| The UEFA European Championship is the main | | | | France won, again the final was decided by |
| football competition of the men's national | | | | golden goal, David Trezeguet was the scorer. |
| football teams governed by the UEFA. Held | | | | In 2004 the event was held in Portugal, with |
| every four years since 1960, in the | | | | the silver goal rule being used for the first |
| even-numbered year between World Cup | | | | time. The rule saw Greece beat the Czech |
| tournaments, it was originally called the | | | | Republic in the semi-finals. Underdogs Greece |
| European Nations Cup, changing to the name | | | | went on to win the competition, when they had |
| European Football Championship in 1968. | | | | been put at pre-tournament odds of 100 to 1. |
| | | | The next tournament will be co-hosted by |
| There is a UEFA Women's Championship | | | | Switzerland and Austria in 2008. |
| inaugurated in 1984 and from 1997 held every | | | | |
| four years, as well as a Men's Under-21 | | | | Future A recent innovation has allowed |
| equivalent of the UEFA European Championship | | | | countries to act as joint hosts. Belgium and |
| tournament, taking place every two years. | | | | the Netherlands were the first countries to |
| | | | co-host the competition in 2000. In the 2008 |
| Until 1976, only four teams qualified for the | | | | tournament Austria and Switzerland will |
| final tournament. From 1980 eight teams | | | | co-host the event, held from 7 to 29 of June, |
| competed and from 1996 sixteen teams have | | | | 2008. |
| played in each tournament. The competing | | | | |
| teams are chosen by a series of qualifying | | | | Selection of the host country or countries |
| games: in 1960 and 1964 through home and away | | | | for the 2012 competition is currently in |
| play-offs; from 1968 through a combination of | | | | progress. The host will be chosen in December |
| both qualifying groups and play-off games. | | | | 2006 from a shortlist including Italy and |
| | | | joint bids from Poland/Ukraine and Croatia |
| Until 1976, the host country was selected | | | | Hungary. |
| from the four finalists after they were | | | | |
| determined through qualifying. Since the | | | | Qualifying In order to qualify a team must be |
| expansion of the final tournament starting | | | | winners or runners-up in one of the seven |
| from 1980, the host country, or countries, | | | | qualifying groups. After this a team proceeds |
| have been chosen beforehand and qualify | | | | to the finals round in the host country, |
| automatically. The defending champions have | | | | although hosts qualify for the tournament |
| never been granted an automatic place in the | | | | automatically. The qualifying phase begins in |
| finals. | | | | the autumn after the preceding FIFA World |
| | | | Cup, almost two years before the finals. |
| History In 1956, the groundwork for a | | | | |
| European national team competition was laid. | | | | The groups for qualification are drawn by a |
| Two years later, in 1958, the first European | | | | UEFA committee using seeding, seeded teams |
| Nations Cup began. The original format of the | | | | include reigning champions, and other teams |
| competition saw the early rounds played in | | | | on the basis of their performance in the |
| home and away matches between the countries | | | | preceding FIFA World Cup qualifying, and the |
| on a knockout basis. This continued until the | | | | last European Football Championship |
| semi-finals, where the remainder of the | | | | qualifying. To obtain an accurate view of the |
| competition was played in the host country, | | | | teams abilities, a ranking is produced, this |
| chosen from the four semi-finalists. | | | | is calculated by taking the total number of |
| | | | points won by a particular team, and dividing |
| The French Football Federation’s Henri | | | | it by the number of games played, i.e., |
| Delaunay came up with the idea of a European | | | | points per game, in the case of a team having |
| championship in 1927. Given the immense | | | | hosted one of the two previous competitions, |
| efforts that Delaunay had put into setting up | | | | and therefore having qualified automatically, |
| a European national teams competition, UEFA | | | | only the results from the single most recent |
| deemed it appropriate that the inaugural | | | | qualifying competition are used. If two teams |
| competition be hosted by France. The trophy | | | | have equal points per game, the committee |
| presented to the competition winner still | | | | then bases their positions in the rankings |
| bears his name. | | | | on; 1. Coefficient from the matches played in |
| | | | its most recent qualifying competition. |
| The first final was held in Paris and saw the | | | | |
| Soviet Union defeat Yugoslavia, after extra | | | | 2. Average goal difference. |
| time, and be first to have their name | | | | |
| engraved onto the trophy. | | | | 3. Average number of goals scored. |
| | | | |
| The 1964 competition was the first European | | | | 4. Average number of away goals scored. |
| Nations Cup to be affected by politics as it | | | | |
| saw Greece refusing to play Albania as they | | | | 5. Drawing of lots. |
| were technically (though not officially) at | | | | |
| war. The finals were hosted by Spain, and | | | | The qualifying phase is played in a group |
| they saw the hosts beat the Soviet Union 2-1 | | | | format, the composition of the groups is |
| in Madrid. | | | | determined through means of a draw of teams |
| | | | from pre-defined seeded bowls. The draw takes |
| The European Nations Cup changed its name to | | | | place after the preceding World Cup's |
| the UEFA European Football Championship for | | | | qualifying competition. For the 2008 European |
| 1968 and also a new format was introduced. | | | | Football Championship, the group qualifying |
| Eight groups of seeded teams played each | | | | phase consists of seven groups, one of eight |
| other twice and the top side of each group | | | | teams, and the remainder of seven teams each. |
