Bratislava, Sept 18: Uefa has abandoned plans to seed countries for next month's Euro 2004 playoff draw. Teams finishing second in the ten qualifying groups after the final matches on October 11 will be put in the same hat for the draw two days later, European football's governing body decided at a meeting of its executive committee here yesterday.
The decision could benefit weaker nations such as Wales and Scotland, who would have been certain of a tough draw because of their lower ranking.
Only group winners will automatically qualify for next year's finals in Portugal.
The ten other teams will be paired up in the draw in Frankfurt and will play off over two legs on November 15-16 and November 18-19.
Teams facing playoffs:
Group 1: Slovenia; Group 2: Romania, Denmark, Bosnia Herzegovina or Norway; Group 3: Holland; Group 4: Latvia, Poland or Hungary; Group 5: Germany, Scotland or Iceland; Group 6: Greece or Spain; Group 7: England or Turkey; Group 8: Belgium or Croatia; Group 9: Italy or Wales; Group 10: Russia, Switzerland or Republic of Ireland. Bureau Report