european championship format
The European Championships is UEFA’s international soccer competition and takes place every four years.
The tournament has been running since its inception as the ‘UEFA European Nations Cup’ in 1960.
Sixteen European nations currently compete in the championships (from 2016 the number will increase to 24) from an initial qualification process that currently includes 51 teams (excluding hosts).
The championship itself consists of two stages; a group stage and a knockout stage.
The group stage is split into four groups of four with four seeded sides placed into separate groups. These seeded sides include the host nations, the current champions and the team with the highest UEFA coefficient ranking based on the previous European Championships (qualification and tournament), FIFA World Cup (qualification and tournament) and qualification for the actual event.
The rest of the sides are then delegated one of four pots based on the same coefficient ranking, and the nations are then drawn from the four pots to form the final groups.
In the group stage each team faces each other once with three points for a win and one for a draw. The teams that finish first or second in the group will qualify for the quarter-finals.
The group table is determined by the following factors:
a) The highest number of points obtained in the three group games
b) The head-to-head record of those teams in question
c) The highest goal difference of those teams in question.
d) Superior goal difference throughout group games.
e) Highest number of goals scored
f) Fair play conduct of the teams in the final tournament
g) The drawing of lots by UEFA
The eight teams that progress from the group stages then enter a knockout stage consisting of a quarter-finals, semi-finals, third place play-off and final.
If a team fails to win a knockout tie within the 90 minutes, the game enters an extra time period of two 15-minute halves. If the game remains level after 120 minutes of play, it is determined by a penalty shootout.
The tournament has been running since its inception as the ‘UEFA European Nations Cup’ in 1960.
Sixteen European nations currently compete in the championships (from 2016 the number will increase to 24) from an initial qualification process that currently includes 51 teams (excluding hosts).
The championship itself consists of two stages; a group stage and a knockout stage.
The group stage is split into four groups of four with four seeded sides placed into separate groups. These seeded sides include the host nations, the current champions and the team with the highest UEFA coefficient ranking based on the previous European Championships (qualification and tournament), FIFA World Cup (qualification and tournament) and qualification for the actual event.
The rest of the sides are then delegated one of four pots based on the same coefficient ranking, and the nations are then drawn from the four pots to form the final groups.
In the group stage each team faces each other once with three points for a win and one for a draw. The teams that finish first or second in the group will qualify for the quarter-finals.
The group table is determined by the following factors:
a) The highest number of points obtained in the three group games
b) The head-to-head record of those teams in question
c) The highest goal difference of those teams in question.
d) Superior goal difference throughout group games.
e) Highest number of goals scored
f) Fair play conduct of the teams in the final tournament
g) The drawing of lots by UEFA
The eight teams that progress from the group stages then enter a knockout stage consisting of a quarter-finals, semi-finals, third place play-off and final.
If a team fails to win a knockout tie within the 90 minutes, the game enters an extra time period of two 15-minute halves. If the game remains level after 120 minutes of play, it is determined by a penalty shootout.
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