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UEFA Euro 2008

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UEFA Euro 2008
Fußball-Europameisterschaft 2008
(in German)
Championnat d'Europe de football 2008
(in French)
Campionato Europeo di calcio 2008
(in Italian)
Campiunadi d'Europa da ballape 2008
(in Romansh)
UEFA Euro 2008 Logo.svg
Expect Emotions
Tournament details
Host countriesAustria
Switzerland
Dates7–29 June
Teams16
Venue(s)8 (in 8 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Spain (2nd title)
Runners-up Germany
Tournament statistics
Matches played31
Goals scored77 (2.48 per match)
Attendance1,143,990 (36,903 per match)
Top scorer(s)Spain David Villa (4 goals)
Best player(s)Spain Xavi
2004
2012

The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations). It took place in Austria and Switzerland (both hosting the tournament for the first time) from 7 to 29 June 2008.

The tournament was won by Spain, who defeated Germany 1–0 in the final. Spain were only the second nation to win all their group stage fixtures and then the European Championship itself, matching France's achievement from 1984. Spain were also the first team since Germany in 1996 to win the tournament undefeated.

Greece were the defending champions going into the tournament, having won UEFA Euro 2004. They recorded the worst finish in Euro 2008, losing their three group fixtures and collecting the least prize money. Throughout 31 matches, the participating nations totalled 77 goals, the same as the previous tournament.

Austria and Switzerland automatically qualified as hosts; the remaining 14 teams were determined through a qualifying tournament, played between August 2006 and November 2007. As European champions, Spain earned the right to compete in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.

Discover more about UEFA Euro 2008 related topics

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship

The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contested by UEFA members' senior men's national teams, determining the continental champion of Europe. It is the second-most watched football tournament in the world after the FIFA World Cup. The Euro 2012 final was watched by a global audience of around 300 million. The competition has been held every four years since 1960, except for 2020, when it was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, but kept the name Euro 2020. Scheduled to be in the even-numbered year between FIFA World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the European Nations' Cup, changing to the current name in 1968. Since 1996, the individual events have been branded as "UEFA Euro [year]".

Association football

Association football

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposite team by moving the ball beyond the goal line into a rectangular-framed goal defended by the opposing side. Traditionally, the game has been played over two 45-minute halves, for a total match time of 90 minutes. With an estimated 250 million players active in over 200 countries and territories, it is considered the world's most popular sport.

UEFA

UEFA

Union of European Football Associations is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach football in Europe and the transcontinental countries of Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, as well as some Asian countries such as Israel, Cyprus and Armenia. UEFA consists of 55 national association members. Because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIFA and UEFA suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from any FIFA and UEFA competitions.

Spain national football team

Spain national football team

The Spain national football team has represented Spain in international men's football competitions since 1920. It is governed by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain.

Germany national football team

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team represents Germany in men's international football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association, founded in 1900. Between 1949 and 1990, separate German national teams were recognised by FIFA due to Allied occupation and division: the DFB's team representing the Federal Republic of Germany, the Saarland team representing the Saar Protectorate (1950–1956) and the East Germany team representing the German Democratic Republic (1952–1990). The latter two were absorbed along with their records; the present team represents the reunified Federal Republic. The official name and code "Germany FR (FRG)" was shortened to "Germany (GER)" following reunification in 1990.

UEFA Euro 1996

UEFA Euro 1996

The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 June 1996. It was the first European Championship to feature 16 finalists, following UEFA's decision to expand the tournament from eight teams.

Greece national football team

Greece national football team

The Greece national football team represents Greece in men's international football matches and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Starting in 2023, Greece play their home matches in Nea Filadelfeia, a suburb of Athens, at the newly built Agia Sophia Stadium. Greece is one of only ten national teams to have been crowned UEFA European Champions.

UEFA Euro 2004

UEFA Euro 2004

The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football competition contested by the men's national teams of UEFA member associations. The final tournament was hosted for the first time in Portugal, from 12 June to 4 July 2004. A total of 31 matches were played in ten venues across eight cities – Aveiro, Braga, Coimbra, Guimarães, Faro/Loulé, Leiria, Lisbon, and Porto.

Austria national football team

Austria national football team

The Austria national football team represents Austria in men's international football competition and it is controlled by the Austrian Football Association.

Switzerland national football team

Switzerland national football team

The Switzerland national football team represents Switzerland in international football. The national team is controlled by the Swiss Football Association.

UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying

UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying

Qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2008 finals tournament took place between August 2006 and November 2007. Fifty teams were divided into seven groups. In a double round-robin system, each team played against each of the others in their group on a home-and-away basis. The winner and runner-up of each group qualified automatically for the final tournament. This was the first Euro qualification since expansion to have no playoff.

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The opening match was played at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. The tournament was won by Brazil, who retained the trophy they won in 2005 by defeating the United States 3–2 in the final.

Bid process

Austria and Switzerland jointly bid to host the games, and facing competition from six other bids: Bosnia and HerzegovinaCroatia, GreeceTurkey, a 4-way Nordic bid (from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden), Hungary, Russia and ScotlandRepublic of Ireland.[1] Austria and Hungary had previously bid together to host Euro 2004, losing out to Portugal, while Sweden had hosted Euro 1992.[1]

Austria–Switzerland, Hungary, Greece–Turkey and the Nordic bid were recommended, in that order, before the final vote by UEFA's National Teams Committee.[2]

The final vote by the UEFA executive committee was:[2]

  1. Austria–Switzerland
  2. Hungary
  3. Greece–Turkey
  4. Nordic
  5. Scotland–Ireland
  6. Russia
  7. Bosnia and Herzegovina–Croatia

The Austria–Switzerland bid became the second successful joint bid in the competition's history, following the UEFA Euro 2000 hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands. The following tournament, held in Poland and Ukraine, became the third jointly hosted tournament.

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Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina, abbreviated BiH (БиХ) or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeastern Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and Herzegovina borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north and southwest. In the south it has a narrow coast on the Adriatic Sea within the Mediterranean, which is about 20 kilometres long and surrounds the town of Neum. Bosnia, which is the inland region of the country, has a moderate continental climate with hot summers and cold, snowy winters. In the central and eastern regions of the country, the geography is mountainous, in the northwest it is moderately hilly, and in the northeast it is predominantly flat. Herzegovina, which is the smaller, southern region of the country, has a Mediterranean climate and is mostly mountainous. Sarajevo is the capital and the largest city of the country followed by Banja Luka, Tuzla and Zenica.

Croatia

Croatia

Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe. Its coast lies entirely on the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Italy to the west and southwest. Its capital and largest city, Zagreb, forms one of the country's primary subdivisions, with twenty counties. The country spans 56,594 square kilometres, and has a population of nearly 3.9 million.

Greece

Greece

Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Sea of Crete and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin, featuring thousands of islands. The country consists of nine traditional geographic regions, and has a population of approximately 10.4 million. Athens is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Thessaloniki and Patras.

Nordic countries

Nordic countries

The Nordic countries are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden; the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland; and the autonomous region of Åland.

Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Nordic constituent country in Northern Europe. It is the most populous and politically central constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland in the North Atlantic Ocean. Metropolitan Denmark is the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries, lying south-west and south of Sweden, south of Norway, and north of Germany, with which it shares a short land border, its only land border.

Finland

Finland

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, across from Estonia. Finland covers an area of 338,455 square kilometres (130,678 sq mi) with a population of 5.6 million. Helsinki is the capital and largest city. The vast majority of the population are ethnic Finns. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages, Swedish is the native language of 5.2% of the population. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to the boreal in the north. The land cover is primarily a boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.

Norway

Norway

Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of Norway. Bouvet Island, located in the Subantarctic, is a dependency of Norway; it also lays claims to the Antarctic territories of Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land. The capital and largest city in Norway is Oslo.

Hungary

Hungary

Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning 93,030 square kilometres (35,920 sq mi) of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and Slovenia to the southwest, and Austria to the west. Hungary has a population of 9.7 million, mostly ethnic Hungarians and a significant Romani minority. Hungarian, the official language, is the world's most widely spoken Uralic language and among the few non-Indo-European languages widely spoken in Europe. Budapest is the country's capital and largest city; other major urban areas include Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Pécs, and Győr.

