Finishes: Colors & Stains
The Netherlands was chosen to host the tournament by the UEFA Executive Committee on 4 December 2014.[2]
: The 40 teams 0️⃣ (38 highest-ranked teams and two preliminary round qualifiers) were drawn into eight groups of five teams. Each group was played 0️⃣ in home-and-away round-robin format. The eight group winners and the six best runners-up (not counting results against the fifth-placed team) 0️⃣ qualified directly for the final tournament, while the two remaining runners-up advanced to the play-offs. Play-offs: The two teams played 0️⃣ home-and-away two-legged matches to determine the last qualified team.
Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 0️⃣ point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, 0️⃣ in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Articles 19.01 and 19.02):[9]
In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty 0️⃣ shoot-out are used to decide the winner if necessary.[9]
Own goal