UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
| UEFA European Qualifiers |
|---|
This page describes the qualifying procedure for the UEFA Euro 2008.
Qualified teams
| Host nations | Qualifiers |
|---|---|
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, counted towards the coefficients, also determining which pot a national team was put in. Some points to note:
- Greece were European champions, thus were automatically seeded in the top pool.
- Portugal did not have to qualify for UEFA Euro 2004 as they hosted the tournament. Only their record in 2006 World Cup qualifying was used.
- Germany did not have to qualify for the World Cup 2006 as hosts. Only their record in UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying was used.
- Kazakhstan had never competed in the European Championships, so only their World Cup record was used. The team's last continental qualifying was for the 2000 Asian Cup. Their record in that competition (P4, Pts6) is not used.
- After the independence from Serbia for Montenegro, Serbia took up the old Serbia and Montenegro's fixtures. Montenegro had not been admitted to UEFA/FIFA at the time the qualifying competition had started, and therefore did not compete until the qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.
The draw took place on 27 January 2006 in Montreux, Switzerland.[1]
| Pot | Team | Coefficient rating | Pot | Team | Coefficient rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Greece1 |
1.950 | 5 |  Hungary |
1.389 |
 Netherlands |
2.550 |  Finland |
1.300 | ||
 Portugal |
2.500 |  Estonia |
1.250 | ||
 England |
2.500 |  Wales |
1.167 | ||
 Czech Republic |
2.450 |  Lithuania |
1.111 | ||
 France |
2.444 |  Albania |
1.050 | ||
 Sweden |
2.278 |  Iceland |
0.944 | ||
| 2 |  Germany |
2.250 | 6 |  Georgia |
0.850 |
 Croatia |
2.222 |  North Macedonia |
0.750 | ||
 Italy |
2.222 |  Belarus |
0.722 | ||
 Turkey |
2.100 |  Armenia |
0.700 | ||
 Poland |
2.056 |  Northern Ireland |
0.667 | ||
 Spain |
2.056 |  Cyprus |
0.667 | ||
 Romania |
1.950 |  Moldova |
0.611 | ||
| 3 |  Serbia |
1.889 | 7 |  Liechtenstein |
0.450 |
 Russia |
1.850 |  Azerbaijan |
0.389 | ||
 Denmark |
1.850 |  Andorra |
0.250 | ||
 Norway |
1.778 |  Malta |
0.222 | ||
 Bulgaria |
1.778 |  Faroe Islands |
0.111 | ||
 Ukraine |
1.750 |  Kazakhstan |
0.083 | ||
 Slovakia |
1.650 |  Luxembourg |
0.000 | ||
| 4 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
1.611 |  San Marino |
0.000 | |
 Republic of Ireland |
1.556 | ||||
 Belgium |
1.556 | ||||
 Latvia |
1.550 | ||||
 Israel |
1.500 | ||||
 Scotland |
1.500 | ||||
 Slovenia |
1.444 | ||||
1 Greece were first seeded, as European champions
Austria (1.333) and 
Switzerland (1.833) were already assured of places at Euro 2008 as host nations.
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 secured a place in the final tournament are highlighted in green. The order of teams is by final group position. For the first time, UEFA named the qualifying groups alphabetically rather than numerically.
Hosts
Groups
The qualifying process started in August 2006. Austria and Switzerland were granted places in the tournament finals as host nations.
The qualifying format had 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. Therefore, there were no play-offs between teams finishing in second place in the groups. Six of the qualifying groups contain seven teams, and the other, eight.
As the official successor of the previous football association, Serbia inherited the position originally allotted to Serbia and Montenegro in Group A prior to the dissolution of the state union. Montenegro were granted UEFA membership after qualifying had started and thus were not able to participate in this European Championship.
Key:
- Teams highlighted in green qualified for the finals
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
| Scorer | Goals | Mins played | Nation | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Healy | 13 | 1075 | Northern Ireland
|
Leeds United/Fulham
|
| Eduardo | 10 | 1061 | Croatia
|
Arsenal
|
| Euzebiusz Smolarek | 9 | 824 | Poland
|
Racing Santander
|
| Lukas Podolski | 8 | 660 | Germany
|
Bayern Munich
|
| Jon Dahl Tomasson | 8 | 989 | Denmark
|
Villarreal
|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 8 | 1153 | Portugal
|
Manchester United
|
| Steffen Iversen | 7 | 669 | Norway
|
Rosenborg
|
| Mladen Petrić | 7 | 677 | Croatia
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
| Nikola Žigić | 7 | 867 | Serbia
|
Valencia
|
| David Villa | 7 | 896 | Spain
|
Valencia
|
Source: UEFA
References
- ^ Qualifying draw (UEFA).
External links
- Competition regulations (PDF file) UEFA.com