Russia

Russia

Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world encompassing one-eighth of Earth's inhabitable landmass. Russia extends across eleven time zones and shares land boundaries with fourteen countries. It is the world's ninth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country, with a population of over 147 million people. The country's capital and largest city is Moscow. Saint Petersburg is Russia's cultural centre and second-largest city. Other major urban areas include Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan.

Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland, also known as the Republic of Ireland, is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. Around 2.1 million of the country's population of 5.13 million people reside in the Greater Dublin Area. The sovereign state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel to the south-east, and the Irish Sea to the east. It is a unitary, parliamentary republic. The legislature, the Oireachtas, consists of a lower house, Dáil Éireann; an upper house, Seanad Éireann; and an elected President who serves as the largely ceremonial head of state, but with some important powers and duties. The head of government is the Taoiseach, who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President; the Taoiseach in turn appoints other government ministers.

Portugal

Portugal

Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira. It features the westernmost point in continental Europe, and its Iberian portion is bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north and east by Spain, the sole country to have a land border with Portugal. Its two archipelagos form two autonomous regions with their own regional governments. Lisbon is the capital and largest city by population.

Belgium

Belgium

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest. It covers an area of 30,528 km2 (11,787 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.5 million, making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe, with a density of 376/km2 (970/sq mi). Belgium is part of an area known as the Low Countries, historically a somewhat larger region than the Benelux group of states, as it also included parts of northern France. The capital and largest city is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven.

Summary

Qualification for Euro 2008 started in August 2006, just over a month after the end of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The qualifying tournament was contested by national teams from each of UEFA's member associations except Austria and Switzerland, who had automatically qualified for the final tournament as hosts, and Montenegro, who came into existence too late to be admitted to UEFA. England was the only seeded team not to qualify for the tournament proper, whereas Russia was the only unseeded one to qualify. The tournament also marked the debuts of Austria and Poland.

The draw for the final tournament took place on 2 December 2007, and saw Group C immediately labelled as the "group of death", with Italy, France, Romania and the Netherlands competing for the two qualifying places. In contrast, Germany and Portugal were deemed to have an easy draw, as the tournament structure meant they could not meet Italy, France, the Netherlands or Spain until the final.

In the group stage, Croatia, Spain and the Netherlands all qualified with maximum points. Austria and Switzerland were not expected to progress, despite the advantage of being the hosts. In Group A, the Swiss lost their captain, Alexander Frei, to injury in their first game and became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament, after losing their first two matches. Switzerland managed to beat the group winner Portugal in their last game.

In Group B, Austria managed to set up a decisive final game against Germany, dubbed "Austria's final".[3] However, they lost by one goal, making Euro 2008 the first European Championship not to have one of the host nations present in the knockout phase. In an exciting final game in Group A, an injury- and suspension-hit Turkey came back from 2–0 down to beat the Czech Republic 3–2, after an uncharacteristic handling mistake by Petr Čech, in the last few minutes, left Nihat Kahveci with the simplest of finishes.

In the same game, goalkeeper Volkan Demirel was shown a red card for pushing Czech striker Jan Koller to the ground. The Turks joined Portugal as the qualifiers from Group A. France were the high-profile victims of Group C, recording just one point from a goalless draw against Romania in their opening game. Italy beat the French, on the final day, to finish on four points and join the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. Finally, in Group D, Greece failed to reproduce the form of their shock 2004 win, and ended the tournament with no points. Russia qualified at the expense of Sweden, after beating them in a final game decider, joining Spain in the knockout phase.

Torrential rain during the Group A match between Switzerland and Turkey on 11 June resulted in the pitch at St. Jakob-Park in Basel requiring to be re-laid. The new pitch was installed in advance of the quarter-final match between Portugal and Germany on 19 June.[4] In the quarter-finals, the Portuguese team was unable to give their coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, a fitting send-off – following the mid-tournament announcement that Scolari would be leaving to join English club Chelsea – losing in an exciting game against Germany. Turkey continued their streak of last-gasp wins, equalising at the end of extra-time against Croatia and advancing on penalties. Coached by Dutchman Guus Hiddink, Russia eliminated the Netherlands with two extra-time goals. The last quarter-final match saw Spain defeat Italy on penalties, after a goalless draw in regular time.

The Spanish football team touring Madrid as champions
The Spanish football team touring Madrid as champions

Turkey's progress was halted by Germany in the semi-finals. Turkey entered the game with nine of their squad members missing due to injury or suspension, but still scored the first goal. Later, they levelled the score at 2–2, before Germany scored the winning goal in the final minute. The world television feed of the match was intermittently lost during the match, which prevented the broadcast of Germany's second goal.

This was due to a thunderstorm at the broadcasting relay station in Austria, despite the game being played in Switzerland. Swiss Television SRG SSR still had a feed, because of their own broadcasting facilities at the venue. During the lost world feed, German and Austrian television ZDF and ORF started to broadcast the feed of German-speaking Swiss channel SF 1.

This act ensured that the German goal was actually broadcast in Germany although not in Turkey.[5] Spain won the second semi-final against Russia by three goals to nil, through second-half goals from Xavi, Daniel Güiza and David Silva, earning Spain their first appearance in a major final for 24 years.

In the final, held at Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Spain became European champions for the second time after Fernando Torres' first-half goal proved enough to defeat Germany. Though Germany had a strong start, Spain started to look more dangerous after they had settled.

After half an hour, Xavi played a pass in behind the Germany back line towards Torres, who outmuscled a hesitant Philipp Lahm and clipped the ball over the diving Jens Lehmann and just inside the far post. That goal proved to be the only goal of the game, which Spain dominated despite Germany having the majority of the possession,[6] and Spain were crowned UEFA Euro 2008 champions.

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2006 FIFA World Cup

2006 FIFA World Cup

The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six populated continents participated in the qualification process which began in September 2003. Thirty-one teams qualified from this process along with hosts Germany for the finals tournament. It was the second time that Germany staged the competition and the first as a unified country along with the former East Germany with Leipzig as a host city, and the 10th time that the tournament was held in Europe.

Austria national football team

Austria national football team

The Austria national football team represents Austria in men's international football competition and it is controlled by the Austrian Football Association.

Montenegro national football team

Montenegro national football team

The Montenegro national football team has represented Montenegro in international football since 2007. It is controlled by the Football Association of Montenegro, the governing body for football in Montenegro. Montenegro's home ground is Podgorica City Stadium in Podgorica.

England national football team

England national football team

The England national football team has represented England in international football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by The Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in England, which is affiliated with UEFA and comes under the global jurisdiction of world football's governing body FIFA. England competes in the three major international tournament contested by European nations: the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA European Championship, and the UEFA Nations League.

Poland national football team

Poland national football team

The Poland national football team has represented Poland in men's international tournaments football competitions since their first match in 1921. The team is controlled by the Polish Football Association (PZPN), the governing body for football in Poland.

Group of death

Group of death

A group of death in a multi-stage tournament is a group which is unusually competitive, because the number of strong competitors in the group is greater than the number of qualifying places available for the next phase of the tournament. Thus, in the group phase, one or more strong competitors in the "group of death" will necessarily be eliminated, who would otherwise have been expected to progress further in the tournament. The informal term was first used for groups in the FIFA World Cup finals. It is now also used in other association football tournaments and other sports.

Italy national football team

Italy national football team

The Italy national football team has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing body for football in Italy, which is a co-founder and member of UEFA. Italy's home matches are played at various stadiums throughout Italy, and its primary training ground and technical headquarters, Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano, is located in Florence. Italy are the reigning European champions, having won UEFA Euro 2020.

France national football team

France national football team

The France national football team represents France in men's international football matches. It is governed by the French Football Federation, the governing body for football in France. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors and imagery reference two national symbols: the French red-white-blue tricolour and Gallic rooster. The team is colloquially known as Les Bleus. They play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and train at INF Clairefontaine in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines.

Netherlands national football team

Netherlands national football team

The Netherlands national football team has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the governing body for football in the Netherlands, which is a part of UEFA, under the jurisdiction of FIFA. They were sometimes regarded as the greatest national team of the respective generations. Most of the Netherlands home matches are played at the Johan Cruyff Arena, De Kuip, Philips Stadion and De Grolsch Veste.

Germany national football team

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team represents Germany in men's international football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association, founded in 1900. Between 1949 and 1990, separate German national teams were recognised by FIFA due to Allied occupation and division: the DFB's team representing the Federal Republic of Germany, the Saarland team representing the Saar Protectorate (1950–1956) and the East Germany team representing the German Democratic Republic (1952–1990). The latter two were absorbed along with their records; the present team represents the reunified Federal Republic. The official name and code "Germany FR (FRG)" was shortened to "Germany (GER)" following reunification in 1990.

