European Football Championship 2008 / qualification

The qualifying matches for the finals of the European Football Championship 2008 took place from August 16, 2006 to November 24, 2007 . 50 of the 52 member countries of UEFA played the 14 starting places for the Euro 2008, the two hosts are directly qualified. For the first time Kazakhstan , who joined UEFA in 2002, took part in a European Championship qualifier. Serbia succeeded the state union of Serbia and Montenegro . As Montenegro was not yet a member of UEFA at the start of the qualifying round, the Balkan state did not take part in qualifying for Euro 2008. Austria and Switzerland were selected as host countries and completed the field of 16 finalists.

Qualified countries

Qualification mode

qualified

not qualified

not participated

not a UEFA member

The qualification included 308 games, all of which were played in group mode. The 50 teams were each drawn to one of seven groups when the qualifying groups were drawn on January 27, 2006 in Montreux . Group A consisted of eight teams, groups B to G were each assigned seven teams. Each team played a home and return match against each of their group opponents.

The two best teams within a group qualified directly for the final round. Through this mode, the 14 teams that took part in the final round in addition to the hosts were determined directly, so no relegation games were necessary.

The three-point rule was used to determine the sequence in the groups or the final status of the respective group table . In the event of a tie between two or more teams after the group matches, the following criteria were taken into account in order to decide on the placement:

• a) Direct comparison (points, goal difference, goals, away goals)
• b) Repetition of criterion a) among the remaining teams
• c) Results from all group matches (goal difference, goals, away goals, fair play rating )
• d) The lot

Qualification groups after the draw

For the draw, the teams were divided into seven pots. Greece was set as the reigning European champion and was drawn as the group head of group C. The results of the qualifying rounds for the 2004 European Championship and the 2006 World Championship served as the basis for the allocation of the remaining teams to the respective pots . The allocation took place following a decision by UEFA on October 14, 2005.

The following groups were drawn, the teams that qualified later are shown in bold:

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

* The Serbian-Montenegrin national soccer team was listed in the qualification draw . After Montenegro declared independence , Serbia became the legal successor to Serbia and Montenegro , so the Serbian national team played in the qualification . The Montenegrins first had to apply for admission and therefore only took part in the 2010 World Cup qualification .

** On July 12, 2006, the FIFA Emergency Committee lifted the suspension of the Greek Football Association (HFF). This was pronounced against the reigning European champion on July 3, 2006, as national sports laws did not guarantee the independence of the association (the referees and the disciplinary system). These were then changed by the Greek Parliament.

Group A

Closing table

As the reigning European runner-up and fourth place in the World Cup, Portugal was the favorite of the group, but only achieved second place behind the strong Poles, who qualified as group winners for a European Championship for the first time. The surprisingly strong Finns even had the opportunity to qualify for the tournament by winning in the last game in Portugal, but missed this opportunity with a 0-0 win. Serbia did not manage to repeat the achievements from qualifying for the 2006 World Cup; the Belgians confirmed their perennial form crisis and failed again. The games of Armenia and Azerbaijan against each other were canceled by UEFA due to the still unresolved border conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh .

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Poland	14th	8th	4th	2	024:120	28
2.	Portugal	14th	7th	6th	1	024:100	27
3.	Serbia	14th	6th	6th	2	022:110	24
4th	Finland	14th	6th	6th	2	013: 700	24
5.	Belgium	14th	5	3	6th	014:160	18th
6th	Kazakhstan	14th	2	4th	8th	011:210	10
7th	Armenia	12	2	3	7th	004:130	09
8th.	Azerbaijan	12	1	2	9	006:280	05

Game results

08/16/2006	Belgium	-	Kazakhstan	0-0
09/02/2006	Serbia	-	Azerbaijan	1: 0 (0: 0)
09/02/2006	Poland	-	Finland	1: 3 (0: 0)
09/06/2006	Azerbaijan	-	Kazakhstan	1: 1 (1: 1)
09/06/2006	Armenia	-	Belgium	0: 1 (0: 1)
09/06/2006	Finland	-	Portugal	1: 1 (1: 1)
09/06/2006	Poland	-	Serbia	1: 1 (1: 0)
07/10/2006	Armenia	-	Finland	0-0
07/10/2006	Kazakhstan	-	Poland	0: 1 (0: 0)
07/10/2006	Serbia	-	Belgium	1: 0 (0: 0)
07/10/2006	Portugal	-	Azerbaijan	3: 0 (2: 0)
10/11/2006	Belgium	-	Azerbaijan	3: 0 (1: 0)
10/11/2006	Kazakhstan	-	Finland	0: 2 (0: 1)
10/11/2006	Serbia	-	Armenia	3: 0 (0: 0)
10/11/2006	Poland	-	Portugal	2: 1 (2: 0)
11/15/2006	Finland	-	Armenia	1: 0 (1: 0)
11/15/2006	Portugal	-	Kazakhstan	3: 0 (2: 0)
11/15/2006	Belgium	-	Poland	0: 1 (0: 1)
03/24/2007	Poland	-	Azerbaijan	5: 0 (3: 0)
03/24/2007	Portugal	-	Belgium	4: 0 (0: 0)
03/24/2007	Kazakhstan	-	Serbia	2: 1 (0: 0)
03/28/2007	Azerbaijan	-	Finland	1: 0 (0: 0)
03/28/2007	Poland	-	Armenia	1: 0 (1: 0)
03/28/2007	Serbia	-	Portugal	1: 1 (1: 1)
06/02/2007	Finland	-	Serbia	0: 2 (0: 1)
06/02/2007	Kazakhstan	-	Armenia	1: 2 (0: 2)
06/02/2007	Azerbaijan	-	Poland	1: 3 (1: 0)
06/02/2007	Belgium	-	Portugal	1: 2 (0: 1)

