2008 UEFA European Championship

The 2008 UEFA European Championship is one of the year’s most keenly anticipated sports events. Set to be co-hosted by Switzerland and Austria, the Euro2008 will feature the talents of all Europe’s top football stars.

Sixteen national teams have qualified for the 2008 UEFA European Championship, and the winners will have to survive four stages of gruelling competition to claim the new Henri Delaunay trophy and a cash prize of 7,5 million Euros.

2008 UEFA European Championship Betting

As the second biggest football tournament on the planet the 2008 UEFA European Championship is likely to bring the best out of online bookmakers. Punters can expect a bonanza of EURO2008 betting specials, with additional free bet offers and numerous opportunities to earn money back on bets.

Punters can also look forward to the full range of betting options on each EURO2008 game. With Greece winning the 2004 UEFA European Championship, football fans will be well aware of the fact that long odds outsiders offer the opportunity for massive payouts in this tournament.

UEFA European Championship History

[odds]http://odds.gambling-guru.com/football/euro-2012/winner|Euro 2012[/odds]

The concept of a regional European national football tournament was first proposed by a Frenchman, Henri Delaunay, in 1927. It took 31 years for his vision to materialise, when the first UEFA European Championship was hosted in France in 1958.

The UEFA European Championship was a minor event for the first decade of its existence, and failed to attract the biggest European teams on a consistent basis. The event grew steadily through the sixties and seventies as several problems with the tournament format were gradually ironed out.

The tournament finally came of age in the 1980s, when a series of classic finals saw some of the strongest football powers in Europe claim victories in gripping matches.

The UEFA European Championship is one of the most competitive and open football tournaments in the world, and has been claimed by no less than 15 European nations.

UEFA European Championship Winners

The competitiveness of the UEFA European Championship has seen few teams manage to dominate the tournament for any extended period of time. The most successful country in the tournament’s history is Germany with three titles.

The UEFA European Championship has featured several massive upsets. In 1992 Denmark won the Euro1992 after receiving a late entry into the tournament following an 11th hour withdrawal by Yugoslavia. 12 years later Greece astounded the football world by winning the Euro2004, defeating Portugal in a tense final.

Euro2008 Groups

Group A
1. Switzerland
2. Czech Republic
3. Portugal
4. Turkey

Group B
1. Austria
2. Croatia
3. Germany
4. Poland

Group C
1. France
2. Holland
3. Italy
4. Romania

Group D
1. Greece
2. Sweden
3. Spain
4. Russia

Useful European Championship Resources
Euro 2008 Football Results
Euro 2008 TV Coverage
UEFA Euro2008
UEFA European Championship – Wikipedia