The following criteria are applied (Regulations Article 15.02):[3] In the play-offs, the team that scores more goals on aggregate over the two legs qualifies for the final tournament.

If no goals are scored during extra time, the tie is decided by penalty shoot-out (Regulations Articles 16.01 and 16.02).

[8] The draw for the qualifying group stage was held on 20 April 2015, 14:00 CEST (UTC+2), at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

[11] The two teams which qualified from the preliminary round, Moldova and Georgia, were placed in Pot E for the group stage draw.

[12] The draw for the play-offs (to decide the order of legs) was held on 23 September 2016, 14:00 CEST (UTC+2), at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.