06/06/2007	Finland	-	Belgium	2: 0 (1: 0)
06/06/2007	Kazakhstan	-	Azerbaijan	1: 1 (0: 1)
06/06/2007	Armenia	-	Poland	1: 0 (0: 0)
08/22/2007	Finland	-	Kazakhstan	2: 1 (1: 1)
08/22/2007	Armenia	-	Portugal	1: 1 (1: 1)
08/22/2007	Belgium	-	Serbia	3: 2 (2: 0)
09/08/2007	Azerbaijan	-	Armenia	canceled 1
09/08/2007	Serbia	-	Finland	0-0
09/08/2007	Portugal	-	Poland	2: 2 (0: 1)
09/12/2007	Armenia	-	Azerbaijan	canceled 1
09/12/2007	Finland	-	Poland	0-0
09/12/2007	Kazakhstan	-	Belgium	2: 2 (1: 2)
09/12/2007	Portugal	-	Serbia	1: 1 (1: 0)
10/13/2007	Azerbaijan	-	Portugal	0: 2 (0: 2)
10/13/2007	Belgium	-	Finland	0-0
10/13/2007	Armenia	-	Serbia	0-0
10/13/2007	Poland	-	Kazakhstan	3: 1 (0: 1)
10/17/2007	Kazakhstan	-	Portugal	1: 2 (0: 0)
10/17/2007	Azerbaijan	-	Serbia	1: 6 (1: 4)
10/17/2007	Belgium	-	Armenia	3: 0 (0: 0)
11/17/2007	Finland	-	Azerbaijan	2: 1 (0: 0)
11/17/2007	Portugal	-	Armenia	1: 0 (1: 0)
11/17/2007	Poland	-	Belgium	2: 0 (1: 0)
11/21/2007	Azerbaijan	-	Belgium	0: 1 (0: 0)
11/21/2007	Serbia	-	Poland	2: 2 (0: 1)
11/21/2007	Portugal	-	Finland	0-0
11/21/2007	Armenia	-	Kazakhstan	0: 1 (0: 0)
11/24/2007 2	Serbia	-	Kazakhstan	1: 0 (0: 0)

¹ Due to disputes between the two associations over the venue of the qualifying matches, both games were canceled by UEFA on 23 June 2007; both teams receive no points.
² As the pitch in the Partizan Stadium was not playable due to heavy snowfall, the game was initially moved from November 17th to November 18th 2007. After the Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantalejo and UEFA delegate Peter Forusek (Czech Republic) visited the field again, November 24, 2007 was set as the catch-up date.

Group B

Closing table

In one of the strongest qualifying groups, it was not world champions Italy and runners-up France that dominated for a long time, but Scotland, which was rated weaker and was able to win both games against France. Two defeats in the last two qualifying games against Georgia and Italy cost the Scots the ticket to the finals. World champions Italy played unadorned but successful football for long stretches and achieved group victory thanks to two victories against Scotland. Ukraine was unable to continue its winning streak after making it into the World Cup quarter-finals and was only fourth due to fluctuating performance. Georgia and Lithuania achieved some prestige successes, the Faroe Islands finished the qualification with twelve defeats from twelve games.

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Italy	12	9	2	1	022: 900	29
2.	France	12	8th	2	2	025: 500	26th
3.	Scotland	12	8th	0	4th	021:120	24
4th	Ukraine	12	5	2	5	018:160	17th
5.	Lithuania	12	5	1	6th	011:130	16
6th	Georgia	12	3	1	8th	016:190	10
7th	Faroe Islands	12	0	0	12	004:430	00

