View source for UEFA Euro 2008

{{about|the sporting event|the video game based on this event|UEFA Euro 2008 (video game)}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2020}}
{{Short description|13th edition of the UEFA European Football Championship}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox international football competition
| tourney_name = UEFA Euro 2008
| other_titles = Fußball-Europameisterschaft 2008 <br />{{nobold|''{{in lang|de}}''}}<br />Championnat d'Europe de football 2008 <br />{{nobold|''{{in lang|fr}}''}}<br />Campionato Europeo di calcio 2008 <br /> {{nobold|''{{in lang|it}}''}}<br />Campiunadi d'Europa da ballape 2008  <br /> {{nobold|''{{in lang|rm}}''}}
| image = UEFA Euro 2008 Logo.svg
| size = 200px
| caption = ''Expect Emotions''
| country = Austria
| country2 = Switzerland
| dates = 7–29 June
| num_teams = 16
| venues = 8
| cities = 8
| champion = ESP
| count = 2
| second = GER
| matches = 31
| goals = 77
| attendance = {{#expr: 39730 + 29106 + 51428 + 30461 + 30585 + 30777 + 30772 + 31063 + 29016 + 39730 + 30461 + 51428 + 30585 + 30777 + 30772 + 31063 + 39730 + 29016 + 30461 + 51428 + 30777 + 30585 + 30883 + 30772 + 39374 + 51428 + 38374 + 51178 + 39374 + 51428 + 51428}}
| top_scorer = {{fbicon|ESP}} [[David Villa]] {{nowrap|(4 goals)}}
| player = {{fbicon|ESP}} [[Xavi (footballer, born 1980)|Xavi]]
| prevseason = [[UEFA Euro 2004|2004]]
| nextseason = [[UEFA Euro 2012|2012]]
}}
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 [[association football|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.

The tournament was won by [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]], who defeated [[Germany national football team|Germany]] 1–0 in the [[UEFA Euro 2008 Final|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 [[UEFA Euro 1984 Final|1984]]. Spain were also the first team since Germany in [[UEFA Euro 1996|1996]] to win the tournament undefeated.

[[Greece national football team|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 national football team|Austria]] and [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] automatically qualified as hosts; the remaining 14 teams were determined through a [[UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying|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.

==Bid process==
{{main|UEFA Euro 2008 bids}}

Austria and Switzerland jointly bid to host the games, and facing competition from six other bids: [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]–[[Croatia]], [[Greece]]–[[Turkey]], a 4-way [[Nordic countries|Nordic]] bid (from [[Denmark]], [[Finland]], [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]]), [[Hungary]], [[Russia]] and [[Scotland]]–[[Republic of Ireland]].<ref name="BBC contenders">{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/2553465.stm|title=The Euro 2008 contenders|website=BBC Sport|date=9 December 2002|access-date=10 March 2018}}</ref> Austria and Hungary had previously bid together to host [[UEFA Euro 2004|Euro 2004]], losing out to [[Portugal]], while Sweden had hosted [[UEFA Euro 1992|Euro 1992]].<ref name="BBC contenders"/>

Austria–Switzerland, Hungary, Greece–Turkey and the Nordic bid were recommended, in that order, before the final vote by [[UEFA]]'s National Teams Committee.<ref name="Mihir">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/3039605/Scots-Irish-bid-sunk-by-politics.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/3039605/Scots-Irish-bid-sunk-by-politics.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Scots-Irish bid sunk by politics|last=Bose|first=Mihir|date=13 December 2002|work=The Telegraph|access-date=10 March 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The final vote by the UEFA executive committee was:<ref name="Mihir"/>
#Austria–Switzerland
#Hungary
#Greece–Turkey
#Nordic
#Scotland–Ireland
#Russia
#Bosnia and Herzegovina–Croatia

The Austria–Switzerland bid became the second successful joint bid in the competition's history, following the [[UEFA Euro 2000]] hosted by [[Belgium]] and the [[Netherlands]]. The [[UEFA Euro 2012|following tournament]], held in [[Poland]] and [[Ukraine]], became the third jointly hosted tournament.

==Summary==
[[UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying|Qualification]] for Euro 2008 started in August 2006, just over a month after the end of the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]]. The qualifying tournament was contested by national teams from each of [[UEFA]]'s member associations except [[Austria national football team|Austria]] and [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]], who had automatically qualified for the final tournament as hosts, and [[Montenegro national football team|Montenegro]], who came into existence too late to be admitted to UEFA. [[England national football team|England]] was the only seeded team not to qualify for the tournament proper, whereas [[Russia national football team|Russia]] was the only unseeded one to qualify. The tournament also marked the debuts of Austria and [[Poland national football team|Poland]].

The draw for the final tournament took place on 2 December 2007, and saw [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group C|Group C]] immediately labelled as the "[[group of death]]", with [[Italy national football team|Italy]], [[France national football team|France]], [[Romania national football team|Romania]] and the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]] competing for the two qualifying places. In contrast, [[Germany national football team|Germany]] and [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]] were deemed to have an easy draw, as the tournament structure meant they could not meet Italy, France, the Netherlands or [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]] until the final.

In the group stage, [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]], Spain and the Netherlands all qualified with maximum points. Austria and Switzerland were not expected to progress, despite the advantage of being the hosts. In [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group A|Group A]], the Swiss lost their captain, [[Alexander Frei]], to injury in their first game and became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament, after losing their first two matches. Switzerland managed to beat the group winner Portugal in their last game.

In [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group B|Group B]], Austria managed to set up a decisive final game against Germany, dubbed "Austria's final".<ref>{{cite news |title=Germany Advances to Euro 2008 Quarterfinals |publisher=WSN |date=16 June 2008 |access-date=17 March 2009 |url=http://www.wsn.com/2008/06/16/football/news/2008-european-championship/germany-advances-to-euro-2008-quarterfinals_343529/}}</ref> However, they lost by one goal, making Euro 2008 the first European Championship not to have one of the host nations present in the knockout stage. In an exciting final game in Group A, an injury- and suspension-hit [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]] came back from 2–0 down to beat the [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]] 3–2, after an uncharacteristic handling mistake by [[Petr Čech]], in the last few minutes, left [[Nihat Kahveci]] with the simplest of finishes.

In the same game, goalkeeper [[Volkan Demirel]] was shown a red card for pushing Czech striker [[Jan Koller]] to the ground. The Turks joined Portugal as the qualifiers from Group A. France were the high-profile victims of Group C, recording just one point from a goalless draw against Romania in their opening game. Italy beat the French, on the final day, to finish on four points and join the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. Finally, in [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group D|Group D]], [[Greece national football team|Greece]] failed to reproduce the form of their shock [[UEFA Euro 2004|2004 win]], and ended the tournament with no points. Russia qualified at the expense of [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]], after beating them in a final game decider, joining Spain in the knockout stage.

