UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
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This page describes the qualifying procedure for the UEFA Euro 2008.
Seedings
Qualification coefficients were used to rank the teams according to their results in both UEFA Euro 2004 and FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifying stages. Only the group matches, and not any additional playoffs, count towards the coefficients, also determining which pot a national team is put in. Some points to note:
- Greece are European champions, thus are automatically seeded in the top pool.
- Portugal did not have to qualify for UEFA Euro 2004 as hosts. Only their 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying record is used.
- Germany did not have to qualify for the World Cup 2006 as hosts. Their record from the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying stage is used instead.
- Kazakhstan have never competed in the European Championships, so only their World Cup record is used. The team's last continental qualifying was for the 2000 Asian Cup. Their record in that competition (P4, Pts6) is not used.
The draw took place on 27 January, 2006 in Montreux, Switzerland and the draw procedure is explained here.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pot 5 | Pot 6 | Pot 7 | |
Tiebreakers
If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings.
- Higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question.
- Superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question.
- Higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question.
- Higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question.
- If, after applying criteria 1) to 4) to several teams, two or more teams still have an equal ranking, the criteria 1) to 4) will be reapplied to determine the ranking of these teams. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 6) and 7) will apply.
- Results of all group matches: 1. Superior goal difference 2. Higher number of goals scored 3. Higher number of goals scored away from home 4. Fair play conduct.
- Drawing of lots.
Summary
Below is a table containing all seven qualifying groups. Teams that have secured a berth on the final tournament are highlighted in green while teams unable to qualify are highlighted in red. All other teams are still in contention for a qualifying place.
Groups
The qualifying process started in August 2006. Austria and Switzerland have already qualified for the tournament finals as host nations.
The qualifying format has been changed compared to the previous tournament. The winners and runners-up from seven groups will automatically qualify for the Championship, with the hosts filling the other two slots in the 16-team tournament. The move means there will no longer be play-offs between teams finishing in second place in the groups. Six of the qualifying groups will contain seven teams, and the other eight.
As the official successor of the previous football association, Serbia will inherit the position originally allotted to Serbia and Montenegro in Group A prior to the dissolution of the state union. Montenegro has recently been granted UEFA membership but is not yet able to participate in this European Championship.
Group A
Template:UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group A
Group B
Template:UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group B
Group C
Template:UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group C
Group D
Template:UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group D
Group E
Template:UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group E
Group F
Template:UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group F
Group G
Template:UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group G
Top goalscorers
Last updated: 8th September, 2007.
Qualified nations
Draw reactions
In Group A, Portugal expressed concern regarding the huge distances its team had to travel to play Poland, Finland, Serbia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
Group B features the two 2006 World Cup finalists plus quarter-finalists Ukraine.
Group C ended up being the only group that featured no teams in the 2006 World Cup finals, and grouped rivals Turkey and Greece, who were also in the same group at the 2006 World Cup qualifications.
External links
- EURO 2008™ seedings confirmed at UEFA.com
- Competition regulations (PDF file) at UEFA.com
- Euro 2008 coefficient according to rdasilva's blog
- Euro 2008 spreadsheet — computes standings from scores
- Euro 2008 unofficial statistics
