sports Editor in the normally sensible Scotsman today sidelines it as "UEFA's new, unwieldy and complicated addition to the calendar" and says that "qualifying proper won't begin until 17 months from now", amounting to "a long period of inactivity... an unappealing prospect".

We'd have previous for it of course. Didn't enter the first 3 World Cups... qualified in 1950 but didn't bother going, having said we'd only compete if we were also British champions... qualified in 1954 but only took 13 players and alleged the wrong kit. Didn't enter the first Euros either, IIRC.

Why aren't you employed by the SFA to make sure stuff like this doesn't happen?

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I wasn't around in 1954 and am surprisingly poor with a washing machine, tbf.


Anyway I'm going to need an aspirin after studying it but the link below appears to confirm we're in Division C for the inaugural Nations League and that the makeup of pots will be as follows:

http://www.footballseeding.com/national-ranking-uefa/ranking-2017/

Pot #1 - Romania/Turkey/Hungary, Romania/Turkey/Hungary. Scotland, Slovenia
Pot #2 - Norway, Albania, Montenegro, Greece
Pot #3 - Serbia, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland
Pot #4 - Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania/Belarus


Not fancying the thought of Greece, Serbia and Belarus :unsure:...


Incidentally we seem to have missed out on Division B by as little as 1.5%. Win last night might've done it.

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Having wrapped a cold towel around my head and looked again, some of those pots may not be confirmed tbf - the colour indicators presumably just show divisions. Some of them have still to play tonight or tomorrow, and Greece could have a playoff next month.

We've never played Albania or Montenegro, btw.

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52 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

Having wrapped a cold towel around my head and looked again, some of those pots may not be confirmed tbf - the colour indicators presumably just show divisions. Some of them have still to play tonight or tomorrow, and Greece could have a playoff next month.

We've never played Albania or Montenegro, btw.

I don't think Greece's playoff will adjust their ranking for the Nations League - thought I saw somewhere the pots would be decided after the 10 group games. 

Going by the site(and taking 1,600 points as a base for a win as it varies, 800 for a draw and 340 for a defeat)it appears that Romania will definitely drop into League C, regardless of other results unless I'm missing something.  Turkey will move up by avoiding defeat to Finland but if Hungary defeat the Faroe Islands and Turkey lose to Finland, Hungary will go into League B. 

Belarus need to beat France to get into League C ahead of Lithuania. 

I think these could be the probable pots based on what I think are realistic events that will occur and unless I'm missing something major. 

Pot 1: 

Romania - guaranteed

Hungary - assuming they defeat Faroe Islands and Turkey don't lose to Finland. 

Scotland - guaranteed

Slovenia - Unless Albania beat Italy in their last qualifier. 

 

Pot 2: 

Norway - guaranteed

Albania - unless they defeat Italy in their last qualifier, rising to Pot 1 with Slovenia dropping down 

Greece - Assuming they defeat Gibraltar

Serbia - Unless they lose to Georgia in which case Montenegro will keep their slot

 

Pot 3: 

Montenegro - Unless Serbia lose to Georgia

Israel - Unless they beat Spain, Serbia lose to Georgia and Greece lose to Gibraltar in which case they'll go to pot 2

Bulgaria - Guaranteed

Finland - Unless neither Cyprus beat Belgium or Estonia  beat Bosnia in which case they will be demoted to pot 4

 

Pot 4: 

Cyprus - Guaranteed unless they beat Belgium and Finland don't beat Turkey in which case they will be promoted to pot 3 

Estonia - Guaranteed unless they beat Bosnia and Finland don't beat Turkey and Cyprus don't beat Belgium in which case they will be promoted to Pot 3

Lithuania - Guaranteed unless Belarus beat France in which case they will be demoted to pot 4 

 

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