EURO 2008

EURO 2008 Qualification Process

There are sixteen (16) teams that have qualified for the final part of EURO 2008. The host nations have automatically qualified - Switzerland and Austria are the first two teams included in the final part of the tournament. The remaining 14 teams were drawn into 4 brackets (Groups A, B, C and D) from the winners of the first qualifying round, which included 50 European teams.

EURO 2008 Draw

The EURO 2008 Draw is the event that determines which teams are matched up in the final four groups of the UEFA European Football Championship tournament. The results of the draw were announced on December 2, 2007 at the Culture and Convention Centre in Lucerne, Switzerland. Gianni Infantino, the interim UEFA Chief Executive, hosted the draw.

The draw proceedings are very interesting. First, the host nations Austria and Switzerland were assigned to positions B1 and A1 respectively. Then, the remaining fourteen teams were assigned to four seeding Pots.The Pots were composed of teams based on their average goals per game in the both the qualifying phases of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA EURO Cup 2008.

The draw started with a volunteer pulling a ball from Pot 1 to fill the first position in Group C (C1). After that, the next ball from Pot 1 was drawn and the team placed into the first position of Group D.The draw continued with Pot 4, then Pot 3 and finishes with Pot 2. A ball will be drawn from Pot 4 and placed into Group A.

EURO 2008 Qualification Requirements

The EURO 2008 qualifying competition will began in the fall of 2006 after the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup in Germany. 50 European teams were divided into seven groups (A-G) for the first round of qualification. Each group had 7 teams except for group A which had 8 teams.

The winners and runners-up in these seven groups (top 2 teams in each group) get to progress to the UEFA EURO 2008 final tournament held in Switzerland in Austria in June 2008.

Preliminary Qualifying Groups

• Group A - Portugal, Poland, Serbia, Belgium, Finland, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan
• Group B - France, Italy, Ukraine, Scotland, Lithuania, Georgia, Faroe Islands
• Group C - Greece, Turkey, Norway, Bosnia Herzegovina, Hungary, Moldova, Malta
• Group D - Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Ireland, Wales, Cyprus, San Marino
• Group E - England, Croatia, Russia, Israel, Estonia, Macedonia, Andorra
• Group F- Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Latvia, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Liechtenstein
• Group G - Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Albania, Belarus, Luxembourg

EURO Competition Format

16 teams will participate in EURO 2008 Final Tournament (14 teams from competition and 2 host nations which automatically qualified). There are 31 total games in this stage of the EURO 2008. This pool of teams was divided into 4 groups with 4 teams in each group by a random public draw process. These teams play each other team in the bracket to determine who has the most points out of three games. A win gains 3 points, a draw 1 point, and a loss 0 points. Ties are primarily decided by the number of goals scored in total for the round (goal difference).

EURO 2008 Brackets

The top two teams - winners and runners-up - from each group will then progress to a knock-out round starting with quarter finals. At this stage, the loser is no longer in the competition, while the winner progresses to the next bracket. The final two matches in each group must both start at exactly the same time to ensure teams don't know who will win the group if the standings are close.

After group winners are determined (each team has played three games, the top two teams in each group progress to the EURO quarter-finals. Each team plays one other team in this elimination round, with four winners progressing to the semi-finals.

The semifinals are held in the same format, with only 2 winners progressing to the next and final match of the tournament. This Finals match will determine the EURO 2008 champion and is scheduled to be played on 29 June in Vienna, Austria.

Draws in Knock-Out Stage

If any match in the knockout stages (quarterfinal, semifinal or final games) ends with each team having the same number of goals after normal game time has elapsed (resulting in a draw), extra time will be played.

Extra time of two 15-minute periods will be played, and the team with the most goals after these two periods will be declared winner. If the teams are still drawn with the same number of goals each, the winners will be decided by penalty kicks from the penalty mark (penalty shootout). Five players from each team (who were playing at the end of overtime) are selected, and kick directly against the goalie of the other team. Teams alternate turns in taking kicks, and the team with the most goals after this shootout is declared the winner.

Location and Venues

EURO 2008 is being hosted by multiple stadiums across Austria and Switzerland.

EURO Tickets

OleOle has UEFA EURO 2008 match tickets and travel packages for fans from any country. The company has official match tickets for every game, as well as for the coveted quarterfinals. semifinals and finals matches. Packages can be purchased from any country and will be charged in Euro. Official tickets are guaranteed for the game you want to attend, with three different seating options and three pricing tiers - class 1, 2, or 3. You can buy UEFA EURO 2008 tickets and travel packages for large and small groups directly from OleOle. Group package discounts are available for groups over 4.

Important Links

EURO 2008 Tickets