Game results

08/16/2006	Faroe Islands	-	Georgia	0: 6 (0: 3)
09/02/2006	Scotland	-	Faroe Islands	6: 0 (5: 0)
09/02/2006	Georgia	-	France	0: 3 (0: 2)
09/02/2006	Italy	-	Lithuania	1: 1 (1: 1)
09/06/2006	Ukraine	-	Georgia	3: 2 (1: 1)
09/06/2006	Lithuania	-	Scotland	1: 2 (0: 0)
09/06/2006	France	-	Italy	3: 1 (2: 1)
07/10/2006	Italy	-	Ukraine	2: 0 (0: 0)
07/10/2006	Faroe Islands	-	Lithuania	0: 1 (0: 0)
07/10/2006	Scotland	-	France	1: 0 (0: 0)
10/11/2006	Ukraine	-	Scotland	2: 0 (0: 0)
10/11/2006	Georgia	-	Italy	1: 3 (1: 1)
10/11/2006	France	-	Faroe Islands	5: 0 (2: 0)
03/24/2007	Scotland	-	Georgia	2: 1 (1: 1)
03/24/2007	Faroe Islands	-	Ukraine	0: 2 (0: 1)
03/24/2007	Lithuania	-	France	0: 1 (0: 0)
03/28/2007	Ukraine	-	Lithuania	1: 0 (0: 0)
03/28/2007	Georgia	-	Faroe Islands	3: 1 (2: 0)
03/28/2007	Italy	-	Scotland	2: 0 (1: 0)
06/02/2007	Faroe Islands	-	Italy	1: 2 (0: 1)
06/02/2007	Lithuania	-	Georgia	1: 0 (0: 0)

06/02/2007	France	-	Ukraine	2: 0 (0: 0)
06/06/2007	France	-	Georgia	1: 0 (1: 0)
06/06/2007	Lithuania	-	Italy	0: 2 (0: 2)
06/06/2007	Faroe Islands	-	Scotland	0: 2 (0: 2)
09/08/2007	Georgia	-	Ukraine	1: 1 (0: 1)
09/08/2007	Scotland	-	Lithuania	3: 1 (1: 0)
09/08/2007	Italy	-	France	0-0
09/12/2007	Ukraine	-	Italy	1: 2 (0: 1)
09/12/2007	France	-	Scotland	0: 1 (0: 0)
09/12/2007	Lithuania	-	Faroe Islands	2: 1 (1: 0)
10/13/2007	Scotland	-	Ukraine	3: 1 (2: 1)
10/13/2007	Italy	-	Georgia	2: 0 (1: 0)
10/13/2007	Faroe Islands	-	France	0: 6 (0: 2)
10/17/2007	Georgia	-	Scotland	2: 0 (1: 0)
10/17/2007	Ukraine	-	Faroe Islands	5: 0 (3: 0)
10/17/2007	France	-	Lithuania	2: 0 (0: 0)
11/17/2007	Lithuania	-	Ukraine	2: 0 (1: 0)
11/17/2007	Scotland	-	Italy	1: 2 (0: 1)
11/21/2007	Italy	-	Faroe Islands	3: 1 (3: 0)
11/21/2007	Georgia	-	Lithuania	0: 2 (0: 0)
11/21/2007	Ukraine	-	France	2: 2 (1: 2)

Group C

Closing table

Defending champions Greece qualified for the finals with the most points of all qualifiers despite a 4-1 home defeat against their Turkish arch-rivals. Behind them there was a duel between Norway and Turkey, which Norway could have won on the penultimate match day with a home win against the Turks. However, the team lost 2-1 after taking the lead, so that a 1-0 win against Bosnia was enough for the Turks to qualify for a tournament for the first time since third place at the 2002 World Cup. The fact that the Turkish team was only able to narrowly secure their qualification was mainly due to the fact that they each played once against Malta and Moldova.

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Greece	12	10	1	1	025:100	31
2.	Turkey	12	7th	3	2	025:110	24
3.	Norway	12	7th	2	3	027:110	23
4th	Bosnia and Herzegovina	12	4th	1	7th	016:220	13
5.	Moldova	12	3	3	6th	012:190	12
6th	Hungary	12	4th	0	8th	011:220	12
7th	Malta	12	1	2	9	010:310	05

Game results

09/02/2006	Malta	-	Bosnia heart.	2: 5 (1: 3)
09/02/2006	Hungary	-	Norway	1: 4 (0: 3)
09/02/2006	Moldova	-	Greece	0: 1 (0: 0)
09/06/2006	Norway	-	Moldova	2: 0 (0: 0)
09/06/2006	Bosnia heart.	-	Hungary	1: 3 (0: 1)
09/06/2006	Turkey	-	Malta	2: 0 (0: 0) *
07/10/2006	Moldova	-	Bosnia heart.	2: 2 (2: 0)
07/10/2006	Hungary	-	Turkey	0: 1 (0: 1)
07/10/2006	Greece	-	Norway	1: 0 (1: 0)
10/11/2006	Bosnia heart.	-	Greece	0: 4 (0: 1)
10/11/2006	Malta	-	Hungary	2: 1 (1: 1)
10/11/2006	Turkey	-	Moldova	5: 0 (3: 0) *
03/24/2007	Moldova	-	Malta	1: 1 (0: 0)
03/24/2007	Greece	-	Turkey	1: 4 (1: 1)
03/24/2007	Norway	-	Bosnia heart.	1: 2 (0: 2)
03/28/2007	Turkey	-	Norway	2: 2 (0: 2) *
03/28/2007	Malta	-	Greece	0: 1 (0: 0)
03/28/2007	Hungary	-	Moldova	2: 0 (1: 0)
06/02/2007	Greece	-	Hungary	2: 0 (2: 0)
06/02/2007	Norway	-	Malta	4: 0 (1: 0) **
06/02/2007	Bosnia heart.	-	Turkey	3: 2 (2: 2)