Portugal national football team

Portugal national football team

The Portugal national football team has represented Portugal in international men's football competition since 1921. The national team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home matches are played at various stadiums throughout Portugal, and its primary training ground and technical headquarters, Cidade do Futebol, is located in Oeiras. The head coach of the team is Roberto Martínez, who replaced Fernando Santos in January 2023 following his stepping down after the 2022 World Cup, and the captain is Cristiano Ronaldo, who also holds the team records for most caps and most goals.

Croatia national football team

Croatia national football team

The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially referred to as the Vatreni ('Blazers') and Kockasti.

Qualification

The draw for the qualifying round took place in Montreux, Switzerland on 27 January 2006 at 12:00 CET.

The qualifying process commenced a month after the 2006 World Cup. Austria and Switzerland automatically qualified for the tournament finals as host nations.

The qualifying format was changed compared to previous tournaments. The winners and runners-up from seven groups automatically qualified for the Championship, with the hosts filling the other two slots in the 16-team tournament. The change means there were no play-offs between teams finishing in second place in the groups – they qualified directly for the finals. Teams that finished outside the top two positions in their groups failed to qualify. Group A contained eight teams, and the others contained seven.

12 out of 16 teams who qualified for previous tournament also qualified, but the hosts, Austria, and Poland made their debuts at the European Championship. Romania and Turkey returned after missing out the 2004 tournament. Notable absentees were England and Ukraine (both 2006 World Cup quarter-finalists) and Denmark, who failed to qualify for the first time since 1980. Bulgaria and Latvia also failed to qualify after playing in Euro 2004.

As of 2020, this was the last time that England and Ukraine failed to qualify for the European Championship finals.

Qualified teams

Team Qualified as Qualified on Previous appearances in tournament[A]
 Austria Co-host 12 December 2002 0 (debut)
 Switzerland Co-host 12 December 2002 2 (1996, 2004)
 Germany[B] Group D runner-up 13 October 2007 9 (1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 Greece Group C winner 17 October 2007 2 (1980, 2004)
 Czech Republic[C] Group D winner 17 October 2007 6 (1960, 1976, 1980, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 Romania Group G winner 17 October 2007 3 (1984, 1996, 2000)
 Poland Group A winner 17 November 2007 0 (debut)
 Italy Group B winner 17 November 2007 6 (1968, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 France Group B runner-up 17 November 2007 6 (1960, 1984, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 Croatia Group E winner 17 November 2007 2 (1996, 2004)
 Spain Group F winner 17 November 2007 7 (1964, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 Netherlands Group G runner-up 17 November 2007 7 (1976, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 Portugal Group A runner-up 21 November 2007 4 (1984, 1996, 2000, 2004)
 Turkey Group C runner-up 21 November 2007 2 (1996, 2000)
 Russia[D] Group E runner-up 21 November 2007 8 (1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2004)
 Sweden Group F runner-up 21 November 2007 3 (1992, 2000, 2004)
  1. ^ Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.
  2. ^ From 1972 to 1988, Germany competed as West Germany.
  3. ^ From 1960 to 1980, the Czech Republic competed as Czechoslovakia.
  4. ^ From 1960 to 1988, Russia competed as the Soviet Union, and in 1992 as CIS.

Final draw

The draw for the final tournament took place on 2 December 2007 at the Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre in Switzerland.[7]

As was the case at the 2000 and 2004 finals, the finalists were divided into four seeding pots, based on the 2007 edition of the UEFA national team coefficient ranking, which measured performance of teams in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying and Euro 2008 qualifying,[8] with each group having one team drawn from each pot. In a return to the format used at Euro 1992 and Euro 1996 the games in each group were held at just two stadia, with the seeded team playing all three matches in the same city. Switzerland and Austria, as co-hosts, were automatically assigned to positions A1 and B1, respectively. The remaining 14 teams were split into four pots, with title-holders Greece seeded alongside the Netherlands in Pot 1.[9]

UEFA came under heavy criticism from Raymond Domenech, manager of France, who was not satisfied with his team's position in the draw,[10] and was also in favour of having 2006 FIFA World Cup winners Italy as top seed.[11] On 22 November 2007, Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA's professional football director, announced that a review of the coefficient ranking system was under way for future European Championships.[7]

Pot 1[a]
Team Coeff Rank[8]
 Greece (holders)[b] 2.167 11
 Netherlands 2.417 1
Pot 2
Team Coeff Rank[8]
 Croatia 2.409 2
 Italy 2.364 3
 Czech Republic 2.333 4
 Sweden 2.273 5
Pot 3
Team Coeff Rank[8]
 Romania 2.250 6
 Germany 2.250 7
 Portugal 2.192 8
 Spain 2.182 9
Pot 4
Team Coeff Rank[8]
 Poland 2.167 12
 France 2.091 13
 Turkey 1.958 14
 Russia 1.958 15
  Automatically selected as a top-seeded team into pot 1, irrespective of their ranking position.
  1. ^ Co-hosts Switzerland (coefficient 1.800; rank 20th) and Austria (coefficient 1.500; rank 27th) belonged to pot 1 irrespective of their ranking position. Ahead of the draw, they were removed from pot 1 and automatically assigned to group positions A1 and B1, respectively.
  2. ^ Defending champions Greece (coefficient 2.167; rank 11th) were automatically assigned to Pot 1, and could be drawn into either Group C or D.

All teams from each pot, were drawn consecutively into Group A to D. From Pot 1, the remaining two teams for Group C and Group D were first drawn. All Pot 1 teams automatically occupy the first positions of their groups. Next step was to draw all teams in the order from Pot 4, Pot 3 and Pot 2; and for these teams the next group positions 2/3/4 were drawn separately from an extra glass bowl, for the purposes of determining the match schedules in each group. Coincidentally, all teams from Pots 2, 3, and 4 drew the exact same group position number as their pot number.[12][13]

The draw resulted in the following groups:[12][13][14]

Group A
Pos Team
A1  Switzerland
A2  Czech Republic
A3  Portugal
A4  Turkey
Group B
Pos Team
B1  Austria
B2  Croatia
B3  Germany
B4  Poland
Group C
Pos Team
C1  Netherlands
C2  Italy
C3  Romania
C4  France
Group D
Pos Team
D1  Greece
D2  Sweden
D3  Spain
D4  Russia

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Montreux

Montreux

Montreux is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approximately 26,433, with about 85,000 in the agglomeration Vevey-Montreux as 2019.

Central European Time

Central European Time

Central European Time (CET) is a standard time of Central- and parts of Western Europe which is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The time offset from UTC can be written as UTC+01:00. It is used in most parts of Europe and in a few North African countries. CET is also known as Middle European Time and by colloquial names such as Amsterdam Time, Berlin Time, Brussels Time, Madrid Time, Paris Time, Rome Time, Warsaw Time or even Romance Standard Time (RST).

2006 FIFA World Cup

2006 FIFA World Cup

The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six populated continents participated in the qualification process which began in September 2003. Thirty-one teams qualified from this process along with hosts Germany for the finals tournament. It was the second time that Germany staged the competition and the first as a unified country along with the former East Germany with Leipzig as a host city, and the 10th time that the tournament was held in Europe.

Austria national football team

Austria national football team

The Austria national football team represents Austria in men's international football competition and it is controlled by the Austrian Football Association.

Switzerland national football team

Switzerland national football team

The Switzerland national football team represents Switzerland in international football. The national team is controlled by the Swiss Football Association.

Germany national football team

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team represents Germany in men's international football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association, founded in 1900. Between 1949 and 1990, separate German national teams were recognised by FIFA due to Allied occupation and division: the DFB's team representing the Federal Republic of Germany, the Saarland team representing the Saar Protectorate (1950–1956) and the East Germany team representing the German Democratic Republic (1952–1990). The latter two were absorbed along with their records; the present team represents the reunified Federal Republic. The official name and code "Germany FR (FRG)" was shortened to "Germany (GER)" following reunification in 1990.

UEFA Euro 1972

UEFA Euro 1972

The 1972 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Belgium. This was the fourth UEFA European Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 14 and 18 June 1972.

