1976 UEFA European Under-23 Championship

Overview

The 1976 UEFA European Under-23 Championship was a football tournament held from 1974 to 1976, featuring 23 national teams. The competition was won by the Soviet Union U-23 team.

Qualifying Stage

The allocation of teams into qualifying groups was based on that of the 1976 UEFA Euro qualifying tournament with several changes, reflecting the absence of some nations:

* Group 1 did not include Cyprus
* Group 2 did not include Wales
* Group 3 did not include Northern Ireland
* Group 4 did not include Spain
* Group 5 did not include Poland (moved to Group 8)
* Group 6 did not include the Republic of Ireland and Switzerland
* Group 7 did not include Iceland
* Group 8 did not include West Germany and Malta, but included Poland (moved from Group 5)

Knockout Stages

The knockout stages consisted of a two-legged home-and-away basis until the winner was decided. There were no finals tournament or third-place playoff.

Competition Format

The 23 participating nations were divided into eight groups. The group winners played off against each other in round-trip direct elimination matches, from quarter-finals to the final.