06/06/2007	Bosnia heart.	-	Malta	1: 0 (1: 0)
06/06/2007	Norway	-	Hungary	4: 0 (1: 0)
06/06/2007	Greece	-	Moldova	2: 1 (1: 0)
09/08/2007	Moldova	-	Norway	0: 1 (0: 0)
09/08/2007	Hungary	-	Bosnia heart.	1: 0 (1: 0)
09/08/2007	Malta	-	Turkey	2: 2 (1: 1)
09/12/2007	Norway	-	Greece	2: 2 (2: 2)
09/12/2007	Turkey	-	Hungary	3: 0 (0: 0)
09/12/2007	Bosnia heart.	-	Moldova	0: 1 (0: 1)
10/13/2007	Moldova	-	Turkey	1: 1 (1: 0)
10/13/2007	Hungary	-	Malta	2: 0 (1: 0)
10/13/2007	Greece	-	Bosnia heart.	3: 2 (1: 0)
10/17/2007	Bosnia heart.	-	Norway	0: 2 (0: 1)
10/17/2007	Turkey	-	Greece	0: 1 (0: 0)
10/17/2007	Malta	-	Moldova	2: 3 (0: 3)
11/17/2007	Moldova	-	Hungary	3: 0 (2: 0)
11/17/2007	Norway	-	Turkey	1: 2 (1: 1)
11/17/2007	Greece	-	Malta	5: 0 (1: 0)
11/21/2007	Malta	-	Norway	1: 4 (0: 3)
11/21/2007	Turkey	-	Bosnia heart.	1: 0 (1: 0)
11/21/2007	Hungary	-	Greece	1: 2 (1: 1)

* According to the FIFA sanctions because of the riots after the World Cup qualifier for the 2006 World Cup between Turkey and Switzerland, the home games of Turkey were held outside of at least 500 km of the Turkish state borders and with the exclusion of any spectators in the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt am Main carried out.

** The game has been rigged to the disadvantage of Malta by at least one Maltese player - Kevin Sammut . He was banned from UEFA for ten years in 2012.

Group D

Closing table

Germany and the Czech Republic certainly qualified for the finals in Austria and Switzerland. Germany got off to a good start thanks to the euphoria of the last World Cup and was the only country to qualify for the European Championship three match days before the end. After they had won the first leg against the Czech Republic 2-1 away, everything seemed to lead to the group victory of the German team. In the final games, however, the team decreased significantly, so that the Czech Republic could reciprocate with a 3-0 away win and ultimately secured first place.

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Czech Republic	12	9	2	1	027: 500	29
2.	Germany	12	8th	3	1	035: 700	27
3.	Ireland	12	4th	5	3	017:140	17th
4th	Slovakia	12	5	1	6th	033:230	16
5.	Wales	12	4th	3	5	018:190	15th
6th	Cyprus	12	4th	2	6th	017:240	14th
7th	San Marino	12	0	0	12	002:570	00

Game results

09/02/2006	Czech Republic	-	Wales	2: 1 (0: 0)
09/02/2006	Slovakia	-	Cyprus	6: 1 (3: 0)
09/02/2006	Germany	-	Ireland	1: 0 (0: 0)
09/06/2006	San Marino	-	Germany	0:13 (0: 6)
09/06/2006	Slovakia	-	Czech Republic	0: 3 (0: 2)
07/10/2006	Czech Republic	-	San Marino	7: 0 (4: 0)
07/10/2006	Wales	-	Slovakia	1: 5 (1: 3)
07/10/2006	Cyprus	-	Ireland	5: 2 (2: 2)
10/11/2006	Ireland	-	Czech Republic	1: 1 (0: 0)
10/11/2006	Slovakia	-	Germany	1: 4 (0: 3)
10/11/2006	Wales	-	Cyprus	3: 1 (2: 0)
11/15/2006	Ireland	-	San Marino	5: 0 (3: 0)
11/15/2006	Cyprus	-	Germany	1: 1 (1: 1)
02/07/2007	San Marino	-	Ireland	1: 2 (0: 0)
03/24/2007	Czech Republic	-	Germany	1: 2 (0: 1)
03/24/2007	Ireland	-	Wales	1: 0 (1: 0)
03/24/2007	Cyprus	-	Slovakia	1: 3 (1: 0)
03/28/2007	Wales	-	San Marino	3: 0 (2: 0)
03/28/2007	Ireland	-	Slovakia	1: 0 (1: 0)
03/28/2007	Czech Republic	-	Cyprus	1: 0 (1: 0)
06/02/2007	Germany	-	San Marino	6: 0 (1: 0)

