The European Football
Championship 2016 more referred to as Euro
2016, will be the 15th edition of the European Championship Men's football teams organized by UEFA.
For the first time, the European
Championship will be contested by 24 teams, so all, and thus the expansion
of the 16-team format that was used since 1996 under this new format, the
classified will compete in the group stage with six groups’ four teams,
followed by an elimination phase with three phases and the final.
As hosts, France
has automatic classification for the tournament,
while the other 53 teams competing in the qualifiers, from September 2014 to
November 2015, to ensure the remaining 23 vacancies. Next to these selections,
then are twice champion Spain and for the first time since its affiliation to UEFA, Gibraltar.
France was chosen to host the May 28, 2010,
when his candidacy won the Italy and Turkey. The matches will be played in ten
stadiums across nine cities:. Bordeaux, Lens, Villeneuve d'Ascq, Lyon,
Marseille, Nice, Paris, Saint-Etienne and Toulouse. It will be the third time
that France will organize the tournament, in which two were in 1960 and 1984.
The French team won the tournament twice, in 1984 and 2000.
The winner will earn the right to play in the championship of
the 2017 Confederations organized by Russia. If Germany or Russia wins, the 2nd
placed will participate, as Germany ranked to be world champion in the Football World Cup 2014 to Russia for
being the hostess.