Torrential rain during the Group A match between Switzerland and Turkey on 11 June resulted in the pitch at [[St. Jakob-Park]] in [[Basel]] requiring to be re-laid. The new pitch was installed in advance of the quarter-final match between Portugal and Germany on 19 June.<ref>Rogers, Iain, (18 June 2008) [https://web.archive.org/web/20180528214812/https://uk.reuters.com/article/soccer-euro-pitch/soccer-euro-newly-laid-basel-pitch-ready-for-use-uefa-says-idUKL1817831020080618 Soccer-Euro-Newly-laid Basel pitch ready for use, UEFA says], [[Reuters]] Retrieved 19 June 2018.</ref> In the quarter-finals, the Portuguese team was unable to give their coach, [[Luiz Felipe Scolari]], a fitting send-off – following the mid-tournament announcement that Scolari would be leaving to join English club [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] – losing in an exciting game against Germany. Turkey continued their streak of last-gasp wins, equalising at the end of extra-time against Croatia and advancing on penalties. Coached by Dutchman [[Guus Hiddink]], Russia eliminated the Netherlands with two extra-time goals. The last quarter-final match saw Spain defeat Italy on penalties, after a goalless draw in regular time.

[[File:Celebracion Eurocopa 1.jpg|thumb|287px|left|The Spanish football team touring Madrid as champions]]

Turkey's progress was halted by Germany in the semi-finals. Turkey entered the game with nine of their squad members missing due to injury or suspension, but still scored the first goal. Later, they levelled the score at 2–2, before Germany scored the winning goal in the final minute. The world television feed of the match was intermittently lost during the match, which prevented the broadcast of Germany's second goal.

This was due to a thunderstorm at the broadcasting relay station in Austria, despite the game being played in Switzerland. Swiss Television [[SRG SSR]] still had a feed, because of their own broadcasting facilities at the venue. During the lost world feed, German and Austrian television [[ZDF]] and [[ORF (broadcaster)|ORF]] started to broadcast the feed of German-speaking Swiss channel [[SRF 1|SF 1]].

This act ensured that the German goal was actually broadcast in Germany although not in Turkey.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/tv-signal-weg-zdf-zuernt-wegen-stromausfall-panne-a-562121.html |title=TV-Signal weg |access-date=26 May 2013 |date=25 June 2008 |publisher=spiegel.de }}</ref> Spain won the second semi-final against Russia by three goals to nil, through second-half goals from [[Xavi (footballer, born 1980)|Xavi]], [[Daniel Güiza]] and [[David Silva]], earning Spain their first appearance in a major final for 24 years.

In the final, held at [[Vienna]]'s [[Ernst-Happel-Stadion]], Spain became European champions for the second time after [[Fernando Torres]]' first-half goal proved enough to defeat Germany. Though Germany had a strong start, Spain started to look more dangerous after they had settled.

After half an hour, Xavi played a pass in behind the Germany back line towards Torres, who outmuscled a hesitant [[Philipp Lahm]] and clipped the ball over the diving [[Jens Lehmann]] and just inside the far post. That goal proved to be the only goal of the game, which Spain dominated despite Germany having the majority of the possession,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/tournament/matches/match=301696/statistics/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929055651/http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/tournament/matches/match=301696/statistics/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 September 2008 |title=Match statistics |access-date=30 June 2008 |date=29 June 2008 |publisher=[[UEFA]] }}</ref> and Spain were crowned UEFA Euro 2008 champions.

==Qualification==
{{main|UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying}}

The draw for the qualifying round took place in [[Montreux]], Switzerland on 27 January 2006 at 12:00 [[Central European Time|CET]].

The qualifying process commenced a month after the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]]. Austria and Switzerland automatically qualified for the tournament finals as host nations.

The qualifying format was changed compared to previous tournaments. The winners and runners-up from seven groups automatically qualified for the Championship, with the hosts filling the other two slots in the 16-team tournament. The change means there were no [[play-off]]s between teams finishing in second place in the groups – they qualified directly for the finals. Teams that finished outside the top two positions in their groups failed to qualify. Group A contained eight teams, and the others contained seven.

12 out of 16 teams who qualified for previous tournament also qualified, but the hosts, Austria, and Poland made their debuts at the European Championship. Romania and Turkey returned after missing out the 2004 tournament. For the first time since 1984, all five teams from the [[British Isles]] failed to qualify, including 2006 World Cup quarter-finalists England.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Moore|first1=Glenn |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/euro-2008-how-was-that-for-starters/28392822.html |title=Euro 2008: How was that for starters? |date=19 June 2008 |access-date=13 December 2023 |publisher=[[Belfast Telegraph]]}}</ref> Other notable absentees were 2006 World Cup quarter-finalists [[Ukraine national football team|Ukraine]], and [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]], who failed to qualify for the first time since 1980. [[Bulgaria national football team|Bulgaria]] and [[Latvia national football team|Latvia]] also failed to qualify after playing in Euro 2004.

As of 2024, this is the last time England and Ukraine have failed to qualify for the European Championship.

===Qualified teams===
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying}}

===Final draw===
The draw for the final tournament took place on 2 December 2007 at the [[Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre]] in Switzerland.<ref name="draw">{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Chaplin |title=Stage set for UEFA EURO 2008™ draw |url=http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/news/kind=1/newsid=623231.html?cid=rssfeed&att=index |website=[[UEFA]] |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |date=1 December 2007 |access-date=20 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224043913/http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/news/kind=1/newsid=623231.html?cid=rssfeed&att=index |archive-date=24 December 2007}}</ref>

As was the case at the 2000 and 2004 finals, the finalists were divided into four [[Single-elimination tournament#Seeding|seeding]] pots, based on the 2007 edition of the [[UEFA coefficient#Men's national team coefficient|UEFA national team coefficient]] ranking, which measured performance of teams in the [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)|2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying]] and [[UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying|Euro 2008 qualifying]],<ref name="2007ranking">{{cite web|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318135107/http://kassiesa.nl/uefa/wiki/index.php?title=National_Team_Ranking_2007|archive-date=18 March 2012|url=http://kassiesa.nl/uefa/wiki/index.php?title=National_Team_Ranking_2007|title=UEFA National Team Ranking 2007|publisher=UEFA Wiki (Kassiesa)|date=28 November 2007|access-date=18 March 2012}}</ref> with each group having one team drawn from each pot. In a return to the format used at [[UEFA Euro 1992|Euro 1992]] and [[UEFA Euro 1996|Euro 1996]] the games in each group were held at just two stadia, with the seeded team playing all three matches in the same city. [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] and [[Austria national football team|Austria]], as co-hosts, were automatically assigned to positions A1 and B1, respectively. The remaining 14 teams were split into four pots, with title-holders [[Greece national football team|Greece]] seeded alongside the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]] in Pot 1.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/491990.pdf |title=UEFA Euro 2008 Information |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071127110833/http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/491990.pdf |archive-date=27 November 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

UEFA came under heavy criticism from [[Raymond Domenech]], manager of [[France national football team|France]], who was not satisfied with his team's position in the draw,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/30/sports/EU-SPT-SOC-Euro-2008-Draw.php |title=Strange seeding make for interesting Euro 2008 draw |work=[[International Herald Tribune]] |date=30 November 2007 |access-date=30 November 2007}}</ref> and was also in favour of having [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] winners [[Italy national football team|Italy]] as top seed.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=487239 |title=Domenech Blasts UEFA, Supports Italy! |work=Goal.com |date=20 November 2007 |access-date=30 November 2007}}</ref> On 22 November 2007, Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA's professional football director, announced that a review of the coefficient ranking system was under way for future [[UEFA European Football Championship|European Championships]].<ref name="draw"/>

