 |
 |
 |
| |
 |
 |
European Championships
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. The tournament is considered the second-most important competition among national teams, based on European and worldwide fame, after the FIFA World Cup. Specific championships are often referred to in the form "Euro 2012" or whichever year it is. 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 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 in 1980, the host country have been chosen beforehand and qualify automatically. |
| |
European Championship Qualification
Sixteen teams progress into the final stages of the European Championships and are divided equally into four groups, A, B, C and D, with each group consisting of four teams. The groups are drawn up by the UEFA administration panel, again using seeding. The seeded teams are usually the host nations, the reigning champions (subject to qualification), and those with the best points per game over the qualifying rounds of the early stages of the tournament. |
| |
European Championship Finals
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 fixtures is drawn up with the last two matches in a group kicking off simultaneously. The winner and runner-up of each group progresses to the quarter-finals, where a knockout system is used, 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 Euro 2012 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. |
| |
|
|
|
 |
|