- 24 Nations
- 6 Groups
- 51 Matches
- 4 Years apart
Regolamento
The European Championship is UEFA’s tournament for national teams. It is played every four years, midway between two editions of the World Cup.
The format of the final tournament
Twenty-four nations take part, split into six groups of four. Each team plays three matches within its group.
The top two from each group go through, twelve in all, plus the four best third-placed teams compared across groups. That gives sixteen teams and a regular bracket.
| Group position | Consequence | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Round of 16 | In theory a kinder tie |
| 2nd | Round of 16 | Through on direct merit |
| 3rd among the best four | Round of 16 | Taken through by comparing the six groups |
| 3rd outside the best four | Elimination | Two third-placed teams of six go out |
| 4th | Elimination | No route back |
The criterion that sets this tournament apart
At the Euros, unlike the World Cup, a tie between two nations in the same group is settled first by head-to-head results. Goal difference and goals scored only come afterwards.
It is the Serie A principle and the opposite of the Premier League one. With only three matches played, having beaten your direct rival therefore counts for a great deal.
Comparing third-placed teams from different groups needs another criterion: head-to-head results do not exist, so it starts from points and continues with goal difference, goals scored and disciplinary record.
Qualifying
The preliminary stage runs over two years, in groups covering every member association. The top two in each group reach the final tournament directly.
A few places remain, and here the European system introduces a solution that exists nowhere else.
The second route: the play-offs
The remaining places do not go to the best third-placed teams from the qualifying groups. They are decided by play-offs, entry to which depends on results in the Nations League.
Nations that won their Nations League group without qualifying by the ordinary route earn a play-off place. If there are not enough of them, the overall ranking is used to fill the spots.
| Route | How it is earned | When it is settled |
|---|---|---|
| Direct | First or second in the qualifying group | Autumn of the previous year |
| Play-offs | Nations League performance | Spring of the tournament year |
| Host country | A right reserved to the host | Years ahead |
Why the system exists
Before it was introduced, a smaller nation could play friendlies for years with no prospect of anything. Tying the play-offs to the Nations League gave weaker associations something concrete to aim at.
It is the same logic that produced the Conference League among clubs: opening a door for those who had none.
The bracket
From the round of 16 the tournament is a straight knockout, through quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final. There is no third-place play-off, unlike at the World Cup.
A level tie goes to extra time and then penalties. The bracket is drawn up in advance, so winning a group leads to a different road from finishing second.
The shape of a cycle
- First year after the tournament The Nations League begins, building both its own trophy and the ranking used for the play-offs.
- Second year The qualifying groups start, with matches spread across the international breaks.
- Autumn of the third year The groups close: the top two in each are through.
- March of the fourth year The play-offs are played, awarding the last available places.
- June and July The final tournament, from the opening group round to the final.
Why the matches fall during breaks
Qualifying has no dedicated period: it is played in the international windows that interrupt domestic leagues. That is why Serie A and the other competitions stop several times a season.
The calendar is agreed between FIFA and the confederations years in advance, and it binds every domestic league.
Posizioni e qualificazioni
| Outcome | Consequence | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Winning the tournament | European champions | Held for four years |
| Winning the tournament | Entry to an intercontinental fixture | Against the South American champions |
| Any result | Ranking points | They set the pots for future draws |
| Group-stage exit | No sporting consequence | National teams are not relegated |
What the winner takes
The tournament awards the continental title. The winner also plays the intercontinental fixture against the South American champions, staged months later.
There are no negative consequences: no nation drops a level for playing badly. The difference from club football is the one already described on the World Cup page.
The effect on the ranking
Results feed the UEFA national team ranking, which sets the pots for the next qualifying draw. A better pot means more manageable opponents, and so a better chance of qualifying again.
It is the same loop seen among clubs with the UEFA ranking: past performance smooths the way for future performance.
The host’s advantage
The host qualifies automatically and skips the qualifiers. When the tournament is spread across several countries, as in some editions, that right may not extend to every host.
Premi
UEFA distributes part of the tournament’s revenue to the participating associations, on criteria similar to those used for club competitions.
The channels
| Channel | Who receives it | Criterion |
|---|---|---|
| Participation payment | Every qualified association | Equal for all |
| Performance payment | Associations, by round reached | Rises with each round passed |
| Club benefits | Clubs registering the called-up players | Proportional to days spent away |
The payment to clubs
Here too, clubs releasing their players receive a payment. It compensates for a month in which the club pays the wages without having the player available, and carries the injury risk.
It reaches every club with a called-up player, including those from the smaller leagues described on the other European leagues page.
What it is worth to an association
For smaller associations, qualification alone can be the largest single item of income across a four-year cycle. That is the financial argument behind the expansion from sixteen teams to twenty-four.
What is not covered
Player bonuses are decided by each association, not by UEFA. The sums and the criteria vary from country to country and are not comparable.
Calciomercato
As with every national-team tournament, there are no transfer rules of its own, but the calendar and the performances shape negotiations.
The release obligation
Clubs must release called-up players in the windows set by the international calendar. It applies to the final tournament and to qualifying matches, which fall during the domestic season.
The contractual consequences are described in the guide to clauses and contracts.
The tournament that moves prices
The final stage is played in June, in the middle of the summer window. A good tournament can therefore change a player’s value while a deal is being negotiated.
That differs from the World Cup, which often falls at another time of year. The exact session dates are in the guide to transfer windows.
The risk for clubs
A player who goes deep in the tournament returns with a shortened break. Clubs with many internationals therefore begin the season with part of the squad behind on fitness, as described on the Milan page in relation to squad depth.
The chance for young players
For a footballer from a smaller league, the continental tournament is often the only showcase in front of scouts from bigger clubs. Many of the deals described in the guide to types of transfer begin in those weeks.
