UEFA European Football Championship

The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by the UEFA. Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the European Nations Cup, changing to the name European Football Championship in 1968. Specific championships are often referred to in the form "Euro 2008" or whichever year is appropriate.

There is a UEFA Women's Championship inaugurated in 1984 and from 1997 held every four years, as well as a Men's Under-21 equivalent of the UEFA European Championship tournament, taking place every two years.

Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Format
2.1 The competition
2.2 Qualifying
2.3 Final tournament
3 Future
3.1 Bids for future editions
3.2 Possible expansion to 24 teams
3.3 Hosting requirements and their impact on the pool of candidate hosts
4 Statistics
4.1 Successful national teams
4.2 Final tournament appearances
4.3 Total hosts
4.4 Overall top goalscorers (final tournaments)
5 Trophy
6 See also
7 Notes
8 External links



[edit] History
The first idea for a pan-European football tournament was proposed by the French Football Federation's Henri Delaunay in 1927, however it was not until 1958 that the tournament was started. In honour of Delaunay, the trophy awarded to the champions is named after him. The 1960 Tournament, held in France, had 4 teams competing in the finals, out of 17 that entered the competition. It was won by the Soviet Union, beating Yugoslavia 2-1 in a tense final in Paris. Spain withdrew from its quarter-final match against the USSR due to political protests. Of 17 teams that entered the qualifying tournament, notable were absentees West Germany and Italy. Spain held the next tournament, in 1964 which saw an increase in entries to the qualification tournament, with 29 entering; however, Greece withdrew after being drawn against Albania, whom they were still at war with. The hosts beat the holders the Soviet Union 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.

The tournament format stayed the same for the 1968 edition. Italy were the hosts and champions: for the first and only time a match was decided on coin toss (the semi-final against the Soviet Union) and the final went to replay, after the match against Yugoslavia finished 1-1. Italy won the replay 2-0. More teams entered this tournament (31), a testament to its burgeoning popularity. Belgium held the 1972 edition, which West Germany won, beating the USSR 3-0 in the final in Brussels, this tournament would provide a taste for things to come, as the German side contained many of the key members of the 1974 FIFA World Cup Champions. The 1976 tournament would be the last in which only four teams took part in the final tournament, and the last in which the hosts had to qualify themselves, Czechoslovakia beat Germany in the newly introduced penalty shootout, with Antonín Panenka's famous chipped shot.

Eight teams took part in the next tournament hosted by Italy. It involved a group stage, with the winners of the groups going on to contest the final, and the runners-up playing in the third place play-off. West Germany won their second European title by beating Belgium 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. France won their first major title at home in the 1984 tournament, with their captain Michel Platini scoring an amazing 9 goals in just 5 games, including the opening goal in the final, in which they beat Spain 2-0. The format changed also, with the top two in each group going through to a semi-final stage, instead of the winners of each group going straight into the final. The third place play-off was also abolished.

In Euro 88 held in West Germany, the Netherlands pulled off one the the greatest moments in their sporting history, when they beat the hosts (traditional rivals) 2-1 in the semi-finals, which sparked vigorous celebrations back home. The Netherlands went on to win the tournament, beating the USSR 2-0 at the Olympia Stadion in Munich, a match in which Marco Van Basten scored one of the most memorable goals in football history, a spectacular volley over the keeper from the right wing. UEFA Euro 1992 was held in Sweden, and was won by Denmark, in one of the most surprising outcomes ever. Denmark were only in the tournament because of the withdrawal of Yugoslavia due to the wars of yugoslav secession. However, they produced a shock, beating World Champions Germany 2-0, having beaten holders the Netherlands on penalties in the semi-finals. This was the first tournament in which a unified Germany took part and also the first major tournament to have the players' names printed on their backs.

Euro 96, held in England, would see the number of teams taking part double to 16. The hosts, in a replay of the 1990 FIFA World Cup semi-final, were knocked out on penalties by Germany, who would go on to win in the final 2-1 against the newly born Czech Republic thanks to the first golden goal ever in a major tournament, scored by Oliver Bierhoff. This was Germany's first title as a unified nation. Euro 2000 was the first tournament to be held by two countries, Netherlands and Belgium. France (reigning World Champions) were favourites to win, they lived up to expectations when they beat Italy 2-1 after extra time, in an amazing come back from 1-0 down: Sylvain Wiltord equalised on the very last minute of the game and David Trezeguet scored the winner in extra time. Like Euro 92, Euro 2004 produced an upset no one predicted. Greece, who had only qualified for one World Cup (1994) and one European championship (1980) before, beat the hosts Portugal 1-0 in the final (after having beaten them also in the opening game) to win a tournament that they had been given odds of 150-1 to win before it began. On their way to the final they beat holders France and dark horses the Czech Republic with a silver goal, a rule which replaced the previous golden goal in 2003 before being abolished itself shortly after this tournament.


