[1] A total of 53 national teams entered this qualifying competition, which was played in two rounds between September 2015 and March 2016.
The following criteria were applied:[3] The draw for the qualifying round was held on 3 December 2014, 09:50 CET (UTC+1), at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
The match was completed with a 2–1 scoreline before a 3–0 default victory was awarded to Austria due to Albania fielding an ineligible player.
The match was completed with a 0–1 scoreline before a 0–3 default victory was awarded to Georgia due to Albania fielding an ineligible player.
The draw for the elite round was held on 3 December 2015, 11:00 CET (UTC+1), at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.