groups, Playoffs, Nations League – hardly any of the rules of the European championship qualifiers get it. We asked Harald Lesch to bring light into the darkness.

To Despair: England's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain tried the EM-Quali-understand photo mode: Focus/ imago

football fascinates people. It's different with the big associations. With the football in hand and do seemingly nothing with us. You are a Fascination of how the universe: black holes, dark energy, neurons, currents, dark matter. And then there are areas that have directly something to do with us, the football fans, too.

Always on when the big events in the football galaxy, we look to Nyon, from where the European football sun of the Uefa radiates. It defines the rules according to which the large and small star may seem. Who is, when in the summer of 2020 takes place of this great spectacle at the Soccer firmament? Who is allowed to radiate? On whom no light falls in the summer of football in 2020?

In the past, star times, galaxy was easily sorted. Stars form into groups and after a Round and a back round that was shot, it was clear who would be, if, as it is every four years the case was, a new star has formed the image of the European football heaven. In hindsight, this time as an Era of maximum order in front of us, in the basic laws of football logic have found their completion. Today, the coincidence seems to rule. But that's how it is sometimes with the science: It assumes to know exactly where you want to go one day, and then the random – the random and the Nations League.

in addition to the solar system of the EM, the us has become over the years, has formed another Entity in the Firmament. We for the sake of simplicity, the star Nations call and we will give these Nations the names of European countries. And we call moreover, the arrangement you make, not about the solar system, but the League, everything seems quite simple. Because now we have the Nations League.

And we then look at what has formulated the Uefa astronomers, under the leadership of the Slovenian football Polobet arithmetikers Prof. Dr. Alexander Ceferin, then it falls to us as shooting stars of the eyes. The theorem is as follows: in addition to 20 Nations, the forms of EM according to the model, as we know it for decades, of all the 55 Nations – including the 16 victory for Nations that have distinguished themselves in four categories in a group of Nations as the best way to get into the circle of Nations that will form in the summer of next year under the name "Uefa Euro 2020". In physics, we use the expression skill. 16 Nations compete in a battle of the stars, for which the Name has established itself in the Playoffs, to four places in the "Uefa Euro 2020" to, you guessed it, skill.

but If from any of the four hierarchically organized categories no longer four Nations are represented (for example if ten of the twelve Nations using the traditional EM method, directly to the qualifying passes), the remaining places in Nations from other categories will be awarded. The decisive factor is the so-called overall table of the Nations League is something of a moving periodic table of the football elements. You all know the teaching of the chemistry.

Now it is so that Nations that lead a category, can't come into a Playoff group in which Nations are made of a higher category. Should not, therefore, contain a Playoff group with a minimum of a Best in a category enough Nations from the same category will be filled in the group with Nations from lower categories.

Thus, for example, that one of these so-called Playoff-groups – you remember, we wanted to the Nations the names of States or state-like structures give the following constellation, comprising: Georgia, North of Macedonia, Belarus and Kosovo. In March 2020, it is coming to the meet. Then it means that anyone who wants to reach for the stars, you have to know to enforce.