UEFA Euro 1968

The 1968 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was hosted and won by Italy. This was the third UEFA European Championship, an event held every four years and organised by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 5 and 10 June 1968.

It was in this year that the tournament changed its name from the "European Nations' Cup" to the "European Championship". There were also some changes in the tournament's qualifying structure, with the two-legged home-and-away knock-out stage being replaced by a group phase.

Four countries played in the final tournament, which consisted of the semi-finals, a third place play-off, and the final. The host nation for the finals was selected from the four qualified nations.

Qualification

The qualification competition was played in two stages: a group stage (taking place from 1966 until 1968) and the quarter-finals (played in 1968). There were seven groups of four teams and one of three, with matches played in a home-and-away basis. The eight group winners qualified for the quarter-finals, which were played in two legs, home and away. The winners of the quarter-finals went through to the final tournament.

This remains to this day the only World Cup or European Championship where a West or reunified German team was eliminated in the qualifying stages (they did not enter the 1930 FIFA World Cup, were banned from 1950 and didn’t enter the qualifying stages of UEFA Euro 1960 or 1964 for unknown reasons)

Qualified teams

Team	Qualified as	Qualified on	Previous appearances in tournamentTemplate:Efn-ua
{{ Template:Yesno	alias = Italy	flag alias = Flag of Italy.svg	flag alias-1861 = Flag of Italy (1861–1946).svg	flag alias-1943 = War flag of the Italian Social Republic.svg	flag alias-2003 = Flag of Italy (2003–2006).svg	flag alias-civil = Civil Ensign of Italy.svg	flag alias-naval = Naval Ensign of Italy.svg	flag alias-navy-1947 = Naval Ensign of Italy (1947-2013).svg	link alias-naval = Italian Navy	link alias-air force = Italian Air Force	link alias-army = Italian Army	flag alias-navy = Naval Ensign of Italy.svg	link alias-navy = Italian Navy	link alias-roller hockey = Italy {{{mw}}} national roller hockey team	size =	name =	variant =	altlink = national football team	altvar = football }} (host) || || Template:Dts || 0 (debut)
{{ Template:Yesno	alias = Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia	shortname alias = Yugoslavia	flag alias = Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg	flag alias-shs = Flag of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs.svg	flag alias-army = Yugoslavia Infantry flag.svg	flag alias-naval = Naval Ensign of Yugoslavia (1949–1993).svg	flag alias-navy = Naval Ensign of Yugoslavia (1949–1993).svg	link alias-military = Yugoslav People's Army	link alias-army = Yugoslav Ground Forces	link alias-naval = Yugoslav Navy	link alias-air force = Yugoslav Air Force	link alias-navy = Yugoslav Navy	size =	name =	altlink = national football team	variant = }} || || Template:Dts || 1 (1960)
{{ Template:Yesno	alias = England	flag alias = Flag of England.svg	flag alias-naval = English White Ensign 1620.svg	link alias-naval = Royal Navy	flag alias-navy = English White Ensign 1620.svg	link alias-navy = Royal Navy	link alias-cricket = England cricket team	empty = England Saxons	size =	name =	variant =	altlink = national football team	altvar = football }} || || Template:Dts || 0 (debut)
{{ Template:Yesno	alias = Soviet Union	flag alias = Flag of the Soviet Union.svg	flag alias-1922 = Flag of the Soviet Union (1922–1923).svg	flag alias-1923 = Flag of the Soviet Union (1924).svg	flag alias-1924 = Flag of the Soviet Union (1924–1936).svg	flag alias-1936 = Flag of the Soviet Union (1936 – 1955).svg	flag alias-1955 = Flag of the Soviet Union.svg	flag alias-coast guard-1924 = USSR, Flag KGB 1924.svg	link alias-coast guard-1924 = Soviet Border Troops	flag alias-coast guard-1935 = USSR, Flag KGB 1935.svg	link alias-coast guard-1935 = Soviet Border Troops	flag alias-coast guard = USSR, Flag KGB 1950.svg	link alias-coast guard = Soviet Border Troops	flag alias-air force=Flag of the Soviet Air Force.svg	link alias-air force=Soviet Air Forces	flag alias-army = Flag of the Soviet Union.svg	link alias-army = Soviet Army	flag alias-naval = Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union (1950–1991).svg	flag alias-naval-1924 = Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union (1923–1935).svg	flag alias-naval-1935 = Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union 1935.svg	flag alias-VV MVD naval = USSR, Naval flag of ships by the Interior Force 1983.svg	link alias-naval = Soviet Navy	flag alias-navy = Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union (1950–1991).svg	link alias-navy = Soviet Navy	flag alias-marines= Flag of the Soviet Union.svg	link alias-marines= Soviet Naval Infantry	flag alias-military= Flag of the Soviet Union.svg	link alias-military= Soviet Armed Forces	size =	name =	altlink = national football team	altvar = football	variant = }} || || Template:Dts || 2 (1960, 1964)

Venues

	Rome	Naples	Florence
	Stadio Olimpico	Stadio San Paolo	Stadio Comunale
	Capacity: 80,000	Capacity: 82,000	Capacity: 52,000
	File:Rome Olympics 1960 - Opening Day.jpg	File:Stadio di Fuorigrotta - Napoli 1963.jpg	File:Firenze, stadio artemio franchi, campo da gioco, 10,0.jpg

Match officials

Country	Referee
Template:Flagicon Switzerland	Gottfried Dienst
Template:Flagicon Spain	José María Ortiz de Mendíbil
Template:Flagicon West Germany	Kurt Tschenscher
Template:Flagicon Hungary	István Zsolt

Final tournament

File:Euro 1968.png

1968 UEFA European Football Championship finalists

In all matches but the final, extra time and a coin toss were used to decide the winner if necessary. If the final remained level after extra time, a replay would be used to determine the winner. Coin toss was as a matter of fact used in the semi final between Italy and Soviet Union.

All times are local, CEST (UTC+2).

Bracket

{{#lst:UEFA Euro 1968 final tournament|bracket}}

Semi-finals

{{#lst:UEFA Euro 1968 final tournament|sf1}}

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{{#lst:UEFA Euro 1968 final tournament|sf2}}

Third place play-off

{{#lst:UEFA Euro 1968 final tournament|tp}}

Final

{{#lst:UEFA Euro 1968 final|final}}

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{{#lst:UEFA Euro 1968 final|replay final}}

Statistics

Awards

UEFA Team of the Tournament

Goalkeeper	Defenders	Midfielders	Forwards
Template:Fbicon Dino Zoff	Template:Fbicon Bobby Moore Template:Fbicon Giacinto Facchetti Template:Fbicon Albert Shesternyov Template:Fbicon Mirsad Fazlagić	Template:Fbicon Angelo Domenghini Template:Fbicon Sandro Mazzola Template:Fbicon Ivica Osim	Template:Fbicon Geoff Hurst Template:Fbicon Gigi Riva Template:Fbicon Dragan Džajić

External links

• UEFA Euro 1968 at UEFA.com