While club football managers are gearing up for the busiest and most relentless time of the season, national team managers can put their feet up and allow their minds to drift to next summer in Germany.
Saturday will see the draw for the group stages of Euro 2024 take place, with 21 of the 24 spots at the tournament having now been filled and the remaining three to be decided via playoff routes in March.
Europe's biggest names will be waiting to hear their fate, and with every pot containing some formidable opponents, the possibility of being drawn in a group of death looks very real.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at each of the qualified nations, what pot they are in and how they qualified for next summer's tournament.
POT 1
Teams: Germany, Portugal, France, Spain, Belgium, England
Germany
Manager: Julian Nagelsmann
Previous European Championships: 13
Best European Championship showing: Winners (1972, 1980, 1996)
Euro 2020 finish: Round of 16
Germany did not have to go through the trials of qualifying given that they are hosting the tournament, although that is not to say that their journey to Euro 2024 has been smooth-sailing so far.
The three-time winners have been in dreadful form lately, equalling an unwanted national team record of losing six games in a single calendar year.
Die Mannschaft have only won twice in their last 10 outings and lost back-to-back friendlies against Turkey and Austria during the most recent international break.
Such poor form saw them sack Hansi Flick in September, although new boss Julian Nagelsmann has so far failed to see much of an improvement.
Portugal
Manager: Roberto Martinez
Previous European Championships: 8
Best European Championship showing: Winners (2016)
Euro 2020 finish: Round of 16
The Euro 2016 winners booked their place at Euro 2024 with minimum fuss, posting the only perfect record throughout the qualifying campaign, as well as the best attacking record by some distance.
What is even more impressive is that Roberto Martinez's side did so in a six-team group, meaning that they had to play 10 games rather than eight, and they confirmed qualification with victory over Slovakia on October 13.
As ever, the talismanic Cristiano Ronaldo led the way, with only Romelu Lukaku scoring more in all of the qualifying groups, and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will be hoping to extend his records for most goals (14) and appearances (25) at European Championships in Germany.
France
Manager: Didier Deschamps
Previous European Championships: 10
Best European Championship showing: Winners (1984, 2000)
Euro 2020 finish: Round of 16
World champions in 2018 and runners-up in Qatar four years later, France will be looking to be crowned kings of Europe for the first time since 2000 in Germany next summer.
Didier Deschamps's side finished top of Group B in qualifying, sealing their place on the plane on October 13 and only dropping points for the first time in their final match of a group that also included Netherlands, Greece and Republic of Ireland.
There was also a notable record for Kylian Mbappe and co during the campaign, as they obliterated Gibraltar 14-0 for the biggest-ever qualifying victory by a European team.
Spain
Manager: Luis de la Fuente
Previous European Championships: 11
Best European Championship showing: Winners (1964, 2008, 2012)
Euro 2020 finish: Semi-finals
No team has won the European Championships more often than Spain's three, while only Germany have qualified for the tournament on more occasions.
The journey to Germany 2024 suffered a Scotland-shaped bump at one stage, but that shock defeat proved to be their only dropped points in a group which also contained Erling Haaland's Norway.
It was against Norway that Spain confirmed their qualification, with a 1-0 win in Oslo on October 15 guaranteeing a top-two finish in Group A.
Belgium
Manager: Domenico Tedesco
Previous European Championships: 6
Best European Championship showing: Runners-up (1980)
Euro 2020 finish: Quarter-finals
Tipped for glory over the course of a number of major tournaments now, Belgium's golden generation are really running out of chances to land that elusive trophy - while some notable names from their incredible recent crop of players have already bid adieu to the international stage.
Even so, stars like Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku remain, with the latter scoring an unrivalled 14 goals from his side's eight qualifiers to help finish top of Group F above Austria, and Belgium will hope to do significantly better than at the 2022 World Cup, when they were dumped out in the group stage.
Domenico Tedesco's side did lose two of those eight games, but they qualified in plenty of time with a victory over closest challengers Austria on October 13, while Lukaku was particularly potent in their final match as he became the first Belgian to ever score four goals in the first half of a game for his country as the Red Devils thrashed Azerbaijan 5-0.
England
Manager: Gareth Southgate
Previous European Championships: 10
Best European Championship showing: Runners-up (2020)
Euro 2020 finish: Runners-up
After agonisingly falling short of ending their years of hurt on home soil with a penalty shootout defeat to Italy in the final of Euro 2020, Gareth Southgate's England will be looking to go one better when they travel to Germany next summer.