{|
|- valign=top
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ Pot 1{{efn|Co-hosts Switzerland (coefficient 1.800; rank 20th) and Austria (coefficient 1.500; rank 27th) belonged to pot 1 irrespective of their ranking position. Ahead of the draw, they were removed from pot 1 and automatically assigned to group positions A1 and B1, respectively.}}
|-
!width=150|Team !! {{Tooltip|Coeff|UEFA national team coefficient}} !! {{Tooltip|Rank|Ranking on UEFA national team coefficient}}<ref name="2007ranking"/>
|-bgcolor=#ccffcc
| {{nowrap|{{fb|GRE}} <small>(holders)</small>{{efn|Defending champions Greece (coefficient 2.167; rank 11th) were automatically assigned to Pot 1, and could be drawn into either Group C or D.}}}} ||align=right| 2.167 ||align=center| 11
|-
| {{fb|NED}} ||align=right| 2.417 ||align=center| 1
|}
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ Pot 2
|-
!width=150|Team !! {{Tooltip|Coeff|UEFA national team coefficient}} !! {{Tooltip|Rank|Ranking on UEFA national team coefficient}}<ref name="2007ranking"/>
|-
| {{fb|CRO}} ||align=right| 2.409 ||align=center| 2
|-
| {{fb|ITA}} ||align=right| 2.364 ||align=center| 3
|-
| {{fb|CZE}} ||align=right| 2.333 ||align=center| 4
|-
| {{fb|SWE}} ||align=right| 2.273 ||align=center| 5
|}
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ Pot 3
|-
!width=150|Team !! {{Tooltip|Coeff|UEFA national team coefficient}} !! {{Tooltip|Rank|Ranking on UEFA national team coefficient}}<ref name="2007ranking"/>
|-
| {{fb|ROU}} ||align=right| 2.250 ||align=center| 6
|-
| {{fb|GER}} ||align=right| 2.250 ||align=center| 7
|-
| {{fb|POR}} ||align=right| 2.192 ||align=center| 8
|-
| {{fb|ESP}} ||align=right| 2.182 ||align=center| 9
|}
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ Pot 4
|-
!width=150|Team !! {{Tooltip|Coeff|UEFA national team coefficient}} !! {{Tooltip|Rank|Ranking on UEFA national team coefficient}}<ref name="2007ranking"/>
|-
| {{fb|POL}} ||align=right| 2.167 ||align=center| 12
|-
| {{fb|FRA|1974}} ||align=right| 2.091 ||align=center| 13
|-
| {{fb|TUR}} ||align=right| 1.958 ||align=center| 14
|-
| {{fb|RUS}} ||align=right| 1.958 ||align=center| 15
|}
|}
{{legend|#ccffcc|Automatically selected as a top-seeded team into pot 1, irrespective of their ranking position.}}
{{notelist}}

All teams from each pot, were drawn consecutively into Group A to D. From Pot 1, the remaining two teams for Group C and Group D were first drawn. All Pot 1 teams automatically occupy the first positions of their groups. Next step was to draw all teams in the order from Pot 4, Pot 3 and Pot 2; and for these teams the next group positions 2/3/4 were drawn separately from an extra glass bowl, for the purposes of determining the match schedules in each group. Coincidentally, all teams from Pots 2, 3, and 4 drew the exact same group position number as their pot number.<ref name="Draw(part1)">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWNd7FsDheI|title=UEFA EURO 2008 draw Part 1|date=2 December 2007|access-date=2 December 2007|via=YouTube|medium=video}}</ref><ref name="Draw(part2)">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWtIL58aMlc|title=UEFA EURO 2008 draw Part 2|date=2 December 2007|access-date=2 December 2007|via=YouTube|medium=video}}</ref>

The draw resulted in the following groups:<ref name="Draw(part1)"/><ref name="Draw(part2)"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/news/kind=1/newsid=631046.html |title=Draw sets up heavyweight contests |publisher=[[UEFA]] |date=2 December 2007 |access-date=2 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203150109/http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/news/kind=1/newsid=631046.html |archive-date=3 December 2007 }}</ref>

{|
|- valign=top
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ [[#Group A|Group A]]
|-
!width=120|Team
|-
|align=center| {{fb|SUI}}
|-
|align=center| {{fb|CZE}}
|-
|align=center| {{fb|POR}}
|-
|align=center| {{fb|TUR}}
|}
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ [[#Group B|Group B]]
|-
!width=120|Team
|-
|align=center| {{fb|AUT}}
|-
|align=center| {{fb|CRO}}
|-
|align=center| {{fb|GER}}
|-
|align=center| {{fb|POL}}
|}
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ [[#Group C|Group C]]
|-
!width=120|Team
|-
|align=center| {{fb|NED}}
|-
|align=center| {{fb|ITA}}
|-
|align=center| {{fb|ROU}}
|-
|align=center| {{fb|FRA|1974}}
|}
|
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ [[#Group D|Group D]]
|-
!width=120|Team
|-
|align=center| {{fb|GRE}}
|-
|align=center| {{fb|SWE}}
|-
|align=center| {{fb|ESP}}
|-
|align=center| {{fb|RUS}}
|}
|}

==Venues==
The tournament was played at eight venues throughout the two host nations; four in Austria and four in Switzerland. Each venue had a capacity of at least 30,000 for the tournament; the largest stadium was [[Ernst-Happel-Stadion]] in Vienna with a capacity of 53,295.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fussballtempel.net/em2008/stadien.html |title=UEFA EURO 2008 |access-date=8 June 2008|publisher=fussballtempel.net }}</ref> It was for this reason that Ernst-Happel-Stadion hosted the final. Switzerland played all three group stage matches at [[St. Jakob Park]] in Basel, which also hosted the opening match of the tournament as a compromise for the final being held in Vienna. Austria played all of their group stage matches at Ernst-Happel-Stadion.

In 2004, the [[Zürich]] venue became a problem for the organisers. Originally, the [[Hardturm]] stadium was to be renovated and used as the city's venue, but legal challenges delayed the plan to a point that would not have allowed the ground to be used in 2008. This created a problem, as the agreement between [[UEFA]] and the organisers stipulated that four venues would be used in each country. The problem was solved when the organisers proposed renovating [[Letzigrund]] instead;<ref>{{cite web|title=Letzigrund decision lifts Zurich|url=https://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/news/newsid=317724.html}}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> UEFA approved the revised plan in January 2005. The Letzigrund stadium hosted its first football match on 23 September 2007.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!colspan="2"| Austria
!colspan="2"| Switzerland
|-
! [[Vienna]]
! [[Klagenfurt]]
! [[Basel]]
! [[Bern]]
|-
| [[Ernst-Happel-Stadion]]
| [[Wörthersee Stadion]]
| [[St. Jakob-Park]]
| [[Stadion Wankdorf|Stade de Suisse]]
|-
| Capacity: ''' 51,428'''
| Capacity: '''31,957'''
| Capacity: '''42,500'''
| Capacity: '''31,907'''
|-
| [[File:EM 2008 Elfmeter Kroatien Österreich.jpg|200px]]
| [[File:Wörtherseestadion beim Endspiel im ÖFB-Cup 2010.jpg|200px]]
| [[File:St Jakob-Park.jpg|200px]]
| [[File:Stade de Suisse.jpg|200px]]
|-
!colspan="2"|
{{Location map+|Austria|float=center|width=410|caption=|places=
{{Location map~|Austria|lat=48.207167|long=16.420528|label=[[Vienna]]|position=left}}
{{Location map~|Austria|lat=46.608889|long=14.278056|label=[[Klagenfurt]]|position=top}}
{{Location map~|Austria|lat=47.255833|long=11.410833|label=[[Innsbruck]]|position=right}}
{{Location map~|Austria|lat=47.816264|long=12.998228|label=[[Salzburg]]|position=right}}}}
!colspan="2"|
{{Location map+|Switzerland|float=center|width=357|caption=|places=
{{Location map~|Switzerland|lat=47.541575|long=7.620181|label=[[Basel]]|position=left}}
{{Location map~|Switzerland|lat=46.963167|long=7.464833|label=[[Bern]]|position=bottom}}
{{Location map~|Switzerland|lat=46.177847|long=6.127431|label=[[Geneva]]|position=right}}
{{Location map~|Switzerland|lat=47.382794|long=8.504364|label=[[Zürich]]|position=top}}}}
|-
! [[Innsbruck]]
! [[Salzburg]]
! [[Geneva]]
! [[Zürich]]
|-
| [[Tivoli Stadion Tirol|Tivoli-Neu]]
| [[Red Bull Arena (Salzburg)|Stadion Wals-Siezenheim]]
| [[Stade de Genève]]
| [[Letzigrund]]
|-
| Capacity: '''31,600'''
| Capacity: '''31,895'''
| Capacity: '''31,228'''
| Capacity: '''30,930'''
|-
| [[File:Spain vs Sweden, Euro 2008 01.jpg|200px]]
| [[File:EM-Stadion Wals-Siezenheim zur Euro.jpg|200px]]
| [[File:CH-AL Geneva 2003-06-11.jpg|200px]]
| [[File:Letzigrund 2007ii.jpg|200px]]
|}