UEFA Euro 1976

UEFA Euro 1976

The 1976 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Yugoslavia. This was the fifth UEFA European Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 16 and 20 June 1976.

UEFA Euro 1980

UEFA Euro 1980

The 1980 UEFA European Football Championship finals tournament was held in Italy. This was the sixth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first European Championship to feature eight teams in the finals, which took place between 11 and 22 June 1980. West Germany won the final 2–1 against Belgium for their second title. This was the last European Championship with a third place play-off.

UEFA Euro 1984

UEFA Euro 1984

The 1984 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in France from 12 to 27 June 1984. It was the seventh UEFA European Championship, a competition held every four years and endorsed by UEFA.

UEFA Euro 1988

UEFA Euro 1988

The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany from 10 to 25 June 1988. It was the eighth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA.

UEFA Euro 1992

UEFA Euro 1992

The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA.

Venues

The tournament was played at eight venues throughout the two host nations; four in Austria and four in Switzerland. Each venue had a capacity of at least 30,000 for the tournament; the largest stadium was Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna with a capacity of 53,295.[15] It was for this reason that Ernst-Happel-Stadion hosted the final. Switzerland played all three group stage matches at St. Jakob Park in Basel, which also hosted the opening match of the tournament as a compromise for the final being held in Vienna. Austria played all of their group stage matches at Ernst-Happel-Stadion.

In 2004, the Zürich venue became a problem for the organisers. Originally, the Hardturm stadium was to be renovated and used as the city's venue, but legal challenges delayed the plan to a point that would not have allowed the ground to be used in 2008. This created a problem, as the agreement between UEFA and the organisers stipulated that four venues would be used in each country. The problem was solved when the organisers proposed renovating Letzigrund instead;[16] UEFA approved the revised plan in January 2005. The Letzigrund stadium hosted its first football match on 23 September 2007.

Austria Switzerland
Vienna Klagenfurt Basel Bern
Ernst-Happel-Stadion Wörthersee Stadion St. Jakob-Park Stade de Suisse
Capacity: 53,295 Capacity: 31,957 Capacity: 42,500 Capacity: 31,907
EM 2008 Elfmeter Kroatien Österreich.jpg Wörtherseestadion beim Endspiel im ÖFB-Cup 2010.jpg St Jakob-Park.jpg Stade de Suisse.jpg
Innsbruck Salzburg Geneva Zürich
Tivoli-Neu Stadion Wals-Siezenheim Stade de Genève Letzigrund
Capacity: 31,600 Capacity: 31,895 Capacity: 31,228 Capacity: 30,930
Spain vs Sweden, Euro 2008 01.jpg EM-Stadion Wals-Siezenheim zur Euro.jpg CH-AL Geneva 2003-06-11.jpg Letzigrund 2007ii.jpg

Team base camps

Each team had access to a "team base camp" for its stay between the matches.[17] The teams trained and resided in these locations during the tournament, and travelled to games that took place away from their bases.[18][19] The 16 teams validated their option with UEFA on 18 December 2007.[17]

Team Base camp
Austria Stegersbach
Croatia Bad Tatzmannsdorf
Czech Republic Seefeld in Tirol
France Mont Pèlerin
Germany Ascona
Greece Hof bei Salzburg
Italy Baden bei Wien
Netherlands Lausanne
Poland Bad Waltersdorf
Portugal Neuchâtel
Romania St. Gallen
Russia Leogang
Spain Neustift im Stubaital
Sweden Lugano
Switzerland Feusisberg
Turkey Bellevue

Discover more about Venues related topics

Ernst-Happel-Stadion

Ernst-Happel-Stadion

Ernst-Happel-Stadion, known as Praterstadion until 1992, sometimes also called Wiener-Stadion, is a football stadium in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna. With 50,865 seats, it is the largest stadium in Austria. It was built between 1929 and 1931 for the second Workers' Olympiad to the design of German architect Otto Ernst Schweizer. The stadium was renamed in honour of Austrian footballer Ernst Happel following his death in 1992. The stadium hosted seven games in UEFA Euro 2008, including the final which saw Spain triumph over Germany.

Hardturm

Hardturm

The Hardturm was a football stadium located in Zürich's Kreis 5. Opened in 1929, it was the home of the Grasshopper Club Zürich until it closed in 2007. It was a host stadium for the 1954 FIFA World Cup.

UEFA

UEFA

Union of European Football Associations is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach football in Europe and the transcontinental countries of Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, as well as some Asian countries such as Israel, Cyprus and Armenia. UEFA consists of 55 national association members. Because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIFA and UEFA suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from any FIFA and UEFA competitions.

Letzigrund

Letzigrund

Letzigrund (help·info) is a stadium in Zürich, Switzerland, and the home of the athletics club LC Zürich, and the football clubs FC Zürich and Grasshopper Club Zürich. LC Zürich is a spin-off of FC Zürich whose members constructed the stadium in 1925. Grasshopper-Club has been using it as their home stadium since 2007. The annual track and field meet Weltklasse Zürich—part of the Diamond League—takes place at the Letzigrund since 1928, as well as frequent open-air concerts. On the Letzigrund track on 21 June 1960, Armin Hary was the first human being to run the 100 metres in 10,0 seconds.

Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital, largest city, and one of nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's most populous city and its primate city, with about two million inhabitants, and its cultural, economic, and political center. It is the 5th-largest city proper by population in the European Union and the largest of all cities on the Danube river.

Klagenfurt

Klagenfurt

Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, usually known as just Klagenfurt, is the capital of the state of Carinthia in Austria. With a population of 103,009, it is the sixth-largest city in the country. The city is the bishop's seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt and home to the University of Klagenfurt, the Carinthian University of Applied Sciences and the Gustav Mahler University of Music.

Basel

Basel

Basel, also known as Basle, is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine, at the tripoint of France, Germany, and Switzerland. Basel is Switzerland's third-most-populous city, with 175,000 inhabitants within the city municipality limits, and 830,000 inhabitants in the Trinational Eurodistrict of Basel metropolitan area. The official language of Basel is German, but the main spoken language is the local Basel German dialect.

Bern

Bern

Bern or Berne is the de facto capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city". With a population of about 133,000, Bern is the fifth-most populous city in Switzerland, behind Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Lausanne. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 36 municipalities, had a population of 406,900 in 2014. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000.

St. Jakob-Park

St. Jakob-Park

St. Jakob-Park is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008, which was hosted by Austria and Switzerland. After the tournament, a number of seats were removed, thus creating more space between them. The capacity was therefore reduced to 38,512 for Swiss Super League matches or 37,500 seats for international matches The maximum capacity for concerts is 40,000.

Stadion Wankdorf

Stadion Wankdorf

Wankdorf Stadium is a football stadium in Bern, Switzerland. The second largest all-seater football stadium in Switzerland, it is the home ground of BSC Young Boys. It was also one of the venues for UEFA Euro 2008.

Innsbruck

Innsbruck

Innsbruck is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass 30 km (18.6 mi) to the south, it had a population of 132,493 in 2018.

Salzburg

Salzburg

Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.

Squads

Teams were required to select a squad of 23 players, three of whom had to be goalkeepers, with the final squad to be submitted to UEFA by 28 May 2008. If a member of the final squad suffered an injury prior to his team's first game that would keep him out of the entire tournament, another player could be called up to replace him.[20]

Match officials

On 19 December 2007, UEFA announced twelve referees and twenty-four assistants were selected for the tournament.[21] In April 2008, after failing a physical fitness test, Norwegian assistant referee Erik Ræstad was replaced by fellow countryman Jan Petter Randen.[22] Italian referee Roberto Rosetti was selected to officiate both the opening match between Switzerland and the Czech Republic and the final between Germany and Spain.