England saw off the challenge of their Euro 2020 conquerors to confirm their place at next year's tournament, with a 3-1 victory on October 13 securing top spot in qualifying Group C.
Their campaign ended in unconvincing fashion during games against Malta and North Macedonia, but with the likes of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham establishing themselves among the world's best, they will be fancied by many to go far at Euro 2024.
POT 2
Teams: Hungary, Turkey, Romania, Denmark, Albania, Austria
Hungary
Manager: Marco Rossi
Previous European Championships: 4
Best European Championship showing: Third place (1964)
Euro 2020 finish: Group stage
Hungary were dealt a gruesome draw at Euro 2020 when they were placed in the same group as France, Germany and Portugal, but they will be hopeful of a kinder result this time around having secured a place in Pot Two.
It will be Hungary's third successive appearances at a European Championship following a 44-year absence, with Dominik Szoboszlai leading the charge as they look to restore a hint of their former glory on the international stage.
A 2-2 draw with Bulgaria on matchday nine guaranteed their place in the hat with a game to spare, ending the qualifying campaign top of Group G ahead of both Serbia and Montenegro.
Turkey
Manager: Vincenzo Montella
Previous European Championships: 5
Best European Championship showing: Semi-finals (2008)
Euro 2020 finish: Group stage
Drawn alongside a Croatia team that has established themselves as tournament specialists in recent years, not too many would have been expecting Turkey to lead the way in Group D of qualifying.
That is exactly what they did though, topping a group which also included a spirited Wales and confirming their place on the plane with two games to spare courtesy of a 4-0 hammering of Latvia in October.
Euro 2024 will be Turkey's third successive appearance at the competition, but they have not made it out of the group stages since memorably reaching the semi-finals in 2008.
Romania
Manager: Edward Iordanescu
Previous European Championships: 5
Best European Championship showing: Quarter-finals (2000)
Euro 2020 finish: Did not qualify
An eight-year wait for European Championship football will end for Romania next summer after they comfortably topped a tricky-looking Group I that also included Switzerland and Israel.
Having failed to reach Euro 2020, Edward Iordanescu's side went through this qualification campaign unbeaten - one of only five teams to achieve that.
It was victory over Israel in Hungary that mathematically secured their spot at next summer's tournament, where they will be looking to emulate their memorable run to the quarter-finals in 2000, having come through a group including England, Portugal and Germany.
Denmark
Manager: Kasper Hjulmand
Previous European Championships: 9
Best European Championship showing: Winners (1992)
Euro 2020 finish: Semi-finals
Denmark's run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 after overcoming the terrifying scare of Christian Eriksen's collapse early in their campaign will live long in the memory, and they will have the opportunity to go even further in Germany next summer.
The surprise 1992 European champions will be appearing in successive editions of the competition for the first time since 2004, having topped a six-team Group H.
Kasper Hjulmand's side finished above Slovenia by virtue of their superior head-to-head record and will be in Pot Two as a result - just reward for coming through a competitive qualifying group which saw four of the six teams register 18 points or more.
Albania
Manager: Sylvinho
Previous European Championships: 1
Best European Championship showing: Group stage (2016)
Euro 2020 finish: Did not qualify
Albania will be appearing at just their second-ever European Championships next summer in Germany, having previously reached Euro 2016 but then missing out on qualification last time.
This time around they refused to let such a fate befall them again, although with only 15 points to their name in qualifying, they recorded the lowest points tally of any group winners.
Even so, they finished above Czech Republic by virtue of their superior head-to-head record, stamping their ticket with a 1-1 draw against Moldova with a game to spare.
Austria
Manager: Ralf Rangnick
Previous European Championships: 3
Best European Championship showing: Round of 16 (2020)
Euro 2020 finish: Round of 16
The only runners-up in their qualifying group to make it into one of the top two pots for the draw, Austria dropped only five points throughout their campaign and finished just one point behind Belgium in Group F.
Victory over Azerbaijan on October 16 confirmed their place at next summer's tournament with two games to spare, and they will be looking to improve further on their best-ever showing from Euro 2020.
Austria have now qualified for three successive European Championships having never done so before this run, although they did also feature at Euro 2008 as co-hosts alongside Switzerland.
