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1968 UEFA European Football Championship
Campionato europeo di calcio ; Italia 1968
Tournament details
Host country	Italy
Dates	5–10 June
Teams	4
Venue(s)	3 (in 3 host cities)
Final positions
Champions	Italy (1st title)
Runners-up	Yugoslavia
Third place	England
Fourth place	Soviet Union
Tournament statistics
Matches played	5
Goals scored	7 (1.4 per match)
Attendance	260,916 (52,183 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Dragan Džajić (2 goals)
	← 1964 1972 →

The 1968 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Italy. This was the third UEFA European Championship, an event held every four years and organised by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 5 and 10 June 1968.

It was in this year that the tournament changed its name from the "European Nations' Cup" to the "European Championship".^[1] There were also some changes in the tournament's qualifying structure, with the two-legged home-and-away knock-out stage being replaced by a group phase.

Four countries played in the final tournament, which consisted of the semi-finals, a third place play-off, and the final. The host nation for the finals was selected from the four qualified nations.^[2]

Qualification

The qualification competition was played in two stages: a group stage (taking place from 1966 until 1968) and the quarter-finals (played in 1968). There were seven groups of four teams and one of three, with matches played in a home-and-away basis. The eight group winners qualified for the quarter-finals, which were played in two legs, home and away. The winners of the quarter-finals went through to the final tournament.

As of 2024, this is the last European Championship finals not to feature a Germany team (united or West), and the only World Cup or European Championship tournament where the team was eliminated in the qualifying stages.

Qualified teams

Team	Qualified as	Qualified on	Previous appearances in tournament^[A]
Italy (host)	Quarter-final winner	20 April 1968	0 (debut)
Yugoslavia	Quarter-final winner	24 April 1968	1 (1960)
England	Quarter-final winner	8 May 1968	0 (debut)
Soviet Union	Quarter-final winner	11 May 1968	2 (1960, 1964)

^ Bold indicates champion for that year.

Venues

Rome	Naples	Florence
Stadio Olimpico	Stadio San Paolo	Stadio Comunale
Capacity: 80,000	Capacity: 82,000	Capacity: 52,000

Squads

Match officials

Country	Referee
Switzerland	Gottfried Dienst
Spain	José María Ortiz de Mendíbil
West Germany	Kurt Tschenscher
Hungary	István Zsolt

Final tournament

In all matches but the final, extra time and a coin toss were used to decide the winner if necessary. If the final remained level after extra time, a replay would be used to determine the winner.

All times are local, CEST (UTC+2).

Bracket

Semi-finals		Final

5 June – Naples

Italy (coin toss)	0
		8 and 10 June – Rome
Soviet Union	0
		Italy (replay)	1	2
5 June – Florence
		Yugoslavia	1	0
Yugoslavia	1

England	0
		Third place play-off

		8 June – Rome

		England		2

		Soviet Union		0

Semi-finals

5 June 1968

18:00

Italy	0–0 (a.e.t.) Italy won on coin toss	Soviet Union
	Report

Stadio San Paolo, Naples

Attendance: 68,582

Referee: Kurt Tschenscher (West Germany)

5 June 1968

21:15

Yugoslavia	1–0	England
Džajić 86'	Report

Stadio Comunale, Florence

Attendance: 21,834

Referee: José María Ortiz de Mendíbil (Spain)

Third place play-off

8 June 1968

18:45

England	2–0	Soviet Union
B. Charlton 39' Hurst 63'	Report

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Attendance: 68,817

Referee: István Zsolt (Hungary)

Final

8 June 1968

21:15

Italy	1–1 (a.e.t.)	Yugoslavia
Domenghini 80'	Report	Džajić 39'

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Attendance: 68,817^[3]

Referee: Gottfried Dienst (Switzerland)

10 June 1968

21:15

Italy	2–0	Yugoslavia
Riva 12' Anastasi 31'	Report

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Attendance: 32,886^[4]

Referee: José María Ortiz de Mendíbil (Spain)

Statistics

Goalscorers

There were 7 goals scored in 5 matches, for an average of 1.4 goals per match.

2 goals

Dragan Džajić

1 goal

Awards

UEFA Team of the Tournament^[5]

Goalkeeper	Defenders	Midfielders	Forwards
Dino Zoff	Bobby Moore Giacinto Facchetti Albert Shesternyov Mirsad Fazlagić	Angelo Domenghini Sandro Mazzola Ivica Osim	Geoff Hurst Gigi Riva Dragan Džajić

References

^ Brewin, John; Williamson, Martin (29 April 2012). "Euro 2012: European Nations Cup 1968". ESPN FC. ESPN. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
^ Sheringham, Sam (12 May 2012). "Euro 1968: Alan Mullery's moment of madness". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
^ "European Football Championship 1968 FINAL". Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
^ "European Football Championship 1968 FINAL Replay". Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 29 August 2000. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
^ "1968 team of the tournament". Union of European Football Associations. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2020.