Holders Spain will return to Ukraine, site of their 2012 European title success, in their attempt to reach UEFA EURO 2016 and become the first nation to win the tournament three times in a row.
The European Qualifiers are made up of eight groups of six teams and one of five, who contest home and away fixtures. The nine section winners, the nine runners-up and the best third-placed side will qualify directly for the final tournament. The eight remaining third-placed countries will contest play-offs to determine the last four qualifiers for the 24-nation finals.
For the first time, qualifying takes place under the new Week of Football concept, in which games are played from Thursday to Tuesday. France are assured of their place in the final tournament, but will play centralised friendlies in accordance with the Week of Football schedule against those in the five-team qualifying pool: Portugal, Denmark, Serbia, Armenia and Albania.