POT 3
Teams: Netherlands, Scotland, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic
Netherlands
Manager: Ronald Koeman
Previous European Championships: 10
Best European Championship showing: Winners (1988)
Euro 2020 finish: Round of 16
One of a couple of big fish in Pot Three, Netherlands will be circled by many other nations as a team to avoid when the draw is made on Saturday.
Le Oranje finished second in qualifying Group B behind only France, who were also responsible for the only points dropped by the Dutch throughout their campaign.
Victory over Republic of Ireland on matchday nine secured Netherlands' spot at the finals with a game to spare, and manager Ronald Koeman will be hoping to lead his side to European Championship glory just as he helped do as a player in 1988.
Scotland
Manager: Steve Clarke
Previous European Championships: 3
Best European Championship showing: Group stage (1992, 1996, 2020)
Euro 2020 finish: Group stage
After 24 years without gracing the European stage, Scotland have now made it to back-to-back European Championships, and in Germany they will hope to make it beyond the group stage for the first time.
Euro 96 was the last time they won a game in the competition, but optimism will be high going into next summer's tournament after an impressive qualification campaign that saw them finish second behind Spain, and well clear of Erling Haaland's Norway in third as they confirmed their spot with two games still to play.
A memorable 2-0 home victory over Spain was the highlight of their campaign, and defeat in the reverse fixture was their only loss from their eight games, while in Scott McTominay they had the surprise goal machine of qualifying - only Romelu Lukaku, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane scored more.
Croatia
Manager: Zlatko Dalic
Previous European Championships: 6
Best European Championship showing: Quarter-finals (1996, 2008)
Euro 2020 finish: Round of 16
Having finished as runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and third in Qatar four years later, Croatia will be another of the teams from Pot Three that most would be relieved to avoid in the draw.
Their record at European Championships is not quite as impressive, having never made it past the quarter-finals, and their route to Euro 2024 was not entirely straightforward either as they needed a slip-up from Wales in the final international break to leapfrog them into second place in Group D, finally securing their spot with victory over Armenia on the final matchday.
Nonetheless, they will be appearing at a sixth successive Euros and are still led by the evergreen Luka Modric, who is set to feature at a ninth major international tournament for his country.
Slovenia
Manager: Matjaz Kek
Previous European Championships: 1
Best European Championship showing: Group stage (2000)
Euro 2020 finish: Did not qualify
For the first time in 24 years, and only the second time ever, Slovenia will grace a European Championships next summer having successfully come through a competitive Group H.
Matjaz Kek's side were only denied top spot in that group by their inferior head-to-head record against Denmark, but they still managed to amass 22 points - a tally only Portugal could beat.
Granted, they were in one of the three six-team groups, but they had to be on their game from start to finish and, despite their impressive points tally, only sealed their place in Germany with victory over Kazakhstan on the final matchday.
Slovakia
Manager: Francesco Calzona
Previous European Championships: 5
Best European Championship showing: Winners (1976 - as part of Czechoslovakia)
Euro 2020 finish: Group stage
While they have a rich history in this competition as part of Czechoslovakia - a history which UEFA attributes to both Slovakia and Czech Republic - as a standalone nation Slovakia will be appearing in just a fourth major tournament next summer.
That tally does include three successive European Championships, though, having reached the last 16 at Euro 2016 and then being eliminated in the group stage at Euro 2020.
Victory over Iceland on matchday nine secured their place on the plane for Euro 2024, finishing second behind the perfect Portugal in Group J.
Czech Republic
Manager: Jaroslav Silhavy
Previous European Championships: 10
Best European Championship showing: Winners (1976 - as part of Czechoslovakia)
Euro 2020 finish: Quarter-finals
The other team to share the Czechoslovakia history, since becoming Czech Republic they have appeared in every single edition of the European Championships, making it eight in a row by reaching Euro 2024.
The first of those as a standalone nation saw them memorably reach the final at Euro 96, while they made the semi-finals eight years after that and have progressed past the group stage in four of the previous seven editions.
Doing so again in Germany next summer may require improvement from a qualifying campaign which saw them need victory over 10-man Moldova on the final matchday to guarantee their place, finishing second in Group E with 15 points - only Italy and Serbia qualified with fewer.
