The 47 national teams were divided into nine groups (seven groups of 5 + two groups of 6). The records of the nine group runners-up were then compared. The top seven joined the nine winners in a play-off for the eight finals spots. One of the eight qualifiers was then chosen to host the remaining fixtures.
Qualifying group stage
Draw
The allocation of teams into qualifying groups was based on that of UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying tournament with several changes, reflecting the absence of some nations:
Turkey qualified as group winners Germany failed to qualify as one of the best runners-up Germany (13 pts) and Finland (13 pts) head-to-head record: 2–0 in Germany, 3–1 in Finland. Germany is ranked higher on away goals rule.
Belgium qualified as group winners Czech Republic qualified as one of the best runners-up
Ranking of second-placed teams
Because groups contained different number or teams (six and five), matches against the fifth and sixth-placed teams in each group were not included in the ranking. As a result, six matches played by each team counted for the purposes of the second-placed table. The top seven advanced to the play-off.
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