| proceeded to two-legged quarter finals. The | | | | |
| semi-finals and final were played in the host | | | | The qualifying phase is done in groups, each |
| country of Italy who won the competition | | | | a effectively a mini league, where the |
| after a 2-0 replay of the final, having drawn | | | | highest ranked team, after all the teams have |
| 1-1 in the first against Yugoslavia. | | | | played each other home and away, progresses |
| | | | to the finals tournament, as with most |
| In the 1972 tournament, the same structure | | | | leagues, the points are dealt as three for a |
| was retained, with Belgium being the host of | | | | win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. In |
| the finals. West Germany won the competition, | | | | the eventuality of one or more teams having |
| beating the Soviet Union 2-0 in the final. | | | | equal points after all matches have been |
| The 1976 final round was hosted by | | | | played, the following criteria is used to |
| Yugoslavia. In the final, Czechoslovakia | | | | distinguish the sides; 1. Higher number of |
| squandered a two-goal lead before penalties | | | | points obtained in the group matches played |
| were needed. When Uli Hoeness missed, it | | | | among the teams in question. |
| allowed AntonÃn Panenka to chip into the | | | | |
| space vacated by Sepp Maier's anticipatory | | | | 2. Superior goal difference from the group |
| dive for a Czechoslovakian victory. | | | | matches played among the teams in question. |
| | | | |
| In 1980 UEFA introduced a new format, which | | | | 3. Higher number of goals scored in the group |
| saw eight teams go to the finals instead of | | | | matches played among the teams in question. |
| four, and then play each other in two groups | | | | |
| of four teams; the winner of each group then | | | | 4. Higher number of goals scored away from |
| proceeded to the final. West Germany faced | | | | home in the group matches played among the |
| Belgium in the final, which they won 2-1 | | | | teams in question. |
| after two goals from Horst Hrubesch. However | | | | |
| the newer format was not retained in 1984, | | | | 5. Results of all group matches: 1. Superior |
| and a different format was used, again | | | | goal difference 2. Higher number of goals |
| employing group stages, but this time in | | | | scored 3. Higher number of goals scored away |
| place of only the quarter-finals. The top two | | | | from home 4. Fair play conduct. |
| teams from each of the two groups progressed | | | | |
| to the semi-finals. The competition was held | | | | 6. Drawing of lots. |
| in France for the second time. The hosts won | | | | |
| 2-0 in Paris against Spain with goals from | | | | Final tournament Sixteen teams progress to |
| Michel Platini and Bruno Bellone. | | | | the final tournament, for the 2008 tournament |
| | | | they will be the winners and runners up of |
| The 1988 competition was held in West | | | | the seven qualifying groups, and joint hosts |
| Germany, while the format from the 1984 | | | | Austria and Switzerland. These sixteen teams |
| competition was retained. Marco Van Basten | | | | are divided equally into four groups, A, B, C |
| led the Netherlands, scoring what was later | | | | and D, each consisting of four teams. The |
| voted the best goal ever in the competition | | | | groups are drawn up by the UEFA |
| The 1992 competition was held in Sweden | | | | administration, again using seeding. The |
| during a time of European political change, a | | | | seeded teams being the host nations, the |
| united Germany was represented and as a | | | | reigning champions, subject to qualification, |
| result of the break up of the Soviet Union, a | | | | and those with the best points per game |
| Commonwealth of Independent States of the | | | | coefficients over the qualifying phase of the |
| former Soviet Union. Yugoslavia made it to | | | | tournament and the previous World Cup |
| the finals but were excluded as a result of | | | | qualifying. Other finalists will be assigned |
| hostilities in their country, Denmark | | | | to groups by means of a draw, using |
| replaced them. Surprisingly, the Danes went | | | | coefficients as a basis. |
| on to win the competition after a 2-0 victory | | | | |
| over world champions Germany in the final. | | | | The four groups are again played in a league |
| | | | format, where a team plays its opponents once |
| With the break up of the Soviet Union all of | | | | each. The same points system is used (three |
| the former Soviet bloc countries were | | | | points for a win, one point for a draw, no |
| required to enter separately. Now that there | | | | points for a defeat). A schedule for the |
| were more teams, a format that accommodated | | | | group matches will be drawn up, but the last |
| this was required. With 48 teams entering the | | | | two matches in a group must kick off |
| competition, and after the enlargement of the | | | | simultaneously. The winner and runner-up of |
| World Cup which had more European sides | | | | each group progresses to the quarter-finals, |
| qualifying for it than the European | | | | where a knockout system is used (the two |
| Championships themselves, 16 teams travelled | | | | teams play each other once, the winner |
| to the finals in England. The teams were put | | | | progresses), this is used in all subsequent |
| into 4 groups , the winner and runner up of | | | | rounds as well. |
| each group progressed to a new round of | | | | |
| quarter-finals. The semi-finals and final | | | | The winners of the quarter-finals matches |
| remained the same. The Germans won in the | | | | progress to the semi-finals, where the |
| final over underdogs Czech Republic with a | | | | winners play in the final. If in any of the |
| golden goal. | | | | knockout rounds after normal playing time, |
| | | | the scores are still equal, extra time and |
| Belgium and the Netherlands became the first | | | | penalties are employed to separate the two |
| countries to jointly host the event in 2000. | | | | teams. |