06/02/2007	Wales	-	Czech Republic	0-0
06/06/2007	Germany	-	Slovakia	2: 1 (2: 1)
08/22/2007	San Marino	-	Cyprus	0: 1 (0: 0)
09/08/2007	San Marino	-	Czech Republic	0: 3 (0: 1)
09/08/2007	Wales	-	Germany	0: 2 (0: 1)
09/08/2007	Slovakia	-	Ireland	2: 2 (1: 1)
09/12/2007	Czech Republic	-	Ireland	1: 0 (1: 0)
09/12/2007	Slovakia	-	Wales	2: 5 (1: 3)
09/12/2007	Cyprus	-	San Marino	3: 0 (2: 0)
10/13/2007	Cyprus	-	Wales	3: 1 (0: 1)
10/13/2007	Ireland	-	Germany	0-0
10/13/2007	Slovakia	-	San Marino	7: 0 (3: 0)
10/17/2007	Germany	-	Czech Republic	0: 3 (0: 2)
10/17/2007	Ireland	-	Cyprus	1: 1 (0: 0)
10/17/2007	San Marino	-	Wales	1: 2 (0: 2)
11/17/2007	Czech Republic	-	Slovakia	3: 1 (1: 0)
11/17/2007	Germany	-	Cyprus	4: 0 (2: 0)
11/17/2007	Wales	-	Ireland	2: 2 (1: 1)
11/21/2007	Cyprus	-	Czech Republic	0: 2 (0: 1)
11/21/2007	Germany	-	Wales	0-0
11/21/2007	San Marino	-	Slovakia	0: 5 (0: 1)

Group E

Closing table

While Croatia safely mastered the group and qualified early on, behind this team there was a duel between the Russians trained by Guus Hiddink and England, whose coach Steve McClaren could see a broad media front against him almost from the start. England's failure was already apparent in the first half of qualifying as the team lost numerous points to Macedonia, Croatia and Israel. After coach Steve McClaren had called back David Beckham, who had retired at the beginning of his tenure, to the national team, however, against Estonia, Israel, Russia and again Estonia four 3-0 wins in a row. With another victory against Russia in Moscow, England would have qualified together with Croatia; Russia was able to turn the game around after a 0-1 deficit at halftime, so that England could no longer qualify on their own and had to hope that Russia would not win against Israel. Since Russia surprisingly lost 2-1 to Israel through a goal in stoppage time, England would have been able to draw in the home game against Croatia, as the direct comparison between England and Russia spoke for England. But England actually had to admit defeat to the powerful Croatian at their home at Wembley Stadium . Russia's 1-0 win in Andorra was enough to qualify for a European Championship again after 2004.

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Croatia	12	9	2	1	028: 800	29
2.	Russia	12	7th	3	2	018: 700	24
3.	England	12	7th	2	3	024: 700	23
4th	Israel	12	7th	2	3	020:120	23
5.	Macedonia	12	4th	2	6th	012:120	14th
6th	Estonia	12	2	1	9	005:210	07th
7th	Andorra	12	0	0	12	002:420	00

Game results

08/16/2006	Estonia	-	Macedonia	0: 1 (0: 0)
09/02/2006	England	-	Andorra	5: 0 (3: 0)
09/02/2006	Estonia	-	Israel	0: 1 (0: 1)
09/06/2006	Russia	-	Croatia	0-0
09/06/2006	Israel	-	Andorra	4: 1 (3: 0) *
09/06/2006	Macedonia	-	England	0: 1 (0: 0)
07/10/2006	England	-	Macedonia	0-0
07/10/2006	Croatia	-	Andorra	7: 0 (2: 0)
07/10/2006	Russia	-	Israel	1: 1 (1: 0)
10/11/2006	Andorra	-	Macedonia	0: 3 (0: 3)
10/11/2006	Russia	-	Estonia	2: 0 (0: 0)
10/11/2006	Croatia	-	England	2: 0 (0: 0)
11/15/2006	Israel	-	Croatia	3: 4 (1: 2)
11/15/2006	Macedonia	-	Russia	0: 2 (0: 2)
03/24/2007	Israel	-	England	0-0
03/24/2007	Estonia	-	Russia	0: 2 (0: 0)
03/24/2007	Croatia	-	Macedonia	2: 1 (0: 1)
03/28/2007	Andorra	-	England	0: 3 (0: 0)
03/28/2007	Israel	-	Estonia	4: 0 (2: 0)
06/02/2007	Estonia	-	Croatia	0: 1 (0: 1)
06/02/2007	Russia	-	Andorra	4: 0 (2: 0)

