Republic of Ireland bizarrely need to lose against Netherlands to keep Euro 2024 hopes alive
A bizarre quirk in the UEFA rules means the Republic of Ireland will need to lose to the Netherlands to keep their Euro 2024 hopes alive.
Stephen Kenny's side are currently fourth in Group B and have missed out on qualifying automatically after falling to a 2-0 defeat to Greece.
France have already qualified for next summer's tournament by topping Group B with 18 points, while Greece currently sit second with 12.
Netherlands sit in third on nine points, whilst Ireland remain in fourth on three, with Gibraltar sitting in fifth on no points.
But should Ireland want to have a hope of qualifying for Germany 2024, they will need to LOSE against the Netherlands next month in order to help them have a second go at qualification and get into the Euro 2024 play-offs.
It's a complicated one, so bare with us here. But let's give you a run down on just how that could happen...
Twelve teams are set to compete for three play-off spots next March, with those teams being selected based off their displays in the 2022/23 Nations League.
Teams from Leagues A, B and C that haven't already qualified will get a chance, with four teams selected from each.
UEFA rules state that 'if fewer than four teams from one league enter the play-offs, the first available slot is allocated to the best-ranked group winner of League D', which is Estonia.
But it also states that any remaining spots are then given to the 'best-ranked teams that have not already qualified'.
For Ireland to be in the play-offs, there cannot be more than seven teams above them in the Nations League ranking that failed to qualify automatically.
The Netherlands are one of those teams at the moment, given they're in League A and outside the automatic spots in their Euro qualifier group.
So, it
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