The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was the eleventh European Championships and was held in Belgium and the Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2000. It was the first European Championship to be hosted by more than one nation. The tournament was won by France beating Italy 2-1 after extra time at De Kuip, Rotterdam
- 1. Host selection
- 2. Qualifying
- 3. Wales and the 2000 European Championship
- 4. Wales players used during qualifying
The hosting of the event was contested by Austria, Spain as well as the joint Dutch and Belgian bid which was selected by the UEFA Executive Committee at a meeting in Geneva on 14 July 1995.
Forty nine UEFA members entered the qualification tournament for the 2000 UEFA European Football Championship with Belgium and the Netherlands qualifying automatically as hosts.
Bosnia-Herzegovina participated in the European Championship qualifiers for the first time having participated in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and Andorra participated for the frist time having become members of UEFA in November 1996.
Wales were seeded in the fourth pot and were drawn into Group 1 alongside Italy, Denmark, Switzerland and Belarus. This was the first time Wales had played Belarus.
Uefa qualifying group 1
| no. | date | score | scorers (wales) | venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 481 | 05/09/1998 | Wales 0-2 Italy | Anfield, Liverpool | |
| 482 | 10/10/1998 | Denmark 1-2 Wales | Williams, Bellamy | Copenhagen |
| 483 | 13/10/1998 | Wales 3-2 Belarus | Robinson, Coleman, Symons | Ninian Park, Cardiff |
| 484 | 30/03/1999 | Switzerland 2-0 Wales | Zurich | |
| 485 | 05/06/1999 | Italy 4-0 Wales | Bologna | |
| 486 | 09/06/1999 | Wales 0-2 Denmark | Anfield, Liverpool | |
| 487 | 04/09/1999 | Belarus 1-2 Wales | Saunders, Giggs | Minsk |
| 488 | 09/10/1999 | Wales 0-2 Switzerland | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham |
Group standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Italy | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 15 |
| 2. | Denmark | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 14 |
| 3. | Switzerland | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 14 |
| 4. | Wales | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 16 | 9 |
| 5. | Belarus | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 3 |
Wales and the 2000 European Championship
Wales were seeded in the fourth pot and were drawn into Group 1 alongside Italy, Denmark, Switzerland and Belkarus. This was the first time Wales had played Belarus.
Due to the National Stadium in Cardiff being rebuilt, the Football Association of Wales decided to play Wales' home matches against Italy and Denmark at Anfield, Liverpool.
Bobby Gould resigned as national team manager following the 4-0 defeat to Italy in Bologna. Neville Southall and Mark Hughes took joint charge of the match against Denmark four days later. Mark Hughes was later given the role of player-manager, his first game in charge being the the game in Minsk in September 1999.