06/02/2007	Macedonia	-	Israel	1: 2 (1: 2)
06/06/2007	Andorra	-	Israel	0: 2 (0: 1)
06/06/2007	Croatia	-	Russia	0-0
06/06/2007	Estonia	-	England	0: 3 (0: 1)
08/22/2007	Estonia	-	Andorra	2: 1 (1: 0)
09/08/2007	England	-	Israel	3: 0 (1: 0)
09/08/2007	Russia	-	Macedonia	3: 0 (1: 0)
09/08/2007	Croatia	-	Estonia	2: 0 (2: 0)
09/12/2007	Andorra	-	Croatia	0: 6 (0: 3)
09/12/2007	Macedonia	-	Estonia	1: 1 (1: 1)
09/12/2007	England	-	Russia	3: 0 (2: 0)
10/13/2007	England	-	Estonia	3: 0 (3: 0)
10/13/2007	Croatia	-	Israel	1: 0 (0: 0)
10/17/2007	Macedonia	-	Andorra	3: 0 (2: 0)
10/17/2007	Russia	-	England	2: 1 (0: 1)
11/17/2007	Macedonia	-	Croatia	2: 0 (0: 0)
11/17/2007	Israel	-	Russia	2: 1 (1: 0)
11/17/2007	Andorra	-	Estonia	0: 2 (0: 1)
11/21/2007	England	-	Croatia	2: 3 (0: 2)
11/21/2007	Israel	-	Macedonia	1: 0 (1: 0)
11/21/2007	Andorra	-	Russia	0: 1 (0: 1)

* Since, in the opinion of UEFA , due to the war in Lebanon, the security of the teams and spectators could not be guaranteed in view of the tense political situation, UEFA ordered that Israel would not be allowed to play its home games in Israel. The game therefore took place in De Goffert in Nijmegen in front of empty stands. After the situation eased, UEFA lifted the ban on Israel on September 15, 2006 with immediate effect.

Group F.

Closing table

Group F, with a total of four participants in Euro 2004, was rated as quite strong, but it offered a few surprises. Only after what could be described as a mixed start, Spain was able to assert itself - then sovereignly - and, unlike in the World Cup qualification, won the group. The second Swede was condominant from the second third of the qualifying round, but initially had to struggle with the surprisingly strong Northern Irish , who even defeated the Spaniards 3-2 in Belfast . However, after leading the table in the meantime, the Northern Irish performance sagged too much to qualify. Once again the Danes were disappointed because they fell far short of their expectations and those of the experts and who would have been expected to have at least a share in the fight for the European Championship places. Latvia , which qualified completely surprisingly in 2004, returned to insignificance with Euro 2008. On the other hand, Liechtenstein did well , defeating Latvia among others and not losing a game against the Icelanders .

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Spain	12	9	1	2	023: 800	28
2.	Sweden	12	8th	2	2	023: 900	26th
3.	Northern Ireland	12	6th	2	4th	017:140	20th
4th	Denmark	12	6th	2	4th	021:110	20th
5.	Latvia	12	4th	0	8th	015:170	12
6th	Iceland	12	2	2	8th	010:270	08th
7th	Liechtenstein	12	2	1	9	009:320	07th

Game results

09/02/2006	Northern Ireland	-	Iceland	0: 3 (0: 3)
09/02/2006	Latvia	-	Sweden	0: 1 (0: 1)
09/02/2006	Spain	-	Liechtenstein	4: 0 (2: 0)
09/06/2006	Iceland	-	Denmark	0: 2 (0: 2)
09/06/2006	Northern Ireland	-	Spain	3: 2 (1: 1)
09/06/2006	Sweden	-	Liechtenstein	3: 1 (1: 1)
07/10/2006	Denmark	-	Northern Ireland	0-0
07/10/2006	Latvia	-	Iceland	4: 0 (3: 0)
07/10/2006	Sweden	-	Spain	2: 0 (1: 0)
10/11/2006	Iceland	-	Sweden	1: 2 (1: 1)
10/11/2006	Liechtenstein	-	Denmark	0: 4 (0: 2)
10/11/2006	Northern Ireland	-	Latvia	1: 0 (1: 0)
03/24/2007	Spain	-	Denmark	2: 1 (2: 0)
03/24/2007	Liechtenstein	-	Northern Ireland	1: 4 (0: 0)
03/28/2007	Northern Ireland	-	Sweden	2: 1 (1: 1)
03/28/2007	Liechtenstein	-	Latvia	1: 0 (1: 0)
03/28/2007	Spain	-	Iceland	1: 0 (0: 0)
06/02/2007	Denmark	-	Sweden	0: 3 *
06/02/2007	Latvia	-	Spain	0: 2 (0: 1)
06/02/2007	Iceland	-	Liechtenstein	1: 1 (1: 0)
06/06/2007	Liechtenstein	-	Spain	0: 2 (0: 2)

