This book explores social and political issues and trends emerging around the UEFA European Football Championships. It presents a contemporary sociology of the European Championships which, despite its significance as a mega-event, has been largely overshadowed by the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in existing literature. At a time when both sport mega-events and Europe are undergoing dramatic transformations, this book explores a range of case studies and important topics such as changing consumption patterns, new types of sport media, social media, environmental policies and emergency politics, public opposition and co-hosting. It also situates the European Championships within wider European projects and discourses of European identities, integration and enlargement. Drawing on data from recent and historical European Championships, and looking ahead to the next tournament in Germany in 2024, this book serves to open up new debates within the sociology of sport and the study of mega-events. It is a timely and ground-breaking text which will resonate with students, academics and readers who are interested in football, the sociology of sport, megaevents, digital sociology, European politics and culture or sports business.

Over the past decade, European football has seen tremendous changes impacting upon its international framework as well as local traditions and national institutions. Processes of Europeanization in the fields of economy and politics provided the background for transformations of the production and consumption of football on a transnational scale. In the course of such rearrangements, football tournaments like the UEFA Championship or the European Champions League turned into mega-events and media spectacles attracting ever-growing audiences. The experience of participating in these events offers some of the very few occasions for the display and embodiment of identities within a European context. This volume takes the 2008 EUROs hosted by Austria and Switzerland as a case study to analyze the political and cultural significance of the tournament from a multidisciplinary angle. What are the special features and spatial arrangements of a UEFAesque Europe, in comparison to alternative possibilities of a Europe? Situating the sport tournament between interpretations of collective European ritual and European spectacle, the key research question will ask what kind of Europe was represented in the cultural, political and economic manifestations of the 2008 EUROs. This book was published as a special issue of Soccer and Society.

Spain's breath-taking and record-breaking win over Italy in the 2012final in Kiev, Ukraine was the thrilling ending to a EURO 2012 competition that had begun back in 2010. This book is the definitive record of every one of the 271 games in both the qualification competition and the Finals tournament in Poland & Ukraine. There are tables showing the standings of each team after every round of games, so the progress of teams can be followed as they attempted to qualify. There are also full squad details for the 2012 Finals tournament plus sections on the tournament scorers.

This Palgrave Pivot presents tournament design mainly within the axioms of incentive compatibility and fairness. It illustrates the advantages of an axiomatic approach through various examples, including several FIFA and UEFA tournaments, and uses theoretical tools and simulation methodology in its analysis. Chapter 1 discusses scoring systems of championships with multiple competitions, ranking in Swiss-system tournaments, and tie-breaking rules in round-robin leagues. It is followed by a thorough critical analysis of the current and previous FIFA World Rankings. The broad focus is substantially narrowed in Chapter 2, which turns to the topic of incentive (in)compatibility in multiple qualifiers. It is revealed that UEFA has faced at least three times recently this problem in the qualification to the UEFA Europa League, qualification to the UEFA Champions League, and the draw of the UEFA Champions League groups. Analogously, Chapter 3 discusses incentive (in)compatibility when there is only one group-based tournament but the complex progression rules to the subsequent stage can be designed poorly. Our examples include the qualifying tournaments of recent FIFA World Cups and UEFA European Championships. Chapter 4 moves to the problem of penalty shootout rules in soccer, where the fairness and complexity of some alternative mechanisms from the literature are evaluated. Fairness remains the central issue in Chapter 5, which presents the challenges of designing a tournament with 24 teams if the number of teams per group cannot exceed four. As expected, there is no perfect solution, and both FIFA and UEFA have introduced a reform in this format recently. Chapter 6 deals with the qualification for the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship. Its tournament design is perhaps the most complicated one that has ever been implemented in the real-world and suffers from serious shortcomings.

The UEFA European football championship was the first European mega-event to take place in post-socialist Europe. Taking this as a departure point, this volume focuses on football as a realm of constructing and negotiating identities using rich ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth media analysis.

🌍⚽ Euro Glory: The Story of the UEFA European Championship ⚽🌍 By ChatStick Team Embark on an exhilarating journey through the rich history of one of football's most prestigious tournaments with "Euro Glory: The Story of the UEFA European Championship". This meticulously researched book by the ChatStick Team chronicles the UEFA European Championship from its humble beginnings in 1960 to the grand spectacle it is today. 📖✨ Highlights include: The origins and evolution of the tournament 🏁 Iconic matches and unforgettable moments 🎇 Profiles of legendary players who have graced the European stage 🌟 The unifying power of football across the continent 🌍 Whether you're a passionate football fan or simply curious about the tournament's impact, "Euro Glory" offers a comprehensive and engaging narrative that captures the spirit and excitement of European football's crown jewel. 🏆🔥 Key Features: Detailed historical insights 📜 Vivid storytelling with rich context 📚 Celebrates the passion and drama of the European Championship 💥 Categories: Sports & Recreation, History, Football (Soccer) Get your copy today and relive the magic of the UEFA European Championship! 🏅🎉

One of the most eagerly anticipated events on the sporting calendar, the 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship will take place in Germany in June-July 2024, with 24 teams competing for the most prestigious international prize in the European game. UEFA EURO 2024: The Official Book covers every aspect of the tournament, including a comprehensive analysis of each national team and its chances of success, and a detailed look at the players expected to grab the headlines. It also contains a guide to the 10 stadiums and host cities, a fill-in tournament chart, the story of qualifying and a selection of magic moments. Packed full of facts and stats and fully illustrated with a great collection of action photographs, UEFA EURO 2024: The Official Book is suitable for fans of all ages and is the perfect accompaniment to 2024's biggest football event.