Country Referee Assistants Matches refereed
 Austria Konrad Plautz Egon Bereuter
Markus Mayr
Spain 4–1 Russia, Switzerland 2–0 Portugal
 Belgium Frank De Bleeckere Peter Hermans
Alex Verstraeten
Croatia 2–1 Germany, Russia 2–0 Sweden, Russia 0–3 Spain (semifinal)
 England Howard Webb Darren Cann
Mike Mullarkey
Austria 1–1 Poland, Greece 1–2 Spain
 Germany Herbert Fandel Carsten Kadach
Volker Wezel
Portugal 2–0 Turkey, Netherlands 4–1 France, Spain 0–0 Italy (Quarter-final)
 Greece Kyros Vassaras Dimitrios Bozatzidis
Dimitrios Saraidaris
Czech Republic 1–3 Portugal, Poland 0–1 Croatia
 Italy Roberto Rosetti Alessandro Griselli
Paolo Calcagno
Switzerland 0–1 Czech Republic, Greece 0–1 Russia, Croatia 1–1 Turkey (Quarter-final), Germany 0–1 Spain (Final)
 Netherlands Pieter Vink Adriaan Inia
Hans ten Hoove
Austria 0–1 Croatia, Sweden 1–2 Spain
 Norway Tom Henning Øvrebø Geir Åge Holen
Erik Ræstad
Jan Petter Randen
Germany 2–0 Poland, Italy 1–1 Romania
 Slovakia Ľuboš Micheľ Roman Slyško
Martin Balko
Switzerland 1–2 Turkey, France 0–2 Italy, Netherlands 1–3 Russia (Quarter-final)
 Spain Manuel Mejuto González Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez
Jesús Calvo Guadamuro
Romania 0–0 France, Austria 0–1 Germany
 Sweden Peter Fröjdfeldt Stefan Wittberg
Henrik Andrén
Netherlands 3–0 Italy, Turkey 3–2 Czech Republic, Portugal 2–3 Germany (Quarter-final)
 Switzerland Massimo Busacca Matthias Arnet
Stéphane Cuhat
Greece 0–2 Sweden, Netherlands 2–0 Romania, Germany 3–2 Turkey (Semi-final)

Fourth officials

Country Fourth officials
 Croatia Ivan Bebek
 France Stéphane Lannoy
 Hungary Viktor Kassai
 Iceland Kristinn Jakobsson
 Poland Grzegorz Gilewski
 Portugal Olegário Benquerença
 Scotland Craig Thomson
 Slovenia Damir Skomina

Discover more about Match officials related topics

Roberto Rosetti

Roberto Rosetti

Roberto Rosetti is an Italian former football referee. He is fluent in Italian (native), English and French. He started refereeing in 1983, and took charge of his first match in the Italian Serie A in 1996. He received his FIFA Badge in 2002. Aside from his refereeing duties, Rosetti works as director of a hospital.

Austrian Football Association

Austrian Football Association

The Austrian Football Association is the governing body of football in Austria. It organises the football league, Austrian Bundesliga, the Austrian Cup and the Austria national football team, as well as its female equivalent. It is based in the capital, Vienna.

Konrad Plautz

Konrad Plautz

Konrad Plautz is a football referee from Austria. He has officiated internationally since 1996.

Royal Belgian Football Association

Royal Belgian Football Association

The Royal Belgian Football Association is the governing body of football in Belgium. It was a founding member of FIFA in 1904 and UEFA in 1954 and was based in Brussels, not far from the King Baudouin Stadium. Since October 2021, the headquarters of the RBFA are located in Tubize, next to its technical centre. Its chairman is Robert Huygens.

Frank De Bleeckere

Frank De Bleeckere

Frank De Bleeckere is a Belgian former football referee. He had been a referee since 1984, and an international (FIFA) official since 1998. De Bleeckere refereed in his first World Cup finals in Germany, and had to pass a late fitness test following injury. He had been appointed by UEFA as one of twelve referees to officiate UEFA Euro 2008 matches, and was in charge of the semi final between Spain and Russia.

The Football Association

The Football Association

The Football Association is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the amateur and professional game in its territory.

Howard Webb

Howard Webb

Howard Melton Webb MBE is an English former professional football referee who officiated primarily in the Premier League from 2003 to 2014, as well as for FIFA as a FIFA international referee from 2005 to 2014.

German Football Association

German Football Association

The German Football Association is the governing body of football, futsal, and beach soccer in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB has jurisdiction for the German football league system and is in charge of the men's and women's national teams. The DFB headquarters are in Frankfurt am Main. Sole members of the DFB are the German Football League, organising the professional Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga, along with five regional and 21 state associations, organising the semi-professional and amateur levels. The 21 state associations of the DFB have a combined number of more than 25,000 clubs with more than 6.8 million members, making the DFB the single largest sports federation in the world.

Herbert Fandel

Herbert Fandel

Herbert Fandel is a former German football referee who was in charge of the 2007 UEFA Champions League final. Fandel refereed the UEFA Cup final in 2006 between the English side Middlesbrough and the Spanish side Sevilla. He also refereed the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup on home soil in Germany. He officiated the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The director of a music school by occupation, he is married with two children.

Hellenic Football Federation

Hellenic Football Federation

The Hellenic Football Federation (HFF), also known as the Greek Football Federation is the governing body of football in Greece. It contributes in the organisation of Superleague Greece and organizes the Greek Cup and the Greece national team. It is based in Athens.

Group stage

Performance of the participating countries during Euro 2008
Performance of the participating countries during Euro 2008

The teams finishing in the top two positions in each of the four groups progressed to the quarter-finals, while the bottom two teams were eliminated from the tournament.

All times are local, CEST (UTC+2).

Tiebreakers

For the three-game group stage of this tournament, where two or more teams in a group tied on an equal number of points, the finishing positions were determined by the following tie-breaking criteria in the following order:[20]

  1. number of points obtained in the matches among the teams in question
  2. goal difference in the matches among the teams in question (if more than two teams finish equal on points)
  3. number of goals scored in the matches among the teams in question (if more than two teams finish equal on points)
  4. goal difference in all the group matches
  5. number of goals scored in all the group matches
  6. coefficient from the qualifying competitions for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and 2006/08 UEFA European Football Championship (points obtained divided by the number of matches played)
  7. fair play conduct of the teams (final tournament)
  8. drawing of lots

However, these criteria would not apply if two teams tied on points and goals scored played against each other in their final group match and no other team in group finishes with same points; in that case, the tie would be broken by a penalty shootout.[20]

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Portugal 3 2 0 1 5 3 +2 6[a] Advance to knockout phase
2  Turkey 3 2 0 1 5 5 0 6[a]
3  Czech Republic 3 1 0 2 4 6 −2 3[b]
4  Switzerland (H) 3 1 0 2 3 3 0 3[b]
Source: UEFA
(H) Host
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head result: Portugal 2–0 Turkey.
  2. ^ a b Head-to-head result: Switzerland 0–1 Czech Republic.
Switzerland 0–1 Czech Republic
Report
  • Svěrkoš 71'
Attendance: 39,730[23]
Portugal 2–0 Turkey
Report
Attendance: 29,106[24]

Czech Republic 1–3 Portugal
Report
Attendance: 29,016[25]
Switzerland 1–2 Turkey
Report
Attendance: 39,730[26]

Switzerland 2–0 Portugal
Report
Attendance: 39,730[27]
Turkey 3–2 Czech Republic
Report

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Croatia 3 3 0 0 4 1 +3 9 Advance to knockout phase
2  Germany 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6
3  Austria (H) 3 0 1 2 1 3 −2 1[a]
4  Poland 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 1[a]
Source: UEFA
(H) Host
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tied on head-to-head result (Austria 1–1 Poland). Overall goal difference was used as the tiebreaker.
Austria 0–1 Croatia
Report
Germany 2–0 Poland
Report

Croatia 2–1 Germany
Report
Austria 1–1 Poland
Report
Attendance: 51,428[32]
Referee: Howard Webb (England)

Poland 0–1 Croatia
Report
Austria 0–1 Germany
Report

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Netherlands 3 3 0 0 9 1 +8 9 Advance to knockout phase
2  Italy 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4
3  Romania 3 0 2 1 1 3 −2 2
4  France 3 0 1 2 1 6 −5 1
Source: UEFA
Romania 0–0 France
Report
Netherlands 3–0 Italy
Report
Attendance: 30,777[36]

Italy 1–1 Romania
Report
Attendance: 30,585[37]
Netherlands 4–1 France
Report
Attendance: 30,777[38]

Netherlands 2–0 Romania
Report
France 0–2 Italy
Report
Attendance: 30,585[40]

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Spain 3 3 0 0 8 3 +5 9 Advance to knockout phase
2  Russia 3 2 0 1 4 4 0 6
3  Sweden 3 1 0 2 3 4 −1 3
4  Greece 3 0 0 3 1 5 −4 0
Source: UEFA
Spain 4–1 Russia
Report
Attendance: 30,772[41]
Greece 0–2 Sweden
Report

Sweden 1–2 Spain
Report
Attendance: 30,772[43]
Greece 0–1 Russia
Report

Greece 1–2 Spain
Report
Russia 2–0 Sweden
Report
Attendance: 30,772[46]

Discover more about Group stage related topics

Central European Summer Time

Central European Summer Time

Central European Summer Time (CEST), sometimes referred to as Central European Daylight Time (CEDT), is the standard clock time observed during the period of summer daylight-saving in those European countries which observe Central European Time during the other part of the year. It corresponds to UTC+02:00, which makes it the same as Eastern European Time, Central Africa Time, South African Standard Time, Egypt Standard Time and Kaliningrad Time in Russia.