===Team base camps===
Each team had access to a "team base camp" for its stay between the matches.<ref name="basecamps">{{cite news |title=UEFA Euro 2008™: team and referee accommodation, headquarter hotels |url=https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/639518.pdf |website=[[UEFA]] |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |date=18 December 2007 |access-date=21 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412155132/http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/639518.pdf |archive-date=12 April 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> The teams trained and resided in these locations during the tournament, and travelled to games that took place away from their bases.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arrival of teams and public training sessions |url=https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/uefa/KeyTopics/69/88/25/698825_DOWNLOAD.pdf |website=[[UEFA]] |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |date=21 May 2008 |access-date=21 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018193949/https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/uefa/KeyTopics/69/88/25/698825_DOWNLOAD.pdf |archive-date=18 October 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Teams confirm Euro arrival dates |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/news/0254-0d7be2257dda-574870c3f409-1000--teams-confirm-euro-arrival-dates/ |website=[[UEFA]] |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |date=21 May 2008 |access-date=21 June 2016}}</ref> The 16 teams validated their option with UEFA on 18 December 2007.<ref name="basecamps"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Team
! Base camp
|-
| Austria
| [[Stegersbach]]
|-
| Croatia
| [[Bad Tatzmannsdorf]]
|-
| Czech Republic
| [[Seefeld in Tirol]]
|-
| France
| [[Mont Pèlerin]]
|-
| Germany
| [[Ascona]]
|-
| Greece
| [[Hof bei Salzburg]]
|-
| Italy
| [[Baden bei Wien]]
|-
| Netherlands
| [[Lausanne]]
|-
| Poland
| [[Bad Waltersdorf]]
|-
| Portugal
| [[Neuchâtel]]
|-
| Romania
| [[St. Gallen]]
|-
| Russia
| [[Leogang]]
|-
| Spain
| [[Neustift im Stubaital]]
|-
| Sweden
| [[Lugano]]
|-
| Switzerland
| [[Feusisberg]]
|-
| Turkey
| [[Bellevue, Switzerland|Bellevue]]
|}

==Squads==
{{main|UEFA Euro 2008 squads}}

Teams were required to select a squad of 23 players, three of whom had to be goalkeepers, with the final squad to be submitted to UEFA by 28 May 2008. If a member of the final squad suffered an injury prior to his team's first game that would keep him out of the entire tournament, another player could be called up to replace him.<ref name="regulations">{{cite web |title=Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship 2006/08 |url=https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/19079.pdf |website=[[UEFA]] |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |access-date=29 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050826052426/http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/19079.pdf |archive-date=26 August 2005 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Match officials==
On 19 December 2007, UEFA announced twelve referees and twenty-four assistants were selected for the tournament.<ref>{{cite news |last=Chaplin |first=Mark |location=[[Nyon]] |url=http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/news/kind=1/newsid=639895.html |title=UEFA Euro 2008 referees |website=[[UEFA]] |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |date=19 December 2007 |access-date=20 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080202201815/http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/news/kind=1/newsid=639895.html |archive-date=2 February 2008}}</ref> In April 2008, after failing a physical fitness test, Norwegian assistant referee Erik Ræstad was replaced by fellow countryman Jan Petter Randen.<ref>{{cite news |last=Strand |first=Sigbjørn |url=https://www.dagbladet.no/sport/hundredeler-for-treig-til-em-plass/66464246 |title=Hundredeler for treig til EM-plass |trans-title=One hundredths too slow for European Championship spot |publisher=[[Dagbladet]] |date=17 April 2008 |access-date=17 May 2008 |language=no |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725110731/https://www.dagbladet.no/sport/hundredeler-for-treig-til-em-plass/66464246 |archive-date=25 July 2018}}</ref> Italian referee [[Roberto Rosetti]] was selected to officiate both the opening match between Switzerland and the Czech Republic and the final between Germany and Spain.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Country
!Referee
!Assistants
!Matches refereed
|-
|{{fba|AUT}}
|[[Konrad Plautz]]
|Egon Bereuter<br />Markus Mayr
|[[UEFA Euro 2008 Group D#Spain vs Russia|Spain 4–1 Russia]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group A#Switzerland vs Portugal|Switzerland 2–0 Portugal]]
|-
|{{fba|BEL}}
|[[Frank De Bleeckere]]
|Peter Hermans<br />Alex Verstraeten
|[[UEFA Euro 2008 Group B#Croatia vs Germany|Croatia 2–1 Germany]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group D#Russia vs Sweden|Russia 2–0 Sweden]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage#Russia vs Spain|Russia 0–3 Spain (semi-final)]]
|-
|{{fba|ENG}}
|[[Howard Webb]]
|Darren Cann<br />Mike Mullarkey
|[[UEFA Euro 2008 Group B#Austria vs Poland|Austria 1–1 Poland]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group D#Greece vs Spain|Greece 1–2 Spain]]
|-
|{{fba|GER}}
|[[Herbert Fandel]]
|Carsten Kadach<br />Volker Wezel
|[[UEFA Euro 2008 Group A#Portugal vs Turkey|Portugal 2–0 Turkey]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group C#Netherlands vs France|Netherlands 4–1 France]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage#Spain vs Italy|Spain 0–0 Italy (quarter-final)]]
|-
|{{fba|GRE}}
|[[Kyros Vassaras]]
|Dimitrios Bozatzidis<br />Dimitrios Saraidaris
|[[UEFA Euro 2008 Group A#Czech Republic vs Portugal|Czech Republic 1–3 Portugal]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group B#Poland vs Croatia|Poland 0–1 Croatia]]
|-
|{{fba|ITA}}
|[[Roberto Rosetti]]
|Alessandro Griselli<br />Paolo Calcagno
|[[UEFA Euro 2008 Group A#Switzerland vs Czech Republic|Switzerland 0–1 Czech Republic]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group D#Greece vs Russia|Greece 0–1 Russia]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage#Croatia vs Turkey|Croatia 1–1 Turkey (quarter-final)]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 final|Germany 0–1 Spain (final)]]
|-
|{{fba|NED}}
|[[Pieter Vink]]
|Adriaan Inia<br />Hans ten Hoove
|[[UEFA Euro 2008 Group B#Austria vs Croatia|Austria 0–1 Croatia]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group D#Sweden vs Spain|Sweden 1–2 Spain]]
|-
|{{fba|NOR}}
|[[Tom Henning Øvrebø]]
|Geir Åge Holen<br /><s>Erik Ræstad</s><br />Jan Petter Randen
|[[UEFA Euro 2008 Group B#Germany vs Poland|Germany 2–0 Poland]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group C#Italy vs Romania|Italy 1–1 Romania]]
|-
|{{fba|SVK}}
|[[Ľuboš Micheľ]]
|Roman Slyško<br />Martin Balko
|[[UEFA Euro 2008 Group A#Switzerland vs Turkey|Switzerland 1–2 Turkey]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group C#France vs Italy|France 0–2 Italy]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage#Netherlands vs Russia|Netherlands 1–3 Russia (quarter-final)]]
|-
|{{fba|ESP}}
|[[Manuel Mejuto González]]
|Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez<br />Jesús Calvo Guadamuro
|[[UEFA Euro 2008 Group C#Romania vs France|Romania 0–0 France]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group B#Austria vs Germany|Austria 0–1 Germany]]
|-
|{{fba|SWE}}
|[[Peter Fröjdfeldt]]
|Stefan Wittberg<br />Henrik Andrén
|[[UEFA Euro 2008 Group C#Netherlands vs Italy|Netherlands 3–0 Italy]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group A#Turkey vs Czech Republic|Turkey 3–2 Czech Republic]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage#Portugal vs Germany|Portugal 2–3 Germany (quarter-final)]]
|-
|{{fba|SUI}}
|[[Massimo Busacca]]
|Matthias Arnet<br />Stéphane Cuhat
|[[UEFA Euro 2008 Group D#Greece vs Sweden|Greece 0–2 Sweden]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 Group C#Netherlands vs Romania|Netherlands 2–0 Romania]], [[UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage#Germany vs Turkey|Germany 3–2 Turkey (semi-final)]]
|}

