The following criteria were applied (Regulations Article 14.02):[3] In the play-offs, the team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs qualified for the final tournament.

[10] The draw for the qualifying group stage was held on 21 February 2019, 13:30 CET (UTC+1), at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Based on the decisions taken by the UEFA Emergency Panel, Kosovo would not be drawn in the same group as Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia.

The draw for the play-offs was held on 5 March 2021 (originally 25 September 2020, but had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic), 12:00 CET (UTC+1), at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

However following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia were banned from the final tournament, and Portugal qualified in their place.