Facts on EURO 2012
- The final tournament of the 14th UEFA EURO will be held in four stadia in Poland and four stadia in Ukraine from 8 June to 1 July 2012.
- For the first time ever the European Championship will be hosted in Eastern Europe.
- EURO 2012 will be the championship with the longest distances ever between the stadia: Up to 2000 km from Gdansk in Poland (West) to Donetsk in Ukraine (East).
- 1.4 million fans is expected at the stadia in Poland and Ukraine.
- The 31 matches will be broadcast live in more than 200 territories around the world.
Golden EURO moments
For almost a quarter of a century, Carlsberg has been committed to the European Championships and that passion continues stronger than ever into 2012. Since the beginning of Carlsberg’s relationship with the world’s third largest sporting event, there have been many historic moments and UEFA EURO 2012™ is set to be no different. This is the first ever tournament to be held in Eastern Europe and only the third time that the final tournament is jointly hosted by two countries (after Belgium/Netherlands in 2000 and Austria/Switzerland in 2008).
As the 16 teams of the UEFA EURO 2012™ finals prepare to compete in a total of 31 matches for a chance to make history, Carlsberg has taken a look back at the key moments that have helped make the European Championships into one of the world’s best sporting events since the brewer’s first tournament sponsorship back in 1988:
1988 (West Germany)
- Carlsberg becomes an official sponsor of the European Championships
- Netherlands beat hosts and traditional rivals Germany 2-1 in the semi-finals, sparking huge celebrations in the Netherlands
- Marco van Basten scores one of the most memorable goals in footballing history against Russia in the final, volleying the ball past the goalkeeper and playing a vital part in Netherlands being crowned European Champions 1988
- Tournament top scorer – Marco van Basten (Netherlands) - 5 goals
1992 (Sweden)
- The first major tournament to have player’s names printed on their shirt backs
- A proud moment for Carlsberg as a Danish brand and European Championships sponsor as Denmark wins the tournament
- Tournament top scorer – Henrik Larsen (Denmark), Karlheinz Riedle (Germany), Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands), Tomas Brolin (Sweden) – 3 goals each
1996 (England)
- The number of teams taking part in the tournament doubles to 16
- The hosts are knocked out of the tournament by old rivals Germany, who go on to win their first tournament as a unified nation
- Germany’s Oliver Bierhoff scores the first ever ‘golden goal’ in a major tournament, against Czech Republic in the final
- Tournament top scorer – Alan Shearer (England) – 5 goals
2000 (Netherlands & Belgium)
- The first ever European Football Championships to be held in two countries
- Reigning world champions France win the tournament after a thrilling final versus Italy, in which the French come back from 1-0 down with a Sylvain Wiltord equalizer in the final minute of the game. David Trezeguet goes on to score the winner in extra time
- Tournament top scorer – Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands), Savo Milošević (Serbia) – 5 goals each
2004 (Portugal)
- The tournament produces a surprise champion in Greece – a nation given little attention as potential winners ahead of the start of the Championships
- Greece defeat hosts Portugal 1-0 in the final, to the delight and surprise of Greek fans and neutral viewers alike
- Tournament top scorer - Milan Baroš (Czech Republic) – 5 goals
2008 (Austria & Switzerland)
- Spain wins the tournament for the first time in 44 years
- Iker Casillas becomes the first captain to lift the updated version of the Henri Delaunay Cup – an updated tournament trophy crafted from sterling silver, weighing in at 8 kilograms and standing 60 centimeters tall
- Carlsberg sells more than 1,500,000 litres of beer in fans zones at the tournament
- Tournament top scorer – David Villa (Spain) – 4 goals
2012 (Poland & Ukraine)
- The first ever European Championships to be held in Eastern Europe
- The UEFA EURO 2012™ matches will be played in eight stadiums, four in Poland – Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw, Wroclaw – and four in Ukraine – Donetsk, Lviv, Kharkiv and Kyiv.
- The format of four groups of four teams will be used for the last time in this tournament. The competition format will change for the next edition in 2016 as the lineup of participants competing in the final tournament will be increased to 24
Top three most successful teams of all time (1960-2008):
1. Germany (3 titles)
2. Spain (2 titles)
3. France (2 titles)
Involving fans on Facebook
And for the coming tournament, Carlsberg is giving fans the chance to create their very own European Championship memories by giving them the chance to be there at UEFA EURO 2012™. From now until mid May 2012 supporters can visit www.facebook.com/Carlsberg, “Like” the page and undertake a series of set challenges and tasks to prove their desire to get to the tournament.
Every successfully completed task will be rewarded with a virtual Carlsberg Fan Challenge™ trophy. The more trophies fans earn the more chances they will have to win tickets in the monthly competitions. Then, as the tournament gets closer, in February 2012 those with the most trophies will battle it out to win the chance to be part of history and present the Carlsberg Man of the Match Award at the UEFA EURO 2012™ Final.
The challenges will require a mix of football knowledge and passion for the UEFA EURO™ tournament. Successful entries will also reflect Carlsberg’s commitment to responsible behaviour.