As qualification for next year's European Championships gets back underway this evening, all four home nations still harbour real hopes of making it all the way to the finals in France.

The expansion of the tournament from 16 teams to 24 means that each group is sure to remain wide open right up until the closing round of fixtures, while also giving those who often miss out the chance to finally cross the line and make it beyond the qualifying stage.

With each group approaching its halfway stage, Sports Mole looks at how the home nations have fared so far ahead of the latest set of key games.

England
FIFA ranking: 17
Current Group E position: First (W4 D0 L0)
Fixtures: Lithuania (H), Slovenia (A), San Marino (A), Switzerland (H), Estonia (H), Lithuania (A)
Qualification hopes: When the draw for the tournament's qualification stage was made a little over 12 months ago, England supporters could have been forgiven for booking their cross-channel ferries the second the final ball came out of the proverbial hat. It was as close to a dream group as you are likely to get, with a clean sweep of victories, rather than simply qualifying, the real target. As expected, the Three Lions have claimed four wins from four thus far, including a well-earned 2-0 opening-game victory over Switzerland. That triumph in Basel meant only a real calamitous showing would halt England's charge, but Slovenia, Estonia and San Marino have proved to be no match. Skipper Wayne Rooney himself admitted this week that there is no reason why his side cannot go on to claim maximum points from their remaining fixtures, which would provide the perfect remedy for last year's disastrous showing at the World Cup. The time for experimenting begins now for Roy Hodgson, who will no doubt have one eye firmly fixed on what could be his last major tournament as a manager.

Scotland
FIFA ranking: 39
Current Group D position: Third (W2 D1 L1)
Fixtures: Gibraltar (H), Republic of Ireland (A), Georgia (A), Germany (H), Poland (H), Gibraltar (A)
Qualification hopes: Having come agonisingly close to pulling off a shock result away at world champions Germany in their opening game, the tone was immediately set for Scotland who are looking good value to make it to their first major tournament since the 1998 World Cup in, of all places, France. Victories against Georgia and Gibraltar are to be expected if Gordon Strachan's men are to have any real hope of finishing inside the top three, and it could all potentially come down to a straight knockout between themselves and Republic of Ireland for that coveted playoff berth. Poland have taken 10 points from their opening four games to set the pace, adding extra significance to the Tartan Army's double-header against Ireland. A 1-0 victory at Celtic Park last time out has ensured that it is Scotland who find themselves in the driving seat in terms of that particular battle, and with minnows Gibraltar up next, Strachan's side have a real chance to strengthen their goal difference which could prove decisive when it comes to totting up the totals.

Wales
FIFA ranking: 37
Current Group E position: Second (W2 D2 L0)
Fixtures: Israel (A), Belgium (H), Cyprus (A), Israel (H), Bosnia and Herzegovina (A), Andorra (H)
Qualification hopes: Unbeaten in their first four games, a run of results which includes an impressive goalless draw at fourth-in-the-world Belgium in their last outing, Wales supporters have real hopes of reaching a major finals for the first time in some 57 years. They have come close to rectifying that on a couple of occasions in the past, most notably in 1993 when Paul Godin's missed penalty cost the Red Dragons a place at the following year's World Cup in the USA, as well as the promising 2002 European Championships qualification group which saw Mark Hughes's men miss out by the skin of their teeth in a two-legged playoff against Russia. There has not been an awful lot to cheer about since then, although hope was first rejuvenated under the late Gary Speed, and buoyed by his legacy, combined with the goalscoring prowess of Gareth Bale, there is no reason why Wales cannot put all those painful memories to bed this time around. Bale was the hero against Andorra with his two-goal salvo rescuing all three points in the Pyrenees mountains, while a real team effort since then has left just leaders Israel, whom they face this weekend in a huge clash, standing in their way. A point from that one will set Chris Coleman's outfit up for a thrilling and no-doubt tense finale to their campaign, which concludes with what is surely a home banker against Andorra.

Northern Ireland
FIFA ranking: 43
Current Group E position: Second (W3 D1 L0)
Fixtures: Finland (H), Romania (H), Faroe Islands (A), Hungary (H), Greece (H), Finland (A)
Qualification hopes: Team spirit can take you a long way in any sport - just ask Northern Ireland. Without a competitive win on their travels since 2010, the Green and Whites travelled to Hungary with the target of claiming what would have been a solid point from their opening game. That they battled back from a goal down in the final 10 minutes to take all three points said an awful lot about the character of Michael O'Neill's men, with victory over Greece away from home less than a month later perhaps surprising even the most ardent of travelling supporters. A straightforward win over Faroe Islands sandwiched those two memorable triumphs, meaning that Northern Ireland had maximum points from their first three outings. A 2-0 reverse in Romania last time out put paid to any hopes of extending that dream run further, yet ahead of back-to-back home games, beginning with the visit of Finland this weekend, the Irish know full well that if they fail to qualify for the Euros for the first time in their history this time around, then they may never do so.

Follow live text coverage of all the home nations' qualifying matches with Sports Mole this weekend.