UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying facts for kids
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | September 2014 to November 2015 |
| Teams | 53 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 266 |
| Goals scored | 694 (2.61 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Robert Lewandowski(13 goals |
The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament was a big football competition. It took place from September 2014 to November 2015. Teams played to decide which countries would get to play in the main UEFA Euro 2016 tournament.
A total of 53 teams took part in these qualifying games. France automatically got a spot because they were the hosts of the Euro 2016 tournament. Another 23 teams earned their place through these exciting qualifying matches. The player who scored the most goals was Poland's Robert Lewandowski, with an amazing 13 goals!
Contents
Teams That Qualified for Euro 2016
Many countries worked hard to earn their spot in the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament. Here is a list of the teams that made it:
| Country | Qualified on | How many times they played before |
|---|---|---|
 Albania |
11 October 2015 | 0 (first time ever!) |
 Austria |
8 September 2015 | 1 (in 2008) |
 Belgium |
10 October 2015 | 4 (1972, 1980, 1984, 2000) |
 Croatia |
13 October 2015 | 4 (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012) |
 Czech Republic |
6 September 2015 | 8 (1960, 1976, 1980, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012) |
 England |
5 September 2015 | 8 (1968, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2012) |
 France (host) |
28 May 2010 | 8 (1960, 1984, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012) |
 Germany |
11 October 2015 | 11 (1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012) |
 Hungary |
15 November 2015 | 2 (1964, 1972) |
 Iceland |
6 September 2015 | 0 (first time ever!) |
 Italy |
10 October 2015 | 8 (1968, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012) |
 Northern Ireland |
8 October 2015 | 0 (first time ever!) |
| Poland |
11 October 2015 | 2 (2008, 2012) |
 Portugal |
8 October 2015 | 6 (1984, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012) |
 Republic of Ireland |
16 November 2015 | 2 (1988, 2012) |
 Romania |
11 October 2015 | 4 (1984, 1996, 2000, 2008) |
 Russia |
12 October 2015 | 4 (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012) |
 Slovakia |
11 October 2015 | 0 (first time ever!) |
 Spain |
9 October 2015 | 9 (1964, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012) |
 Sweden |
17 November 2015 | 5 (1992, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012) |
 Switzerland |
9 October 2015 | 3 (1996, 2004, 2008) |
 Turkey |
13 October 2015 | 3 (1996, 2000, 2008) |
 Ukraine |
17 November 2015 | 1 (2012) |
 Wales |
10 October 2015 | 0 (first time ever!) |
How Teams Qualified
The 53 teams were split into nine groups, from Group A to Group I. Most groups had six teams, but Group I had five. Each team played every other team in their group twice, once at home and once away.
After all the games, the top two teams from each group automatically qualified for Euro 2016. This meant 18 teams got their spots right away.
Third-Place Teams and Play-offs
The teams that finished third in their groups also had a chance to qualify. Their results were compared to each other. The best third-place team automatically qualified for the tournament. This was Turkey.
The other eight third-place teams then played in a special "play-off" round. These play-offs were like mini-tournaments. Teams played two matches against each other, one at home and one away. The team that scored more goals in total over both matches moved on.
Here are the results of those exciting play-off matches:
- Ukraine beat Slovenia with a total score of 3-1.
- Sweden won against Denmark with a total score of 4-3.
- Republic of Ireland defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina with a total score of 3-1.
- Hungary beat Norway with a total score of 3-1.
These four winners joined the other qualified teams, making a total of 24 teams ready for the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament!
Top Goal Scorers
Many players scored goals during the qualifying games. Here are some of the top scorers:
- 13 goals: Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
- 11 goals: Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden)
- 9 goals: Thomas Müller (Germany)
- 8 goals: Edin Džeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Artyom Dzyuba (Russia)
- 7 goals: Marc Janko (Austria), Wayne Rooney (England), Kyle Lafferty (Northern Ireland), Steven Fletcher (Scotland), Gareth Bale (Wales)
Images for kids
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Official match ball of the UEFA Euro qualifiers
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Poland's Robert Lewandowski scored 13 goals in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying round, equaling David Healy's record in 2008 for most goals in a qualifying campaign.
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See also
In Spanish: Clasificación para la Eurocopa 2016 para niños
