WELCOME MESSAGE
The UEFA European Football Championship™ is without doubt the most important Continental football event for national teams. EURO 2000™ was co-hosted for the first time by two associations, The Netherlands and Belgium, and captured a worldwide cumulative audience of over seven billion viewers, making it one of the most popular sporting events in the world. UEFA EURO 2004™ in Portugal looks set to exceed even these impressive figures. Since the increase to sixteen national teams was first made, at EURO 96™, the quality of games and the level of excitement for fans have undoubtedly increased. Allowing sixteen countries the opportunity to take part in the final tournament gives football fans and the viewing public more top class football to watch in the summer of 2004, as well as a chance for some of the smaller nations to compete at the highest level. I am a great believer that for such teams playing against the best in Europe is a sure
Gerhard Aigner CEO of UEFA
way to improve their standards and any national team that makes it to Portugal will certainly have earned their place through the qualifying rounds. The scale of putting on a tournament such as UEFA EURO 2004™ means that all the various organising bodies have to work together very closely over a long period of time. UEFA, EURO 2004 SA in Portugal, the Portuguese FA and the UEFA Marketing Operations Centre are all working towards ensuring that the commercial and logistical aspects will run smoothly. The development of a new logo and mascot for the competition is just one example of the cooperation that is taking place at all levels. UEFA and its partners are therefore looking forward with energy and excitement to another celebration of European football and a new chapter in European football history.