Ian Baraclough 'fairly pleased' with NI Euro 2024 draw

In the draw in Frankfurt Northern Ireland were placed in Group H, alongside Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Kazakhstan and San Marino.

Baraclough, who feels there will be surprises along the way, thinks being in a six-team group will have its benefits.

“As a Pot 5 team, as we were for the qualifiers for Euro 2016, this group gives us a fighting chance to make a good fist of qualifying,” he said.

“It gives us a chance to spring a surprise.

“I think being in a group of six nations is good for us.

"It means we don’t have to play friendlies and therefore every game is a qualifier and there’s something on the game.”

In terms of Northern Ireland’s opponents in Group H, Baraclough feels top seeds Denmark are a strong team and will be difficult opponents, however he believes the qualifiers against Finland and Slovenia are “winnable games”.

“I think all the teams in the group will be thinking they can beat each other,” he added.

The Northern Ireland boss however was glad to avoid groups A, B and C in particular.

Group A’s top three are Spain, Scotland and Norway, while Netherlands, France and Republic of Ireland are the top three in B. Italy, England and Ukraine are the main seeds in C.

Republic of Ireland coach Stephen Kenny has long touted Euro 2024 as being the tournament where he feels his team will hit their true potential, but they face a daunting task to qualify from Group B after being drawn alongside world champions France as well as the Netherlands.

Greece and Gibraltar round out the group, and Kenny said: “We’ve got to achieve something extraordinary to finish in the top two. It presents a real challenge and one that we must strive to overcome.

“I wanted it to be our destiny to get to Euro 2024."

All qualifiers for Euro 2024 will be played between March and November next year, with the group winners and runners-up qualifying. A further three places will be determined in play-offs to be played in March 2024.