'''[[Fourth official]]s'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Country
!Fourth officials
|-
|{{fba|CRO}}
|[[Ivan Bebek]]
|-
|{{fba|FRA|1974}}
|[[Stéphane Lannoy]]
|-
|{{fba|HUN}}
|[[Viktor Kassai]]
|-
|{{fba|ISL}}
|[[Kristinn Jakobsson]]
|-
|{{fba|POL}}
|[[Grzegorz Gilewski]]
|-
|{{fba|POR}}
|[[Olegário Benquerença]]
|-
|{{fba|SCO}}
|[[Craig Thomson (referee)|Craig Thomson]]
|-
|{{fba|SVN}}
|[[Damir Skomina]]
|}

==Group stage==
[[File:Euro 2008.png|thumb|311px|Performance of the participating countries during Euro 2008]]

The teams finishing in the top two positions in each of the four groups progressed to the quarter-finals, while the bottom two teams were eliminated from the tournament.

''All times are local, [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]] ([[UTC+02:00|UTC+2]]).''

===Tiebreakers===
For the three-game group stage of this tournament, where two or more teams in a group [[Tiebreaker|tied on an equal number of points]], the finishing positions were determined by the following tie-breaking criteria in the following order:<ref name="regulations"/>
# number of points obtained in the matches among the teams in question
# goal difference in the matches among the teams in question (if more than two teams finish equal on points)
# number of goals scored in the matches among the teams in question (if more than two teams finish equal on points)
# goal difference in all the group matches
# number of goals scored in all the group matches
# coefficient from the qualifying competitions for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and 2006/08 UEFA European Football Championship (points obtained divided by the number of matches played)
# fair play conduct of the teams (final tournament)
# drawing of lots

However, these normal criteria would not apply if two teams tied on points, goal difference, goals scored, and goals conceded, played against each other in their final group match, drew that game, and no other team in the group finishes with the same number of points; in that case, the tie would be broken by a [[Penalty shootout (association football)|penalty shootout]].<ref name="regulations"/>

===Group A===
{{main|UEFA Euro 2008 Group A}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group A|transcludesection=standings|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules}}

{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group A|transcludesection=a1}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group A|transcludesection=a2}}
----
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group A|transcludesection=a3}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group A|transcludesection=a4}}
----
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group A|transcludesection=a5}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group A|transcludesection=a6}}

===Group B===
{{main|UEFA Euro 2008 Group B}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group B|transcludesection=standings|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules}}

{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group B|transcludesection=b1}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group B|transcludesection=b2}}
----
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group B|transcludesection=b3}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group B|transcludesection=b4}}
----
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group B|transcludesection=b5}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group B|transcludesection=b6}}

===Group C===
{{main|UEFA Euro 2008 Group C}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group C|transcludesection=standings|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules}}

{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group C|transcludesection=c1}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group C|transcludesection=c2}}
----
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group C|transcludesection=c3}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group C|transcludesection=c4}}
----
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group C|transcludesection=c5}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group C|transcludesection=c6}}

===Group D===
{{main|UEFA Euro 2008 Group D}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group D|transcludesection=standings|only_pld_pts=no_hide_class_rules}}

{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group D|transcludesection=d1}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group D|transcludesection=d2}}
----
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group D|transcludesection=d3}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group D|transcludesection=d4}}
----
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group D|transcludesection=d5}}
{{:UEFA Euro 2008 Group D|transcludesection=d6}}

==Knockout stage==
{{main|UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage}}
[[File:Spain Euro 08 celebration 2.jpg|thumb|[[Cesc Fàbregas]] celebrating Spain's Euro 2008 title]]
The knockout stage was different from that of past tournaments. Teams in groups A and B were separated from teams in groups C and D until the final. This meant that two teams who meet in the same group would meet again in the semi-finals instead of the final if they got this far. Also, in another major change, for the first time in a European Championship, only two venues ([[St. Jakob-Park]], [[Basel]] and [[Ernst-Happel-Stadion]], Vienna—the two largest of the eight stadiums used) were used for the seven matches in the knockout stage of the tournament.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-eurodraw&prov=reuters&type=lgns |title=Euro-Format means group rivals cannot meet again in final |publisher=[[Yahoo! Sports]] |date=3 June 2008 |access-date=3 June 2008 }}</ref>

As with every tournament since [[UEFA Euro 1984]], there was no [[third place play-off]].

''All times are local, [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]] ([[UTC+02:00|UTC+2]]).''

===Bracket===
{{#lst:UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage|bracket}}

===Quarter-finals===
{{#lst:UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage|qf1}}
----
{{#lst:UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage|qf2}}
----
{{#lst:UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage|qf3}}
----
{{#lst:UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage|qf4}}

===Semi-finals===
{{#lst:UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage|sf1}}
----
{{#lst:UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage|sf2}}

===Final===
{{main|UEFA Euro 2008 final}}
{{#lst:UEFA Euro 2008 final|final}}

==Statistics==
{{main|UEFA Euro 2008 statistics}}

===Goalscorers===
{{#lst:UEFA Euro 2008 statistics|Goalscorers}}

===Awards===
[[File:Xavi Selección.jpg|thumb|upright|Spain midfielder Xavi was selected as the Player of the Tournament.]]