UTC+02:00

UTC+02:00

UTC+02:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +02:00. In ISO 8601, the associated time would be written as 2020-11-08T23:41:45+02:00. This time is used in:

Tiebreaker

Tiebreaker

In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests.

UEFA Euro 2008 Group A

UEFA Euro 2008 Group A

Group A of UEFA Euro 2008 was played from 7 to 15 June 2008. All six group matches were played at venues in Switzerland, in Basel and Geneva. The group consisted of co-hosts Switzerland, UEFA Euro 2004 hosts and finalists Portugal, as well as the Czech Republic and Turkey.

Portugal national football team

Portugal national football team

The Portugal national football team has represented Portugal in international men's football competition since 1921. The national team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home matches are played at various stadiums throughout Portugal, and its primary training ground and technical headquarters, Cidade do Futebol, is located in Oeiras. The head coach of the team is Roberto Martínez, who replaced Fernando Santos in January 2023 following his stepping down after the 2022 World Cup, and the captain is Cristiano Ronaldo, who also holds the team records for most caps and most goals.

Turkey national football team

Turkey national football team

The Türkiye national football team represents Turkey in men's international football matches. The team is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey, which was founded in 1923 and has been a member of FIFA since 1923 and UEFA since 1962. It has been recognized as Türkiye by the FIFA and UEFA since 2022.

Czech Republic national football team

Czech Republic national football team

The Czech Republic national football team, recognised by FIFA as Czechia, represents the Czech Republic in international football. The team is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic (FAČR). Historically, the team participated in FIFA and UEFA competitions as Bohemia and Czechoslovakia.

Switzerland national football team

Switzerland national football team

The Switzerland national football team represents Switzerland in international football. The national team is controlled by the Swiss Football Association.

St. Jakob-Park

St. Jakob-Park

St. Jakob-Park is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008, which was hosted by Austria and Switzerland. After the tournament, a number of seats were removed, thus creating more space between them. The capacity was therefore reduced to 38,512 for Swiss Super League matches or 37,500 seats for international matches The maximum capacity for concerts is 40,000.

Basel

Basel

Basel, also known as Basle, is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine, at the tripoint of France, Germany, and Switzerland. Basel is Switzerland's third-most-populous city, with 175,000 inhabitants within the city municipality limits, and 830,000 inhabitants in the Trinational Eurodistrict of Basel metropolitan area. The official language of Basel is German, but the main spoken language is the local Basel German dialect.

Roberto Rosetti

Roberto Rosetti

Roberto Rosetti is an Italian former football referee. He is fluent in Italian (native), English and French. He started refereeing in 1983, and took charge of his first match in the Italian Serie A in 1996. He received his FIFA Badge in 2002. Aside from his refereeing duties, Rosetti works as director of a hospital.

Italian Football Federation

Italian Football Federation

The Italian Football Federation, known colloquially as Federcalcio, is the governing body of football in Italy. It is based in Rome and the technical department is in Coverciano, Florence.

Knockout phase

Cesc Fàbregas celebrating Spain's Euro 2008 title
Cesc Fàbregas celebrating Spain's Euro 2008 title

The knockout phase was different from that of past tournaments. Teams in groups A and B were separated from teams in groups C and D until the final. This meant that two teams who meet in the same group would meet again in the semi finals instead of the final if they got this far. Also, in another major change, for the first time in a European Championship, only two venues (St. Jakob-Park, Basel and Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna—the two largest of the eight stadiums used) were used for the seven matches in the knockout phase of the tournament.[47]

As with every tournament since UEFA Euro 1984, there was no third place play-off.

All times are local, CEST (UTC+2).

Bracket

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
19 June – Basel
 
 
 Portugal2
 
25 June – Basel
 
 Germany3
 
 Germany3
 
20 June – Vienna
 
 Turkey2
 
 Croatia1 (1)
 
29 June – Vienna
 
 Turkey (p)1 (3)
 
 Germany0
 
21 June – Basel
 
 Spain1
 
 Netherlands1
 
26 June – Vienna
 
 Russia (a.e.t.)3
 
 Russia0
 
22 June – Vienna
 
 Spain3
 
 Spain (p)0 (4)
 
 
 Italy0 (2)
 

Quarter-finals

Portugal 2–3 Germany
Report
Attendance: 39,374[48]

Croatia 1–1 (a.e.t.) Turkey
Report
Penalties
1–3

Netherlands 1–3 (a.e.t.) Russia
Report
Attendance: 38,374[50]

Semi-finals

Germany 3–2 Turkey
Report

Russia 0–3 Spain
Report

Final

Germany 0–1 Spain
Report
Attendance: 51,428

Discover more about Knockout phase related topics

Cesc Fàbregas

Cesc Fàbregas

Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Italian Serie B club Como.

St. Jakob-Park

St. Jakob-Park

St. Jakob-Park is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008, which was hosted by Austria and Switzerland. After the tournament, a number of seats were removed, thus creating more space between them. The capacity was therefore reduced to 38,512 for Swiss Super League matches or 37,500 seats for international matches The maximum capacity for concerts is 40,000.

Basel

Basel

Basel, also known as Basle, is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine, at the tripoint of France, Germany, and Switzerland. Basel is Switzerland's third-most-populous city, with 175,000 inhabitants within the city municipality limits, and 830,000 inhabitants in the Trinational Eurodistrict of Basel metropolitan area. The official language of Basel is German, but the main spoken language is the local Basel German dialect.

Ernst-Happel-Stadion

Ernst-Happel-Stadion

Ernst-Happel-Stadion, known as Praterstadion until 1992, sometimes also called Wiener-Stadion, is a football stadium in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna. With 50,865 seats, it is the largest stadium in Austria. It was built between 1929 and 1931 for the second Workers' Olympiad to the design of German architect Otto Ernst Schweizer. The stadium was renamed in honour of Austrian footballer Ernst Happel following his death in 1992. The stadium hosted seven games in UEFA Euro 2008, including the final which saw Spain triumph over Germany.

UEFA Euro 1984

UEFA Euro 1984

The 1984 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in France from 12 to 27 June 1984. It was the seventh UEFA European Championship, a competition held every four years and endorsed by UEFA.

Central European Summer Time

Central European Summer Time

Central European Summer Time (CEST), sometimes referred to as Central European Daylight Time (CEDT), is the standard clock time observed during the period of summer daylight-saving in those European countries which observe Central European Time during the other part of the year. It corresponds to UTC+02:00, which makes it the same as Eastern European Time, Central Africa Time, South African Standard Time, Egypt Standard Time and Kaliningrad Time in Russia.

UTC+02:00

UTC+02:00

UTC+02:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +02:00. In ISO 8601, the associated time would be written as 2020-11-08T23:41:45+02:00. This time is used in:

Portugal national football team

Portugal national football team

The Portugal national football team has represented Portugal in international men's football competition since 1921. The national team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home matches are played at various stadiums throughout Portugal, and its primary training ground and technical headquarters, Cidade do Futebol, is located in Oeiras. The head coach of the team is Roberto Martínez, who replaced Fernando Santos in January 2023 following his stepping down after the 2022 World Cup, and the captain is Cristiano Ronaldo, who also holds the team records for most caps and most goals.

Germany national football team

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team represents Germany in men's international football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association, founded in 1900. Between 1949 and 1990, separate German national teams were recognised by FIFA due to Allied occupation and division: the DFB's team representing the Federal Republic of Germany, the Saarland team representing the Saar Protectorate (1950–1956) and the East Germany team representing the German Democratic Republic (1952–1990). The latter two were absorbed along with their records; the present team represents the reunified Federal Republic. The official name and code "Germany FR (FRG)" was shortened to "Germany (GER)" following reunification in 1990.