POT 4
Teams: Italy, Serbia, Switzerland, playoff winner A, playoff winner B, playoff winner C
Italy
Manager: Luciano Spalletti
Previous European Championships: 10
Best European Championship showing: Winners (1968, 2020)
Euro 2020 finish: Winners
Pot Four looks remarkably strong for the lowest-ranked pot, but Italy - reigning champions after beating England at Wembley on penalties in the Euro 2020 final - still stand out as the team everyone would want to avoid from it.
The Azzurri were beaten home and away by England during their qualification campaign, though, and it took a nerve-wracking 0-0 draw against Ukraine in their final match to ensure that they would have the chance to defend their title in Germany, finishing above Ukraine courtesy of their superior head-to-head record.
No team qualified automatically for the tournament with fewer points than Italy, while there was managerial turmoil in their campaign too as Roberto Mancini stepped down to be replaced by Luciano Spalletti, so there is plenty for them to sort before next summer if they are to become the first team since Spain in 2012 to retain the trophy.
Serbia
Manager: Dragan Stankovic
Previous European Championships: 5
Best European Championship showing: Runners-up (1960, 1968 - both as part of Yugoslavia)
Euro 2020 finish: Did not qualify
Serbia are the only other team along with Italy to have reached the Euros with a 14-point tally in qualifying, although their relative struggles to book their place on the plane were less surprising.
Indeed, despite being regulars at World Cups in recent years, Euro 2024 will be the first time that Serbia ever appear at the European Championships as a standalone nation, and the first time in any form since 2000, when they were part of the former Yugoslavia.
It took a 2-2 draw with Bulgaria in their final game to seal their place and end their long wait, eventually finishing second in Group G behind Hungary and above neighbours Montenegro.
Switzerland
Manager: Murat Yakin
Previous European Championships: 5
Best European Championship showing: Quarter-finals (2020)
Euro 2020 finish: Quarter-finals
Another of Pot Four's tricky-looking draws, Switzerland beat France en route to the quarter-finals at the last edition of the Euros and have now qualified for five of the last six tournaments - including one as joint-hosts.
A draw against Kosovo on matchday nine confirmed their place in Germany - something of a fitting way to do so having shared the points in half of their 10 matches throughout qualifying.
However, Murat Yakin's side only tasted defeat once during their campaign as they finished behind Romania in Group I, and that trait of being difficult to beat should stand them in good stead in the knockout nature of next summer's tournament.
Playoff winner A
Contenders: Poland, Wales, Finland and Estonia
The first playoff place available in the draw will be filled by either Poland, Wales, Finland or Estonia, with the winners of that mini-tournament to emerge in March.
Poland will take on Estonia in one semi-final while Wales face Finland in the other, and the winner of that latter semi will host the final on March 26, when a place at Euro 2024 will be at stake.
Wales, Poland and Finland all finished third in their respective qualifying groups, but Estonia finished rock-bottom without a single win - and with only one point - to their names, only making it into the playoffs by virtue of their Nations League performances.
Playoff winner B
Contenders: Israel, Iceland, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ukraine
Route B in the playoffs will see either Israel, Iceland, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Ukraine book their place at Euro 2024.
Israel and Iceland go head to head in one semi-final, while whoever wins the second semi between Bosnia and Ukraine would then host the final.
Iceland and Bosnia were in the same qualifying group too, finishing fourth and fifth behind third-placed Luxembourg in Group J, Iceland ending up one point better off than Bosnia.
Ukraine, meanwhile, were just a goal away from pipping Italy to an automatic qualification spot, while Israel finished third in Group I behind Romania and Switzerland.
Playoff winner C
Contenders: Georgia, Luxembourg, Greece and Kazakhstan
The chances are that playoff path C will provide a first-time participant in the tournament, with three of the teams involved - Georgia, Luxembourg and Kazakhstan - having never reached a major international tournament of any description before.
Shock Euro 2004 winners Greece are the other team in the mix, but even they have not qualified for a European Championship since 2012, so opportunity knocks for all of the teams in the mix.
Kazakhstan and Luxembourg can feel slightly aggrieved not to have qualified automatically, having amassed 18 and 17 points respectively throughout their impressive campaigns, and they could end up meeting in the final.
Georgia only finished fourth in Group A but earn a playoff reprieve due to their Nations League performance, while Greece were third-best behind France and Netherlands in a difficult Group B.
Georgia take on Luxembourg in one semi-final, and the winners of that will host the final against the winners of the second semi between Greece and Kazakhstan.
body check tags ::
