Five years ago, four of the six teams in that pot battled their way out of the group phase.
Wales won Group B ahead of England, while Iceland were runners-up in Group F and the pair became the life and soul of the party.
Republic of Ireland, helped by a famous win over Italy, and Slovakia each went through in third place with four points, while Northern Ireland bounded on with three.
A good start certainly helps – win your first game and you already have a foot in the last 16.