Turkey national football team

Turkey national football team

The Türkiye national football team represents Turkey in men's international football matches. The team is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey, which was founded in 1923 and has been a member of FIFA since 1923 and UEFA since 1962. It has been recognized as Türkiye by the FIFA and UEFA since 2022.

Croatia national football team

Croatia national football team

The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially referred to as the Vatreni ('Blazers') and Kockasti.

Penalty shoot-out (association football)

Penalty shoot-out (association football)

A penalty shoot-out is a tie-breaking method in association football to determine which team is awarded victory in a match that cannot end in a draw, when the score is tied after the normal time as well as extra time have expired. In a penalty shoot-out, each team takes turns shooting at goal from the penalty mark, with the goal defended only by the opposing team's goalkeeper. Each team has five shots which must be taken by different kickers; the team that makes more successful kicks is declared the victor. Shoot-outs finish as soon as one team has an insurmountable lead. If scores are level after five pairs of shots, the shootout progresses into additional "sudden-death" rounds. Balls successfully kicked into the goal during a shoot-out do not count as goals for the individual kickers or the team, and are tallied separately from the goals scored during normal play. Although the procedure for each individual kick in the shoot-out resembles that of a penalty kick, there are some differences. Most notably, neither the kicker nor any player other than the goalkeeper may play the ball again once it has been kicked.

Statistics

Goalscorers

There were 77 goals scored in 31 matches, for an average of 2.48 goals per match.

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

Awards

Spain midfielder Xavi was selected as the Player of the Tournament.
Spain midfielder Xavi was selected as the Player of the Tournament.

UEFA Team of the Tournament

The UEFA Technical Team was charged with naming a squad composed of the 23 best players over the course of the tournament. The group of nine analysts watched every game at the tournament before making their decision after the final. Nine players from the winning Spanish team were named in the team of the tournament, while no players knocked out in the group stage were included. Four players from semi-finalists Russia were also included, the first-time ever there were Russian players in the Team of the Tournament following the fall of the Soviet Union.[54]

Goalkeepers Defenders Midfielders Forwards
Italy Gianluigi Buffon
Netherlands Edwin van der Sar
Spain Iker Casillas
Germany Philipp Lahm
Portugal José Bosingwa
Portugal Pepe
Russia Yuri Zhirkov
Spain Carlos Marchena
Spain Carles Puyol
Croatia Luka Modrić
Germany Michael Ballack
Germany Lukas Podolski
Netherlands Wesley Sneijder
Russia Konstantin Zyryanov
Spain Cesc Fàbregas
Spain Andrés Iniesta
Spain Marcos Senna
Spain Xavi
Turkey Hamit Altıntop
Russia Andrey Arshavin
Russia Roman Pavlyuchenko
Spain Fernando Torres
Spain David Villa

UEFA Player of the Tournament

The UEFA Technical Team also had to pick a Player of the Tournament, taking fans' votes into account. The player chosen was Spain midfielder Xavi.[55]

Golden Boot

The Golden Boot was awarded to yet another Spaniard, David Villa, who scored four goals, three of which came in his side's 4–1 win over Russia (the only hat-trick scored in the tournament).[56]

Prize money

UEFA announced that total of €184 million has been offered to the 16 teams competing in this tournament, increasing from €129 million in the previous tournament. The distributions as below:[57]

  • Prize for participating: €7.5 million

Extra payment based on teams performances:

  • Winner: €7.5 million
  • Runner-up: €4.5 million
  • Semi-finals: €3 million
  • Quarter-finals: €2 million
  • Group stage (per match):
    • Win: €1 million
    • Draw: €500,000

Spain, as winners of the tournament and winners of all three of their group stage matches, received a total prize of €23 million, the maximum possible prize money. Greece on the other hand, being the only team to lose all three of their group matches, were the only team to receive nothing more than the €7.5 million participation prize.

Discipline

At UEFA Euro 2008, players may be suspended from playing in subsequent matches upon the collection of a certain number of yellow or red cards. If a player is shown a red card – whether as a result of two bookable offences or a straight red – that player is suspended from playing in his team's next match. If his team is eliminated from the competition before the end of his suspension, the games carry over to the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification matches. A player is also suspended for one match for picking up two yellow cards in separate matches. However, any yellow cards accumulated are annulled once a team is eliminated from the tournament or reaches the semi-finals.[58]

In extreme cases of ill-discipline, UEFA may choose to have a disciplinary panel examine the incident in order to determine whether or not further suspension is required. One case of this at Euro 2008 was the suspension of Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel for two matches for pushing Czech striker Jan Koller.[59]

The following players were suspended for one or more games as a result of red cards or yellow card accumulation:

Player Offence(s) Suspension(s)
Russia Andrey Arshavin Red card in Euro qualifying v Andorra Group D v Spain
Group D v Greece
Germany Bastian Schweinsteiger Red card in Group B v Croatia Group B v Austria
Austria Sebastian Prödl Yellow card in Group B v Croatia
Yellow card in Group B v Poland
Group B v Germany
Romania Dorin Goian Yellow card in Group C v France
Yellow card in Group C v Italy
Group C v Netherlands
Turkey Mehmet Aurélio Yellow card in Group A v Switzerland
Yellow card in Group A v Czech Republic
Quarter-final v Croatia
Turkey Volkan Demirel Red card in Group A v Czech Republic Quarter-final v Croatia
Semi-final v Germany
France Eric Abidal Red card in Group C v Italy World Cup qualifying v Austria
Italy Andrea Pirlo Yellow card in Group C v Romania
Yellow card in Group C v France
Quarter-final v Spain
Italy Gennaro Gattuso Yellow card in Group C v Netherlands
Yellow card in Group C v France
Quarter-final v Spain
Turkey Tuncay Yellow card in Group A v Switzerland
Yellow card in Quarter-final v Croatia
Semi-final v Germany
Turkey Arda Turan Yellow card in Group A v Czech Republic
Yellow card in Quarter-final v Croatia
Semi-final v Germany
Turkey Emre Aşık Yellow card in Group A v Czech Republic
Yellow card in Quarter-final v Croatia
Semi-final v Germany
Russia Denis Kolodin Yellow card in Group D v Sweden
Yellow card in Quarter-final v Netherlands
Semi-final v Spain
Russia Dmitri Torbinski Yellow card in Group D v Greece
Yellow card in Quarter-final v Netherlands
Semi-final v Spain

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David Villa

David Villa

David Villa Sánchez is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Villa is regarded by pundits as one of the best forwards of his generation, and one of the best Spanish strikers of all time. He is currently working as the Technical Advisor and Head of Global Football Operations of the Indian Super League club Odisha FC.

Germany national football team

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team represents Germany in men's international football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association, founded in 1900. Between 1949 and 1990, separate German national teams were recognised by FIFA due to Allied occupation and division: the DFB's team representing the Federal Republic of Germany, the Saarland team representing the Saar Protectorate (1950–1956) and the East Germany team representing the German Democratic Republic (1952–1990). The latter two were absorbed along with their records; the present team represents the reunified Federal Republic. The official name and code "Germany FR (FRG)" was shortened to "Germany (GER)" following reunification in 1990.

Lukas Podolski

Lukas Podolski

Lukas Josef Podolski is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ekstraklasa club Górnik Zabrze. Known for his powerful and accurate left foot, he is known for his explosive shot, technique and probing attacks from the left side.

Russia national football team

Russia national football team

The Russia national football team represents the Russian Federation in men's international football. It is controlled by the Russian Football Union, the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home ground is the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and their head coach is Valery Karpin.

Roman Pavlyuchenko

Roman Pavlyuchenko

Roman Anatolyevich Pavlyuchenko is a Russian former footballer who played as a striker.

Hakan Yakin

Hakan Yakin

Hakan Yakin is a Swiss football coach and a former player who played as a forward or midfielder. He is the manager of Schaffhausen. He was a member of the Swiss national team for eleven years.

Croatia national football team

Croatia national football team

The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors reference two national symbols: the Croatian checkerboard and the country's tricolour. They are colloquially referred to as the Vatreni ('Blazers') and Kockasti.

Ivan Klasnić

Ivan Klasnić

Ivan Klasnić is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a striker.

Michael Ballack

Michael Ballack

Michael Ballack is a German former professional footballer. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of the Germany national team. Ballack wore the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for, except 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He was selected by Pelé as one of FIFA's 100 Greatest Living Players, and as the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year in 2002. He won the German Footballer of the Year award three times – in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Ballack was known for his passing range, powerful shot, physical strength and commanding presence in midfield.