[edit] Format

[edit] The competition
Before 1980, only four teams qualified for the final tournament. From 1980 eight teams competed and in 1996 the tournament expanded again to the current number of teams, 16. The competing teams are chosen by a series of qualifying games: in 1960 and 1964 through home and away play-offs; from 1968 through a combination of both qualifying groups and play-off games. The host country was selected from the four finalists after they were determined through qualifying.

Since the expansion of the final tournament starting from 1980, the host country, or countries, have been chosen beforehand and qualify automatically.

The defending champions have never been granted an automatic place in the finals.


[edit] Qualifying
In order to qualify a team must be winners or runners-up in one of the seven qualifying groups. After this a team proceeds to the finals round in the host country, although hosts qualify for the tournament automatically. The qualifying phase begins in the autumn after the preceding FIFA World Cup, almost two years before the finals.

The groups for qualification are drawn by a UEFA committee using seeding. Seeded teams include reigning champions, and other teams on the basis of their performance in the preceding FIFA World Cup qualifying and the last European Football Championship qualifying. To obtain an accurate view of the teams abilities, a ranking is produced. This is calculated by taking the total number of points won by a particular team and dividing it by the number of games played, i.e., points per game. In the case of a team having hosted one of the two previous competitions and therefore having qualified automatically, only the results from the single most recent qualifying competition are used. If two teams have equal points per game, the committee then bases their positions in the rankings on:

Coefficient from the matches played in its most recent qualifying competition.
Average goal difference.
Average number of goals scored.
Average number of away goals scored.
Drawing of lots.
The qualifying phase is played in a group format, the composition of the groups is determined through means of a draw of teams from pre-defined seeded bowls. The draw takes place after the preceding World Cup's qualifying competition. For the 2008 European Football Championship, the group qualifying phase consists of seven groups; one of eight teams and the remainder of seven teams each.

The qualifying phase is done in groups, each effectively a mini league, where the highest ranked team and the runner up, after all the teams have played each other home and away, progresses to the finals tournament. As with most leagues, the points are awarded as three for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. In the eventuality of one or more teams having equal points after all matches have been played, the following criteria are used to distinguish the sides:

Higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question.
Superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question.
Higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question.
Higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question.
Results of all group matches:
Superior goal difference
Higher number of goals scored
Higher number of goals scored away from home
Fair play conduct.
Drawing of lots.

[edit] Final tournament

Map of countries' best resultsSixteen teams progress to the final tournament, for the 2008 tournament they will be the winners and runners up of the seven qualifying groups, and joint hosts Austria and Switzerland. These sixteen teams are divided equally into four groups, A, B, C and D, each consisting of four teams. The groups are drawn up by the UEFA administration, again using seeding. The seeded teams being the host nations, the reigning champions, subject to qualification, and those with the best points per game coefficients over the qualifying phase of the tournament and the previous World Cup qualifying. Other finalists will be assigned to by means of a draw, using coefficients as a basis.

The four groups are again played in a league format, where a team plays its opponents once each. The same points system is used (three points for a win, one point for a draw, no points for a defeat). A schedule for the group matches will be drawn up, but the last two matches in a group must kick off simultaneously. The winner and runner-up of each group progresses to the quarter-finals, where a knockout system is used (the two teams play each other once, the winner progresses), this is used in all subsequent rounds as well. The winners of the quarter-finals matches progress to the semi-finals, where the winners play in the final. If in any of the knockout rounds after normal playing time, the scores are still equal, extra time and penalties are employed to separate the two teams.


[edit] Future

[edit] Bids for future editions
On the 18th April 2007, Poland/Ukraine were selected to host the 2012 competition. They beat off competition from the highly favoured Italy and a joint bid from Croatia/Hungary.

In 2010, UEFA will decide which country will host Euro 2016. Sweden and Norway are currently planning a joint bid, and it has been reported that Wales and Scotland will also bid together. Bids should be submitted in 2008.

Both Bulgaria & Romania[1]and the Czech Republic & Slovakia[2] are considering joint bids for Euro 2020.


[edit] Possible expansion to 24 teams
There is much discussion about an expansion of the tournament grid to 24 teams, started by Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, due to the increased number of football associations in Europe after the breakups of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, the USSR and the inclusion of many Asian based countries. The new president of UEFA, Michel Platini, is reported to be in favour of expansion. However, on April 17, 2007, UEFA's Executive Committee formally decided against expansion in 2012.[1]


[edit] Hosting requirements and their impact on the pool of candidate hosts
In the current 16-team format, and because of the requirement that both final matches of a qualifying group be played at the same time, the practical minimum number of stadia is eight. At least one stadium must have UEFA 5-star rating to host the final, and all others must have 4-star rating or more. Also, concentrating more than two stadia in a single host city is likely to put severe strain on that city's transportation and lodging infrastructure. This means that host stadia must be located in at least four different cities—generally six to eight in practice, as few cities outside the capitals of most European countries have enough resident sports teams with attendances high enough to justify the existence of two large stadia. As a consequence, transport between venues for the teams and the large numbers of visiting fans is of crucial importance and often requires significant investment to improve road, rail, and air networks.