06/06/2007	Sweden	-	Iceland	5: 0 (3: 0)
06/06/2007	Latvia	-	Denmark	0: 2 (0: 2)
08/22/2007	Northern Ireland	-	Liechtenstein	3: 1 (2: 0)
09/08/2007	Sweden	-	Denmark	0-0
09/08/2007	Latvia	-	Northern Ireland	1: 0 (0: 0)
09/08/2007	Iceland	-	Spain	1: 1 (1: 0)
09/12/2007	Iceland	-	Northern Ireland	2: 1 (1: 0)
09/12/2007	Spain	-	Latvia	2: 0 (1: 0)
09/12/2007	Denmark	-	Liechtenstein	4: 0 (4: 0)
10/13/2007	Denmark	-	Spain	1: 3 (0: 2)
10/13/2007	Liechtenstein	-	Sweden	0: 3 (0: 2)
10/13/2007	Iceland	-	Latvia	2: 4 (1: 3)
10/17/2007	Sweden	-	Northern Ireland	1: 1 (1: 0)
10/17/2007	Liechtenstein	-	Iceland	3: 0 (1: 0)
10/17/2007	Denmark	-	Latvia	3: 1 (2: 0)
11/17/2007	Spain	-	Sweden	3: 0 (2: 0)
11/17/2007	Northern Ireland	-	Denmark	2: 1 (0: 0)
11/17/2007	Latvia	-	Liechtenstein	4: 1 (2: 1)
11/21/2007	Spain	-	Northern Ireland	1: 0 (0: 0)
11/21/2007	Denmark	-	Iceland	3: 0 (2: 0)
11/21/2007	Sweden	-	Latvia	2: 1 (1: 1)

* Game abandoned in the 89th minute when the score was 3: 3 (1: 3) . When referee Herbert Fandel sent the Danish player Christian Poulsen off the field after a punch against his opponent and gave a penalty to Sweden, he was attacked by a spectator and then stopped the game. On June 8, 2007, UEFA rated the game 3-0 for Sweden on the recommendation of the referee team. In addition, UEFA originally fined the host team € 61,000. In addition, the next four Danish home games should take place at least 250 kilometers from Copenhagen and the next home game (against Liechtenstein) should be played behind closed doors. Following an appeal by the Danish Football Association against this ruling, UEFA reduced the fine to 30,000 euros on July 5, 2007 and the minimum distance of the next four home games to 140 kilometers from Copenhagen.

Group G

Closing table

Somewhat surprisingly, the Netherlands had to let the strong Romanians win the group in Group G , but ultimately qualified with one point ahead of Bulgaria .

Bulgaria finished third as expected. Luxembourg achieved their first victory since 1995, a 1-0 win in Belarus.

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	Romania	12	9	2	1	026: 700	29
2.	Netherlands	12	8th	2	2	015: 500	26th
3.	Bulgaria	12	7th	4th	1	018: 700	25th
4th	Belarus	12	4th	1	7th	017:230	13
5.	Albania	12	2	5	5	012:180	11
6th	Slovenia	12	3	2	7th	009:160	11
7th	Luxembourg	12	1	0	11	002:230	03

Game results

09/02/2006	Belarus	-	Albania	2: 2 (2: 1)
09/02/2006	Luxembourg	-	Netherlands	0: 1 (0: 1)
09/02/2006	Romania	-	Bulgaria	2: 2 (1: 0)
09/06/2006	Netherlands	-	Belarus	3: 0 (1: 0)
09/06/2006	Albania	-	Romania	0: 2 (0: 0)
09/06/2006	Bulgaria	-	Slovenia	3: 0 (0: 0)
07/10/2006	Romania	-	Belarus	3: 1 (2: 1)
07/10/2006	Bulgaria	-	Netherlands	1: 1 (1: 0)
07/10/2006	Slovenia	-	Luxembourg	2: 0 (2: 0)
10/11/2006	Belarus	-	Slovenia	4: 2 (1: 2)
10/11/2006	Luxembourg	-	Bulgaria	0: 1 (0: 1)
10/11/2006	Netherlands	-	Albania	2: 1 (2: 0)
03/24/2007	Netherlands	-	Romania	0-0
03/24/2007	Luxembourg	-	Belarus	1: 2 (0: 1)
03/24/2007	Albania	-	Slovenia	0-0
03/28/2007	Romania	-	Luxembourg	3: 0 (1: 0)
03/28/2007	Slovenia	-	Netherlands	0: 1 (0: 0)
03/28/2007	Bulgaria	-	Albania	0-0
06/02/2007	Albania	-	Luxembourg	2: 0 (1: 0)
06/02/2007	Belarus	-	Bulgaria	0: 2 (0: 1)
06/02/2007	Slovenia	-	Romania	1: 2 (0: 0)