====UEFA Team of the Tournament====
The UEFA Technical Team was charged with naming a squad composed of the 23 best players over the course of the tournament. The group of nine analysts watched every game at the tournament before making their decision after the final. Nine players from the winning Spanish team were named in the team of the tournament, while no players knocked out in the group stage were included. Four players from semi-finalists Russia were also included, the first time ever there were Russian players in the Team of the Tournament following the fall of the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite news |title=Spain dominate Team of the Tournament |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/news/0253-0d7bf2cd6faf-9ac9cf681760-1000--spain-dominate-team-of-the-tournament/ |work=Union of European Football Associations |date=30 June 2008 |access-date=30 June 2008}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!style="width:25%"| Goalkeepers
!style="width:25%"| Defenders
!style="width:25%"| Midfielders
!style="width:25%"| Forwards
|- style="vertical-align:top"
| {{fbicon|ITA}} [[Gianluigi Buffon]]<br />{{fbicon|NED}} [[Edwin van der Sar]]<br />{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Iker Casillas]]
| {{fbicon|GER}} [[Philipp Lahm]]<br />{{fbicon|POR}} [[José Bosingwa]]<br />{{fbicon|POR}} [[Pepe (footballer, born 1983)|Pepe]]<br />{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Yuri Zhirkov]]<br />{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Carlos Marchena]]<br />{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Carles Puyol]]
| {{fbicon|CRO}} [[Luka Modrić]]<br />{{fbicon|GER}} [[Michael Ballack]]<br />{{fbicon|GER}} [[Lukas Podolski]]<br />{{fbicon|NED}} [[Wesley Sneijder]]<br />{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Konstantin Zyryanov]]<br />{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Cesc Fàbregas]]<br />{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Andrés Iniesta]]<br />{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Marcos Senna]]<br />{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Xavi (footballer, born 1980)|Xavi]]<br />{{fbicon|TUR}} [[Hamit Altıntop]]
| {{fbicon|RUS}} [[Andrey Arshavin]]<br />{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Roman Pavlyuchenko]]<br />{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Fernando Torres]]<br />{{fbicon|ESP}} [[David Villa]]
|}

====UEFA Player of the Tournament====
The UEFA Technical Team also had to pick a Player of the Tournament, taking fans' votes into account. The player chosen was Spain midfielder [[Xavi (footballer, born 1980)|Xavi]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Xavi emerges as EURO's top man |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/news/0253-0d7bf41f947c-89e2a774fb12-1000--xavi-emerges-as-euro-s-top-man/ |work=Union of European Football Associations |date=30 June 2008 |access-date=30 June 2008}}</ref>

*{{fbicon|ESP}} [[Xavi (footballer, born 1980)|Xavi]]

====Golden Boot====
The Golden Boot was awarded to yet another Spaniard, [[David Villa]], who scored four goals, three of which came in his side's 4–1 win over Russia (the only [[hat-trick]] scored in the tournament).<ref>{{cite news |title=Absent Villa takes scoring prize |url=https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/01ce-0f84df1275e3-498b91cba6b8-1000--absent-villa-takes-scoring-prize/ |work=Union of European Football Associations |date=29 June 2008 |access-date=1 July 2008}}</ref>

*{{fbicon|ESP}} [[David Villa]] (4 goals)

===Prize money===
[[UEFA]] announced that total of €184&nbsp;million has been offered to the 16 teams competing in this tournament, increasing from €129&nbsp;million in the [[UEFA Euro 2004|previous tournament]]. The distributions as below:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/news/kind=1/newsid=630838.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071202145829/http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/news/kind=1/newsid=630838.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 December 2007 |title=UEFA raises 2008 prize money }}</ref>
* Prize for participating: €7.5&nbsp;million

Extra payment based on teams performances:
* Winner: €7.5&nbsp;million
* Runner-up: €4.5&nbsp;million
* Semi-finals: €3&nbsp;million
* Quarter-finals: €2&nbsp;million
* Group stage (per match):
** Win: €1&nbsp;million
** Draw: €500,000

Spain, as winners of the tournament and winners of all three of their group stage matches, received a total prize of €23&nbsp;million, the maximum possible prize money. Greece on the other hand, being the only team to lose all three of their group matches, were the only team to receive nothing more than the €7.5&nbsp;million participation prize.

===Discipline===
At UEFA Euro 2008, players were suspended from playing in subsequent matches upon the collection of a certain number of yellow or red cards. If a player was shown a red card – whether as a result of two bookable offences or a straight red – that player got suspended from playing in his team's next match. If his team was eliminated from the competition before the end of his suspension, the games carried over to the [[2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)|2010 FIFA World Cup qualification matches]]. A player was also suspended for one match for picking up two yellow cards in separate matches. However, any yellow cards accumulated were annulled once a team got eliminated from the tournament or reached the semi-finals.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/regulations/uefa/others/69/90/33/699033_download.pdf |title=Directives on yellow cards in the EURO 2008 competition |access-date=20 June 2008 |date=11 July 2006 |publisher=UEFA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624200559/https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/regulations/uefa/others/69/90/33/699033_download.pdf |archive-date=24 June 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In extreme cases of ill-discipline, UEFA could choose to have a disciplinary panel examine the incident in order to determine whether or not further suspension is required. One case of this at Euro 2008 was the suspension of [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]] goalkeeper [[Volkan Demirel]] for two matches for pushing [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech]] striker [[Jan Koller]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Volkan Demirel banned |url=http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=721557.html |publisher=[[UEFA]] |date=19 June 2008 |access-date=20 June 2008 }}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The following players were suspended for one or more games as a result of red cards or yellow card accumulation:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Player
!Offence(s)
!Suspension(s)
|-
|{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Andrey Arshavin]]
|{{sent off|0}} in Euro qualifying v [[Andorra national football team|Andorra]]
|Group D v [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]]<br>Group D v [[Greece national football team|Greece]]
|-
|{{fbicon|GER}} [[Bastian Schweinsteiger]]
|{{sent off|0}} in Group B v [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]]
|Group B v [[Austria national football team|Austria]]
|-
|{{fbicon|AUT}} [[Sebastian Prödl]]
|{{yel}} in Group B v [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]]<br>{{yel}} in Group B v [[Poland national football team|Poland]]
|Group B v [[Germany national football team|Germany]]
|-
|{{fbicon|ROU}} [[Dorin Goian]]
|{{yel}} in Group C v [[France national football team|France]]<br>{{yel}} in Group C v [[Italy national football team|Italy]]
|Group C v [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]]
|-
|{{fbicon|TUR}} [[Mehmet Aurélio]]
|{{yel}} in Group A v [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]]<br>{{yel}} in Group A v [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]]
|Quarter-final v [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]]
|-
|{{fbicon|TUR}} [[Volkan Demirel]]
|{{sent off|0}} in Group A v [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]]
|Quarter-final v [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]]<br>Semi-final v [[Germany national football team|Germany]]
|-
|{{fbicon|FRA|1974}} [[Eric Abidal]]
|{{sent off|0}} in Group C v [[Italy national football team|Italy]]
|[[2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)|World Cup qualifying]] v [[Austria national football team|Austria]]
|-
|{{fbicon|ITA}} [[Andrea Pirlo]]
|{{yel}} in Group C v [[Romania national football team|Romania]]<br>{{yel}} in Group C v [[France national football team|France]]
|Quarter-final v [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]]
|-
|{{fbicon|ITA}} [[Gennaro Gattuso]]
|{{yel}} in Group C v [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]]<br>{{yel}} in Group C v [[France national football team|France]]
|Quarter-final v [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]]
|-
|{{fbicon|TUR}} [[Tuncay Şanlı]]
|{{yel}} in Group A v [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]]<br>{{yel}} in Quarter-final v [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]]
|Semi-final v [[Germany national football team|Germany]]
|-
|{{fbicon|TUR}} [[Arda Turan]]
|{{yel}} in Group A v [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]]<br>{{yel}} in Quarter-final v [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]]
|Semi-final v [[Germany national football team|Germany]]
|-
|{{fbicon|TUR}} [[Emre Aşık]]
|{{yel}} in Group A v [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]]<br>{{yel}} in Quarter-final v [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]]
|Semi-final v [[Germany national football team|Germany]]
|-
|{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Denis Kolodin]]
|{{yel}} in Group D v [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]]<br>{{yel}} in Quarter-final v [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]]
|Semi-final v [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]]
|-
|{{fbicon|RUS}} [[Dmitri Torbinski]]
|{{yel}} in Group D v [[Greece national football team|Greece]]<br>{{yel}} in Quarter-final v [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]]
|Semi-final v [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]]
|}

