UEFA Euro 2000

The 11th European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2000, was held from June 10 to July 2, 2000. For the first time, the tournament was co-hosted by two countries: Belgium and the Netherlands.

Qualification

A total of 16 teams participated in the championship. The qualification process saw several notable teams eliminated early on. Germany, the defending champion, failed to advance beyond the group stage. Switzerland and Austria were also eliminated during the qualifying phase.

Group Stage and Knockout Phase

The tournament was divided into two groups, with each team playing a round-robin format in their respective group. The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout phase. Belgium, one of the co-hosts, failed to advance beyond the group stage, while the Netherlands was eliminated by Italy in the semi-finals.

Final

The final match took place on July 2, 2000, at De Kuip in Rotterdam, Netherlands. France faced off against Italy, and the match went into extra time. In the 103rd minute, David Trezeguet scored a golden goal, securing a 2-1 victory for France.

Top Scorers

The top scorers of the tournament were Savo Milošević (Yugoslavia) and Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands), each scoring five goals.

Procurement and Host Selection

Prior to the selection of Belgium and the Netherlands as co-hosts, other countries had submitted bids. Spain and Austria also expressed interest in hosting the tournament.

Rules Changes

Before the championship, UEFA introduced a rule change: after the group stage, yellow and red cards would be reset to zero for each team.

Official Song

The official song of the tournament was "Campione 2000" by Swedish artist E-Type.