Miroslav Klose

Miroslav Klose

Miroslav Josef Klose is a German professional football manager and former player. A striker, Klose is the all-time top scorer for Germany and holds the record for the most goals scored in the FIFA World Cup.

Bastian Schweinsteiger

Bastian Schweinsteiger

Bastian Schweinsteiger is a German former professional footballer who usually played as a central midfielder. Earlier in his career, he primarily played as a wide midfielder. Schweinsteiger is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, due to his tactical awareness, positioning, passing and also due to his ability to read and control the flow of the game. Former Germany national team manager Joachim Löw has referred to Schweinsteiger as one of the greatest players the country has ever produced.

Netherlands national football team

Netherlands national football team

The Netherlands national football team has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the governing body for football in the Netherlands, which is a part of UEFA, under the jurisdiction of FIFA. They were sometimes regarded as the greatest national team of the respective generations. Most of the Netherlands home matches are played at the Johan Cruyff Arena, De Kuip, Philips Stadion and De Grolsch Veste.

Marketing

Television coverage failure

Three times in the second half of the semi-final between Germany and Turkey, nearly the entire global television coverage of the game was interrupted. A thunderstorm over Vienna caused technical difficulties in the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), which relayed the television feed from the match in Basel, Switzerland, resulting in one or more goals being missed by various audiences.[60] Various national broadcasters took emergency contingency measures such as reverting to radio broadcasting (for example, the BBC used coverage from Radio 5 Live,[61] Ireland circumvented the problem by having RTÉ Two's studio presenter Bill O'Herlihy and panellists Eamon Dunphy, Johnny Giles and Liam Brady provide emergency discussion on what had happened in the match,[62] and Øyvind Alsaker, commentator from Norwegian TV2 picked up his mobile and filmed it over a 3G connection). Only the Swiss public broadcaster SRG maintained full coverage since it used a direct signal other than the IBC's.[63]

New trophy

A new trophy was awarded to the winners of the Euro 2008 tournament. The new version of the Henri Delaunay Trophy, created by Asprey London,[64] is almost an exact replica of the original designed by Arthus-Bertrand. A small figure juggling a ball on the back of the original has been removed, as has the marble plinth. The silver base of the trophy also 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, which is made of sterling silver, weighs 8 kilograms (17.6 lb) and is 60 centimetres (24 in) tall.

Match ball

A large model of the adidas Europass prior to the final between Germany and Spain
A large model of the adidas Europass prior to the final between Germany and Spain

The match ball for the finals was unveiled at the draw ceremony. Produced by Adidas and named the Europass, it is a 14-panel ball in the same construction as the Teamgeist, but with a modified surface design.[65] A version named the Europass Gloria was used in the final.[66]

There were concerns raised about the match ball, which was claimed to deviate unpredictably in flight, making it difficult to judge for goalkeepers. Notable players to criticise were Germany's Jens Lehmann and the Czech Republic's Petr Čech.[67] These claims were disputed by the ball's designer, Oliver Kahn.

Music

The official melody was composed by Rollo Armstrong of Faithless on behalf of UEFA.[68] The official Euro 2008 song was "Can You Hear Me" by Enrique Iglesias, which was performed live during the official closing ceremony prior to the final in Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on 29 June.[69]

Two soundtracks, "Like a Superstar" and "Feel the Rush," were recorded by Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy as mascot songs for Euro 2008. They formed a musical background to video clips featuring the twin mascots Trix and Flix.[68]

The official Swiss song for the tournament was a new version of "Bring en hei" (Bring him Home) by Baschi.[69] Christina Stürmer sang the official tournament song of Austrian ÖFB, "Fieber" (Fever).[70] Croatia manager Slaven Bilić recorded his country's official Euro 2008 song, "Vatreno ludilo" ("Fiery Madness"), with his rock group, Rawbau.

"Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes was played when players walked out before kick-off,[71] and a remix of "Samba de Janeiro" by German dance group Bellini was played after each goal scored in the competition.[72][73]

Mascots

The two official mascots for UEFA Euro 2008, were named after a vote from the public of the two host nations from the following options:

  • Zigi and Zagi
  • Flitz and Bitz
  • Trix and Flix

In April 2007, after receiving 36.3% of the vote, Trix and Flix were chosen. "I am sure the mascots and their names will become a vital part of the understanding of the whole event," said Christian Mutschler, the tournament director for Switzerland.[74] The mascots were unveiled on 27 September 2006, in Vienna, Austria. Their official début was on 11 October 2006, at the Austria vs. Switzerland friendly, which ended 2–1.[75]

Slogan

The slogan for UEFA Euro 2008 was chosen on 24 January 2007: Expect Emotions.[76] UEFA President Michel Platini stated, "It describes in a nutshell what the UEFA Euro 2008 has to offer: all kinds of emotions – joy, disappointment, relief or high tension – right up to the final whistle."[77]

Sponsorship

The following companies were global sponsors for the tournament:[78][79]

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International Broadcast Centre

International Broadcast Centre

The International Broadcast Centre (IBC) is a temporary hub for broadcasters during major sport events. It is also known as the International Press Center (IPC) or Main Press Center (MPC).

Bill O'Herlihy

Bill O'Herlihy

Bill O'Herlihy was an Irish television broadcaster and public relations executive. He was best known for his broadcasts for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), primarily in the sporting arena. Presenter for 10 FIFA World Cups and 10 Summer Olympic Games, O'Herlihy was noted for his "Okey Doke" catchphrase. O'Herlihy retired from RTÉ following its coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. According to the Irish Examiner newspaper, "with the possible exception of Michael O'Hehir, Bill O'Herlihy was the broadcaster most universally welcome in Irish homes over the last 50 years."

Eamon Dunphy

Eamon Dunphy

Eamon Martin Dunphy is an Irish media personality, journalist, broadcaster, author, sports pundit and former professional footballer. He grew up playing football for several youth teams including Stella Maris. Since retiring from the sport, he has become recognisable to Irish television audiences as a football analyst during coverage of the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and international football on RTÉ.

Johnny Giles

Johnny Giles

Michael John Giles is an Irish former association football player and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s. After retiring from management in 1985, Giles served as the senior analyst on RTÉ Sport's coverage of association football from 1986 until 2016. The FAI voted Giles as the greatest Irish player of the last 50 years at the UEFA Jubilee Awards in 2004.

Liam Brady

Liam Brady

William Brady is an Irish former footballer. He found success both in England with Arsenal, where he won an FA Cup in 1979, and in Italy with Juventus, winning two Serie A titles. Brady was capped 72 times for the Ireland national team.

3G

3G

3G is the third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology. It is the upgrade over 2G, 2.5G, GPRS and 2.75G Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution networks, offering faster data transfer, and better voice quality. This network was superseded by 4G, and later on by 5G. This network is based on a set of standards used for mobile devices and mobile telecommunications use services and networks that comply with the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications by the International Telecommunication Union. 3G finds application in wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV.

Henri Delaunay

Henri Delaunay

Henri Delaunay was a French football administrator.

Asprey

Asprey

Asprey International Limited, formerly Asprey & Garrard Limited, is a United Kingdom-based designer, manufacturer and retailer of jewellery, silverware, home goods, leather goods, timepieces, and a retailer of books.

Arthus-Bertrand

Arthus-Bertrand

Arthus-Bertrand is a maker of medals and decorations. It was founded in Paris in 1803 by Claude Arthus-Bertrand, an army officer during the French Revolution. Artists who have designed for the firm include Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and Fernand Léger. The company employs nearly 300 people.

Sterling silver

Sterling silver

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925.

Adidas

Adidas

Adidas AG is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the world, after Nike. It is the holding company for the Adidas Group, which consists 8.33% stake of the football club Bayern München, and Runtastic, an Austrian fitness technology company. Adidas's revenue for 2018 was listed at €21.915 billion.

Adidas Europass

Adidas Europass

Europass is a football made by Adidas. It was the official match ball for UEFA Euro 2008. The ball was officially presented on 2 December 2007 during the group draw for the final tournament. For the final, a silver version, the "Europass Gloria", was used. The same ball but with different design was used in UEFA Champions League from 2008 through 2009 and in 2009 UEFA Super Cup and 2009–10 UEFA Europa League.

Broadcasting

Source: "UEFA Euro 2008", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 18th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2008.

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