==Marketing==

===Television coverage failure===
Three times in the second half of the [[UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage#Germany vs Turkey|semi-final between Germany and Turkey]], nearly the entire global television coverage of the game was interrupted. A thunderstorm over Vienna caused technical difficulties in the [[International Broadcast Centre]] (IBC), which relayed the television feed from the match in Basel, Switzerland, resulting in one or more goals being missed by various audiences.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2008/7474598.stm |title=Uefa may face action over outage |date=25 June 2008 |access-date=26 June 2008 |website=BBC Sport }}</ref> Various national broadcasters took emergency contingency measures such as reverting to radio broadcasting (for example, the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] used coverage from [[BBC Radio 5 Live]],<ref>{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Sweney |title=Euro 2008 semi-final thriller hit by TV blackouts |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/jun/26/bbc.television1 |work=The Guardian |location=UK |date=26 June 2008 |access-date=26 June 2008 }}</ref> Ireland circumvented the problem by having [[RTÉ Two]]'s studio presenter [[Bill O'Herlihy]] and panellists [[Eamon Dunphy]], [[Johnny Giles]] and [[Liam Brady]] provide emergency discussion on what had happened in the match,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/frock-horror-miriam-embraces-her-girly-side-1422476.html |title=Frock horror! Miriam embraces her girly side |date=28 June 2008 |access-date=28 June 2008 |publisher=[[Irish Independent]]}}</ref> and [[Øyvind Alsaker]], commentator from [[TV 2 (Norway)|Norwegian TV2]] picked up his mobile and filmed it over a [[3G]] connection). Only the Swiss public broadcaster [[SRG SSR idée suisse|SRG]] maintained full coverage since it used a direct signal other than the IBC's.<ref>{{cite news |first=Eric |last=Pfanner |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/26/business/storm.php |title=Euro broadcasters scramble in storm |date=26 June 2008 |access-date=27 June 2008 |publisher=[[International Herald Tribune]] }}</ref>

===New trophy===
A new trophy was awarded to the winners of the Euro 2008 tournament. The new version of the [[Henri Delaunay]] Trophy, created by [[Asprey]] London,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Henri Delaunay Cup|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro-2020/news/0258-0e51de1a172f-12472925ce41-1000--the-biggest-prize-in-2020/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228114423/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro-2020/news/0258-0e51de1a172f-12472925ce41-1000--the-biggest-prize-in-2020/|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 December 2019|website=[[UEFA]]|publisher=Union of European Football Associations|access-date=29 July 2014}}</ref> is almost an exact replica of the original designed by [[Arthus-Bertrand]]. A small figure juggling a ball on the back of the original has been removed, as has the marble plinth. The silver base of the trophy also had to be enlarged to make it stable. The names of the winning countries that had appeared on the plinth have now been engraved on the back of the trophy, which is made of [[sterling silver]], weighs {{convert|8|kg|lb|1}} and is {{convert|60|cm|in}} tall.

===Match ball===
[[File:Euro Cup 2008 Final Vienna.JPG|thumb|A large model of the ''adidas Europass'' prior to the final between Germany and Spain]]
The [[Association football ball|match ball]] for the finals was unveiled at the draw ceremony. Produced by [[Adidas]] and named the ''[[Adidas Europass|Europass]]'', it is a 14-panel ball in the same construction as the [[Adidas Teamgeist|Teamgeist]], but with a modified surface design.<ref>{{cite news |title=adidas "EUROPASS" – the match ball with "goose bumps" for UEFA EURO 2008 |url=http://www.press.adidas.com/DesktopDefault.aspx/tabid-11/16_read-8454/ |publisher=adidas |location=Lucerne/Herzogenaurach |date=2 December 2007 |access-date=4 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204191610/http://www.press.adidas.com/DesktopDefault.aspx/tabid-11/16_read-8454/ |archive-date=4 December 2007 }}</ref> A version named the ''Europass Gloria'' was used in the final.<ref>{{cite news |title=Final ball rolled out in Vienna |url=http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=688323.html |publisher=[[UEFA]] |date=30 April 2008 |access-date=30 May 2008 }}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

There were concerns raised about the match ball, which was claimed to deviate unpredictably in flight, making it difficult to judge for goalkeepers. Notable players to criticise were Germany's [[Jens Lehmann]] and the Czech Republic's [[Petr Čech]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Cech concerned by Euro 2008 ball |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2008/czech_republic/7439862.stm |website=BBC Sport |date=6 June 2008 |access-date=6 June 2008 }}</ref> These claims were disputed by the ball's designer, [[Oliver Kahn]].

===Music===
The official melody was composed by [[Rollo Armstrong]] of [[Faithless]] on behalf of UEFA.<ref name="music">{{cite web |url=https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/PressConference/Competitions/MediaServices/66/52/88/665288_DOWNLOAD.pdf |title=The official UEFA EURO 2008 music |date=28 February 2008 |publisher=[[UEFA]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018134401/https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/PressConference/Competitions/MediaServices/66/52/88/665288_DOWNLOAD.pdf |archive-date=18 October 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> The official Euro 2008 song was "[[Can You Hear Me? (Enrique Iglesias song)|Can You Hear Me]]" by [[Enrique Iglesias]], which was performed live during the official closing ceremony prior to the final in [[Ernst Happel Stadion]] in Vienna on 29 June.<ref name="official song">{{cite web |url=https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/MediaRelease/Competitions/MediaServices/69/80/81/698081_DOWNLOAD.pdf |title=Official UEFA EURO 2008 Song: "Can You Hear Me" by Enrique Iglesias |date=20 May 2008 |publisher=[[UEFA]] |access-date=20 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018134324/https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/MediaRelease/Competitions/MediaServices/69/80/81/698081_DOWNLOAD.pdf |archive-date=18 October 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Two soundtracks, "Like a Superstar" and "Feel the Rush," were recorded by Jamaican [[reggae]] artist [[Shaggy (musician)|Shaggy]] as mascot songs for Euro 2008. They formed a musical background to video clips featuring the twin mascots Trix and Flix.<ref name="music"/>

The official Swiss song for the tournament was a new version of "Bring en hei" (''Bring him Home'') by Baschi.<ref name="official song"/> [[Christina Stürmer]] sang the official tournament song of Austrian [[Österreichischer Fußballbund|ÖFB]], "Fieber" (''Fever'').<ref>[http://sport.orf.at/?href=http%3A%2F%2Fsport.orf.at%2Fticker%2F283601.html Christina Stürmers offizieller EM-Song heißt "Fieber"] on ''[[ORF (broadcaster)|orf]].at''</ref> [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]] manager [[Slaven Bilić]] recorded his country's official Euro 2008 song, "Vatreno ludilo" ("Fiery Madness"), with his rock group, [[Rawbau]].