06/06/2007	Luxembourg	-	Albania	0: 3 (0: 2)
06/06/2007	Bulgaria	-	Belarus	2: 1 (2: 1)
06/06/2007	Romania	-	Slovenia	2: 0 (1: 0)
09/08/2007	Belarus	-	Romania	1: 3 (1: 2)
09/08/2007	Netherlands	-	Bulgaria	2: 0 (1: 0)
09/08/2007	Luxembourg	-	Slovenia	0: 3 (0: 2)
09/12/2007	Slovenia	-	Belarus	1: 0 (1: 0)
09/12/2007	Bulgaria	-	Luxembourg	3: 0 (2: 0)
09/12/2007	Albania	-	Netherlands	0: 1 (0: 0)
10/13/2007	Romania	-	Netherlands	1: 0 (0: 0)
10/13/2007	Belarus	-	Luxembourg	0: 1 (0: 0)
10/13/2007	Slovenia	-	Albania	0-0
10/17/2007	Luxembourg	-	Romania	0: 2 (0: 1)
10/17/2007	Netherlands	-	Slovenia	2: 0 (1: 0)
10/17/2007	Albania	-	Bulgaria	1: 1 (1: 0)
11/17/2007	Bulgaria	-	Romania	1: 0 (1: 0)
11/17/2007	Albania	-	Belarus	2: 4 (2: 2)
11/17/2007	Netherlands	-	Luxembourg	1: 0 (1: 0)
11/21/2007	Belarus	-	Netherlands	2: 1 (0: 0)
11/21/2007	Romania	-	Albania	6: 1 (1: 0)
11/21/2007	Slovenia	-	Bulgaria	0: 2 (0: 0)

Finalists

The following national teams qualified:

country	Qualified as	Qualification date	Previous participation in the final round 1
Austria	host	December 12, 2002	0 (first participation)
Switzerland	host	December 12, 2002	2 ( 1996 , 2004 )
Poland	Winner group A	November 17, 2007	0 (first participation)
Portugal	Second group A	November 21, 2007	4 ( 1984 , 1996 , 2000 , 2004 )
Italy	Winner group B	November 17, 2007	6 ( 1968 , 1980 , 1988 , 1996 , 2000 , 2004 )
France	Second group B	November 17, 2007	6 ( 1960 , 1984 , 1992 , 1996 , 2000 , 2004 )
Greece	Winner group C	October 17, 2007	2 ( 1980 , 2004 )
Turkey	Second group C	November 21, 2007	2 ( 1996 , 2000 )
Czech Republic	Winner group D	October 17, 2007	6 ( 1960 2 , 1976 2 , 1980 2 , 1996 , 2000 , 2004 )
Germany	Second group D	October 13, 2007	9 ( 1972 , 1976 , 1980 , 1984 , 1988 , 1992 , 1996 , 2000 , 2004 )
Croatia	Winner group E	November 17, 2007	2 ( 1996 , 2004 )
Russia	Second group E	November 21, 2007	8 ( 1960 3 , 1964 3 , 1968 3 , 1972 3 , 1988 3 , 1992 4 , 1996 , 2004 )
Spain	Winner group F	November 17, 2007	7 ( 1964 , 1980 , 1984 , 1988 , 1996 , 2000 , 2004 )
Sweden	Second group F	November 21, 2007	3 ( 1992 , 2000 , 2004 )
Romania	Winner group G	October 17, 2007	3 ( 1984 , 1996 , 2000 )
Netherlands	Second group G	November 17, 2007	7 ( 1976 , 1980 , 1988 , 1992 , 1996 , 2000 , 2004 )

¹ Teams in bold became European champions, teams in italics were automatically qualified as hosts

² as Czechoslovakia

³ as the Soviet Union

⁴ as the Commonwealth of Independent States

Best goal scorers

Below are the top scorers in European Championship qualification. They are sorted alphabetically according to the number of hits or if the number of goals is the same.

rank	player	Gates
1	David Healy	13
2	Eduardo	10
3	Ebi Smolarek	9
4th	Lukas Podolski	8th
	Cristiano Ronaldo	8th
	Jon Dahl Tomasson	8th
7th	Thierry Henry	7th
	Steffen Iversen	7th
	Mladen Petrić	7th
	David Villa	7th
	Nikola Žigić	7th

Web links

Commons : Qualification for the European Football Championship 2008  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ de.uefa.com - "Azerbaijan – Armenia games deleted", June 25, 2007
2. ↑ Serbia-Kazakhstan canceled , November 17, 2007
3. ^ Maltese Sammut blocked for ten years. In: uefa.com. August 29, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012 . 
4. ↑ fussballportal.de ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - “Israel must play in front of a ghost backdrop”, September 10, 2006  
5. ↑ de.uefa.com - “UEFA lifts Israel's ban”, September 15, 2006
6. ↑ de.uefa.com - "Game canceled in Copenhagen", June 2, 2007
7. ↑ de.uefa.com - “Sweden Awarded Victory”, June 8, 2007
8. ↑ kicker.de - “Danes play in Aarhus - Protest brings relief”, July 9, 2007