Euro 2012 Qualification Draw Set

Though pretty much everyone in the international soccer community is focused on the upcoming 2010 World Cup, especially online betting enthusiasts, there was some business to attend to today for another big tournament on the horizon.  The qualification draw for Euro 2012 was held in Warsaw, Poland today, splitting 51 UEFA teams into nine groups (some containing six, some containing five).  There are 14 spots up for grabs (with Poland and Ukraine already occupying two in the field as co-hosts), with matches beginning next September.

Here's how the groups look:


Group A
Germany
Turkey
Austria
Belgium
Kazakhstan
Azerbaija

Group B
Russia
Slovakia
Republic of Ireland
Macedonia
Armenia
Andorra

Group C
Italy
Serbia
Northern Ireland
Slovenia
Estonia
Faroe Islands

Group D
France
Romania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Belarus
Albania
Luxembourg

Group E
Netherlands
Sweden
Finland
Hungary
Moldova
San Marino

Group F
Croatia
Greece
Israel
Latvia
Georgia
Malta

Group G
England
Switzerland
Bulgaria
Wales
Montenegro

Group H
Portugal
Denmark
Norway
Cyprus
Iceland

Group I
Spain
Czech Republic
Scotland
Lithuania
Liechtenstein

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After their disastrous qualifying campaign last time around, England have gotten a very favorable draw.  Defending champions Spain, meanwhile, will have a little more work to do to get the chance to defend their title, with the Czech Republic and Scotland gunning for them.

Denmark and Portugal will renew acquaintances after battling it out in the same World Cup qualification group, while two other teams from their group that finished on the outside looking in (Sweden in Hungary) will face off, as well. 

Possibly the most intriguing match up, though, is in Group A, where Germany will take on Turkey.  There has been palpable racial tension between Germans and Turks in Germany, thanks to a significant influx of Turkish immigrants in past years.  There should be a remarkable atmosphere when the two square off in Germany, but let's just hope that that is the only remarkable aspect of the match off the field, as this game could very well be surrounded by some violence outside the stadium.

Of all the groups, Group C and E look like the toughest, with Northern Ireland joining three World Cup qualifiers in Group C (Italy, Serbia, Slovenia) and three teams that came up just short of qualifying for South Africa joining the Netherlands in Group E (Sweden, Finland, Hungary).

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