"[[Seven Nation Army]]" by [[The White Stripes]] was played when players walked out before kick-off,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080619133225/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/06/is_seven_nation_army_the_indie.html Seven Nation Army: the indiest football anthem ever?], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 18 June 2008</ref> and a remix of "Samba de Janeiro" by German dance group [[Paffendorf|Bellini]] was played after each goal scored in the competition.<ref>[http://euro2008.worldcupblog.org/news/whats-that-song-they-play-after-the-euro-goals.html What's That Song They Play After the Euro Goals?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626081644/http://euro2008.worldcupblog.org/news/whats-that-song-they-play-after-the-euro-goals.html |date=26 June 2008 }}, Euro 2008 Championships on World Cup Blog</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Dean|first1=Will|title=Trending: The Euro 2012 chant that a Seven Nation Army couldn't hold back|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/trending-the-euro-2012-chant-that-a-seven-nation-army-couldnt-hold-back-7858853.html|access-date=11 April 2017|work=The Independent|date=18 June 2012}}</ref>

===Mascots===
{{see also|UEFA European Championship mascot}}
The two official mascots for UEFA Euro 2008, were named after a vote from the public of the two host nations from the following options:
* Zigi and Zagi
* Flitz and Bitz
* Trix and Flix

In April 2007, after receiving 36.3% of the vote, Trix and Flix were chosen. "I am sure the mascots and their names will become a vital part of the understanding of the whole event," said Christian Mutschler, the tournament director for Switzerland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/mascot/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061027202405/http://www.uefa.com/Competitions/euro/mascot/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 October 2006 |title=Official Mascot Naming }}</ref> The mascots were unveiled on 27 September 2006, in [[Vienna]], Austria. Their official début was on 11 October 2006, at the [[Austria national football team|Austria]] vs. [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] friendly, which ended 2–1.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brandrepublic.com/article/594913/uefa-unveils-official-mascot-euro-2008-championship|title=Uefa unveils official mascot for Euro 2008 championship|date=28 September 2006|access-date=30 June 2015}}</ref>

===Slogan===
The slogan for UEFA Euro 2008 was chosen on 24 January 2007: ''Expect Emotions''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Expect Emotions at Euro 2008|url=https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/499875.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202235340/https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/499875.pdf|archive-date=2 February 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> UEFA President [[Michel Platini]] stated, "It describes in a nutshell what the UEFA Euro 2008 has to offer: all kinds of emotions – joy, disappointment, relief or high tension – right up to the final whistle."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Euro 2008|url=http://www.gotrotting.ch/events/euro-2008/|website=gotrotting.ch|access-date=15 May 2020}}</ref>

===Sponsorship===
'''Global Sponsors:''' 

* [[Adidas]]
* [[Canon Inc]]<ref>{{cite news |date=18 July 2007 |title=Canon announced as UEFA EURO 2008 sponsor |work=UEFA |url=https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/01c3-0f84b3bd474e-a02b90220d32-1000--canon-announced-as-uefa-euro-2008tm-sponsor/ |access-date=11 May 2020}}</ref>
* [[Carlsberg Group]]
* [[Castrol]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Uefa names Castrol as last sponsor for Euro 2008 |url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/uefa-names-castrol-last-sponsor-euro-2008/605758 |access-date=2023-09-19 |website=www.campaignlive.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Coca-Cola]]
* [[Continental AG|Continental]]
* [[Hyundai Motor Group]]/[[Kia Corporation]]
* [[JVC]]
* [[MasterCard]]
* [[McDonald's]]
'''National Supporters (Switzerland):'''

* [[UBS]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=UBS first Swiss National Supporter of UEFA EURO 2008™ |url=https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/380281.pdf}}</ref>
* [[Swisscom]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=moneycab |date=2006-12-14 |title=Swisscom wird Sponsor der UEFA EURO 2008 |url=https://www.moneycab.com/news/swisscom-wird-sponsor-der-uefa-euro-2008/ |access-date=2023-09-19 |website=Moneycab |language=de-CH}}</ref>
* [[Ferrero SpA|Ferrero]] Switzerland ([[Kinder Chocolate]], [[Nutella]], [[Ferrero Rocher]])<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official Newsletter of the 2008 European Championship - August 2007 |url=https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/452152.pdf}}</ref>

'''National Supporters (Austria):'''

* [[Telekom austria]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Telekom Austria signs National Supporter agreement for UEFA EURO 2008™ |url=https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/434280.pdf}}</ref>
* [[Österreichische Post]]
* [[UniCredit]]

[[Hublot]] were the official watch and timekeeper of the tournament,<ref>{{Cite web |title=UEFA EURO 2008™: Hublot to be Official Watch and Official Timekeeper of UEFA EURO 2008™ |url=https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/509538.pdf}}</ref> while [[Intersport]] became the official retail licensee.<ref>{{Cite web |last=UEFA.com |date=2010-09-16 |title=INTERSPORT becomes retail licensee |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/news/0254-0d7ce3d011a9-a0854bbeabf9-1000--intersport-becomes-retail-licensee/ |access-date=2023-09-19 |website=[[UEFA]] |language=en}}</ref>

[[BenQ]] were initially announced as one of the global sponsors of the tournament,<ref>{{Cite web |title=BenQ announced as Global Sponsor for UEFA EURO 2008™ |url=https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/503988.pdf}}</ref> shortly after its mobile phone branch in Germany filed for insolvency.<ref>{{Cite web |title=From Bankrupt to Backer – DW – 02/08/2007 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/german-unions-irked-by-benq-euro-2008-sponsorship/a-2341682 |access-date=2023-09-19 |website=dw.com |language=en}}</ref> The deal was later cancelled.

==Broadcasting==
{{main|UEFA Euro 2008 broadcasting rights}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111116162621/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/season=2008/index.html UEFA Euro 2008] at UEFA.com
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928060942/http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/index.html |title=Official website |date=28 September 2008}}
* [https://www.uefa.com/multimediafiles/download/publications/uefa/uefamedia/75/74/69/757469_download.pdf Official Technical Report]

{{UEFA Euro 2008}}
{{UEFA Euro 2008 finalists}}
{{UEFA Euro 2008 stadiums}}
{{UEFA European Championship}}
{{2007–08 in European football (UEFA)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:UEFA Euro}}
[[Category:UEFA Euro 2008| ]]
[[Category:UEFA European Championship tournaments|2008]]
[[Category:2008 in European men's continental football|Euro]]
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[[Category:2000s in Vienna]]
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[[Category:Sports competitions in Vienna|2008]]
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