These demanding requirements make it increasingly difficult for small- and medium-sized countries to host a European Championship alone. The population of Portugal, at just over 10 million, may represent the threshold below which a country cannot bid by itself. Though Portugal staged a successful championship in 2004, it is unclear whether its investment will pay off. Some of the stadia built for the occasion are rarely, if ever, full during domestic league or cup matches.

Joint hosting, as done in 2000 and 2008, can offer a solution to this problem. Since the 1990s, countries have been allowed to act as joint hosts. Belgium and the Netherlands were the first countries to co-host the competition in 2000. In the 2008 tournament Austria and Switzerland will co-host the event, held from June 7 - June 29, 2008. UEFA has unofficially set the maximum number of co-hosts at two by turning down a so-called "Nordic bid" of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden to jointly host the 2008 championships. With two co-hosts, each organizing country needs only provide good transportation between three or four host cities and build or renovate four stadia, with a better chance of a positive return on investment. A large number of nations with populations around five million, such as Scotland or Croatia, now have an opportunity to become hosts. An element of sporting fairness is also present, as co-hosting gives smaller countries with good national teams (such as the Czech Republic) the same opportunity as their football equals with larger populations (such as Spain) to earn a championship berth without having to qualify.

With the proposed expansion of the championship to 24 teams, the requirements become even more stringent. The experience of past 24-team World Cups (1982 to 1994) shows that nine to 12 stadia are necessary to host such a competition, 12 being the ideal number. In practice, eight to 12 cities are now involved, which magnifies transportation and lodging issues.

If UEFA maintains its unofficial limit of two co-hosts, the minimum country size to mount a bid will therefore increase and will probably lie between five and 10 million. It is also possible that UEFA would become open to joint bids by three countries, which would keep the requirements unchanged for each co-host and enable the same pool of nations to bid as in the 16-team format. Qualifying would, however, become marginally more difficult for non-hosts: 21 berths would remain open to 48 teams (i.e., a 43.8% selection rate), versus 22 berths for 49 teams (a 44.9% rate) for a two-host championship.


[edit] Statistics
Year Host Final Third Place Match
Winner Score Runner-up 3rd Place Score 4th Place
1960
Details France
USSR 2–1
aet
Yugoslavia
Czechoslovakia 2–0
France
1964
Details Spain
Spain 2–1
USSR
Hungary 3–1
aet
Denmark
1968
Details Italy
Italy 1–1 aet
2 - 0 replay
Yugoslavia
England 2–0
USSR
1972
Details Belgium
West Germany 3–0
USSR
Belgium 2–1
Hungary
1976
Details Yugoslavia
Czechoslovakia 2–2 aet
(5–3) ps
West Germany
Netherlands 3–2
aet
Yugoslavia
1980
Details Italy
West Germany 2–1
Belgium
Czechoslovakia 1–1
(9–8) ps
Italy
1984
Details France
France 2–0
Spain Denmark n/a(1) Portugal
1988
Details West Germany
Netherlands 2–0
USSR West Germany n/a(1) Italy
1992
Details Sweden
Denmark 2–0
Germany Netherlands n/a(1) Sweden
1996
Details England
Germany 2–1
asdet
Czech Republic England n/a(1) France
2000
Details Belgium &
Netherlands
France 2–1
asdet
Italy Netherlands n/a(1) Portugal
2004
Details Portugal
Greece 1–0
Portugal Czech Republic n/a(1) Netherlands
2008
Details Austria &
Switzerland
2012
Details Poland &
Ukraine
2016
Details To be announced

1 No third place match was played. In this case, the third and fourth place standings are defined by the campaigns of the respective teams.
Key:
aet - after extra time
asdet - after sudden death extra time
ps - after penalty shootout

