UEFA Euro 2008
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations). It took place in Austria and Switzerland (both hosting the tournament for the first time) from 7 to 29 June 2008.
| Fußball-Europameisterschaft 2008 (in German) Championnat d'Europe de football 2008 (in French) Campionato Europeo di calcio 2008 (in Italian) Campiunadi d'Europa da ballape 2008 (in Romansh) | |
|---|---|
Expect Emotions | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host countries | Austria Switzerland |
| Dates | 7–29 June |
| Teams | 16 |
| Venue(s) | 8 (in 8 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Spain (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Germany |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 31 |
| Goals scored | 77 (2.48 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,143,990 (36,903 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | David Villa (4 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Xavi |
The tournament was won by Spain, who defeated Germany 1–0 in the final. Spain were only the second nation to win all their group stage fixtures and then the European Championship itself, matching France's achievement from 1984. Spain were also the first team since Germany in 1996 to win the tournament undefeated.
Greece were the defending champions going into the tournament, having won UEFA Euro 2004. They recorded the worst finish in Euro 2008, losing their three group fixtures and collecting the least prize money. Throughout 31 matches, the participating nations totalled 77 goals, the same as the previous tournament.
Austria and Switzerland automatically qualified as hosts; the remaining 14 teams were determined through a qualifying tournament, played between August 2006 and November 2007. As European champions, Spain earned the right to compete in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.