[edit] Successful national teams
Team Titles Runners-up Third-place(1) Fourth-place(1) Semi-finalists(2)
Germany /
West Germany 3 (1972, 1980, 1996) 2 (1976, 1992) - - 1 (1988)
France 2 (1984, 2000) - - 1 (1960) 1 (1996)
USSR 1 (1960) 3 (1964, 1972, 1988) - 1 (1968) -
Czech Republic /
Czechoslovakia 1 (1976) 1 (1996) 2 (1960, 1980) - 1 (2004)
Italy 1 (1968) 1 (2000) - 1 (1980) 1 (1988)
Spain 1 (1964) 1 (1984) - - -
Netherlands 1 (1988) - 1 (1976) - 3 (1992, 2000, 2004)
Denmark 1 (1992) - - 1 (1964) 1 (1984)
Greece 1 (2004) - - - -
SFR Yugoslavia - 2 (1960, 1968) - 1 (1976) -
Portugal - 1 (2004) - - 2 (1984, 2000)
Belgium - 1 (1980) 1 (1972) - -
England - - 1 (1968) - 1 (1996)
Hungary - - 1 (1964) 1 (1972) -
Sweden - - - - 1 (1992)

1 Refers to tournaments held in 1980 and earlier. There was no match to determine 3rd place after the 1980 tournament.
2 Refers to tournaments held in 1984 and later. There was no match to determine 3rd place after the 1980 tournament.

[edit] Final tournament appearances
Appearance in this year's Euro 2008 is included in these figures.

Appearances Country
10 West Germany / Germany
9 USSR / CIS / Russia
8 Netherlands
Spain
7 Czechoslovakia / Czech Republic
Denmark
England
France
Italy
5 Portugal
SFR Yugoslavia / FR Yugoslavia[3]
4 Belgium
Romania
Sweden
3 Croatia
Greece
Switzerland
Turkey
2 Bulgaria
Hungary
Scotland
1 Austria
Republic of Ireland
Latvia
Norway
Poland
Slovenia

Successor teams according to FIFA and UEFA's records are combined into one entry (denoted by /).


[edit] Total hosts
Hosts Nation Year(s)
2 Belgium 1972, 2000*
2 France 1960, 1984
2 Italy 1968, 1980
1 Austria 2008**
1 England 1996
1 West Germany 1988
1 Netherlands 2000*
1 Poland 2012***
1 Portugal 2004
1 Spain 1964
1 Sweden 1992
1 Switzerland 2008**
1 Ukraine 2012***
1 SFR Yugoslavia 1976

*Belgium and the Netherlands co-hosted the Euro 2000.
**Austria and Switzerland will co-host the Euro 2008.
***Poland and Ukraine will co-host the Euro 2012.

[edit] Overall top goalscorers (final tournaments)
9 goals
Michel Platini
7 goals
Alan Shearer
6 goals
Patrick Kluivert
5 goals
Milan Baroš
Nuno Gomes
Thierry Henry
Jürgen Klinsmann
Savo Milošević
Marco van Basten
Zinedine Zidane

[edit] Trophy
The Henri Delaunay Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the European Football Championship, is named in honor of Henri Delaunay, the first General Secretary of UEFA, who came up with the idea of a European championship but died five years prior to the first tournament in 1960. His son Pierre Delaunay was the person in charge of making the trophy.[4] Since the first tournament it has been awarded for the winning team to keep for four years, until the next tournament.

For the 2008 tournament, the trophy was slightly remodelled making it larger. The trophy, which is made of sterling silver, now weighs 8 kilograms and is 60 centimeters tall. A small figure juggling a ball on the back of the original was removed, as was the marble plinth. The silver base of the trophy had to be enlarged to make it stable. The names of the winning countries that had appeared on the plinth have now been engraved on the back of the trophy. [5] [6]


[edit] See also
European Championship goalscorers
UEFA European Championship Teams of the Tournament
List of European Football Championship national team droughts

[edit] Notes
^ Bulgaria, Romania discussing joint Euro 2020 bid
^ Euro 2020 - La Tchéco-Slovaquie intéressée
^ Does not include the Euro 1992 qualification and disqualification due to international sanctions
^ Michael Harold, 'You won't find a superior trophy', UEFA.com, January 27, 2006
^ New trophy for UEFA EURO 2008, UEFA.com, January 23, 2007
^ http://www.uefa.com/competitions/EURO/news/Kind=1/newsId=389177.html

[edit] External links
UEFA European Championship at uefa.com.
Official Website of the Region Basel - The main venue in Switzerland of the European Football Championship 2008
Sleep-In - Accommodations for visitors during the UEFA European Championship 2008
UEFA European Football Championships v • d • e
France 1960 | Spain 1964 | Italy 1968 | Belgium 1972 | Yugoslavia 1976 | Italy 1980 | France 1984 | West Germany 1988 | Sweden 1992 | England 1996 | Belgium/Netherlands 2000 | Portugal 2004 | Austria/Switzerland 2008 | Poland/Ukraine 2012 | 2016


UEFA European Football Championship qualifying v • d • e
France 1960 | Spain 1964 | Italy 1968 | Belgium 1972 | Yugoslavia 1976 | Italy 1980 | France 1984 | West Germany 1988 | Sweden 1992 | England 1996 | Belgium/Netherlands 2000 | Portugal 2004 | Austria/Switzerland 2008