Format

The UEFA EURO 2004™ final tournament, hosted by Portugal, will be played according to the Official Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship. Everything from kits to the playing system to camera positions within the stadium are governed by the regulations.

Playing system
Regarding the playing system - as per Article 6 of the regulations - here are some reminders of how groups and matches will be decided in the competition. The group matches shall be played using a league system, with each country meeting all of the other countries in its group in a single match. The following points system shall apply: three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for defeat. If two or more teams finish equal on points after all the group matches have been played, the following criteria shall be applied to determine the ranking:
• Number of points obtained in the matches between the teams in question;
• Goal difference resulting from the matches between the teams in question;
• Number of goals scored in the matches between the teams in question (if more than two teams finish equal on points);
• Goal difference in all the group matches;
• Number of goals scored in all the group matches;
• Coefficient of points from the last two qualifying competitions for the final rounds of the 2000/02 FIFA World Cup and 2002/04 UEFA European Football Championship (points gained divided by the number of matches played);
• Fair Play conduct of the teams (in the final tournament);
• A drawing of lots.
Additionally, if two teams meeting in one of the last round of group matches have the same number of points, the same goal difference and the same number of goals, and if this match stands at a draw at the end of normal time, the ranking of these two teams will be determined by kicks from the penalty mark (Article 14), rather than the criteria outlined above.  

Quarter-finals 
The winners and runners-up in each group shall play the quarter-finals over one match, as per the following ranking order:
• B1-A2
• C1-D2
• B2-A1
• D1-C2 
If the scores are level at the end of normal time, the new 'silver goal' rule comes into operation. A first 15 minutes of extra time will be played. If one team is in the lead at the end of the 15 minutes, that team will be declared the winners of the match. If the two teams are still level after 15 minutes of extra time, a second 15-minute period will be played. If the result remains deadlocked at the end of the second period of extra time, the winning team shall be determined by kicks from the penalty mark as per Article 14.

Semi-finals
The four winners of the quarter-finals shall play the semi-finals over one match, as per the following order:
• Winners of B1-A2 - Winners of D1-C2
• Winners of C1-D2 - Winners of B2-A1
If, upon completion of the statutory playing time, a semi-final match ends in a draw, the same system shall apply as in the quarter-finals.

The final
The winners of the semi-finals shall contest the final. If, upon completion of the statutory playing time, the final ends in a draw, the same system shall apply as in the quarter-finals.

Penalties procedure
If kicks from the penalty mark are required to determine the team to qualify or the winners of a match, the referee shall choose the goal at which all of the kicks shall be taken. He shall toss a coin, and the team whose captain wins the toss shall take the first kick. Penalties are taken alternately. If, before both teams have taken five kicks, one has scored more goals than the other could, even if it were to complete its five kicks, the taking of kicks shall cease. If, after both teams have taken five kicks, both have scored the same number of goals or have not scored any goals, the taking of kicks shall continue, in the same order, until such time as both have taken an equal number of kicks (not necessarily five more kicks) and one team has scored one goal more than the other.

Who is allowed to take the penalties? 
Generally, only the players who are on the field of play at the end of the match, which shall mean at the end of extra time in so far as a match in which extra time is authorised is concerned shall take part in the taking of the kicks. However, provided that his team has not already made use of the maximum number of substitutes permitted by the rules of the competition under which the match is played, a goalkeeper who sustains an injury during the taking of the kicks and who, because of the injury, is unable to continue as goalkeeper, may be replaced by a substitute.

Second kicks
Each kick shall be taken by a different player, and only when all eligible players of each team, including the goalkeeper or the named substitute by whom he was replaced have each taken a kick, may a player of the same team take a second kick.

Suspensions
A player who is ordered to leave the pitch by the referee shall be suspended for the next match in the competition. In all cases, the Control and Disciplinary Committee shall be entitled to increase the punishment.

Qualifying round
Similarly, regulations govern the qualifying round and the playoffs, namely Article 6. Following the conclusion of the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals, the UEFA Administration decided the playing system and the seeding procedure for the UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying round draw. In total, 50 teams divided into ten groups of five participate in the qualifying stage of the competition, with Portugal automatically qualified for the finals as tournament hosts.

Playing system
The playing system for the qualifying round follows the same procedures as the final tournament group stage with three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat, although teams play each other on a home-and-away basis, unlike the final tournament when all matches are staged in Portugal. If two or more teams finish equal on points after all the group matches have been played, the following criteria shall be applied to determine the ranking:
• Number of points obtained in the matches between the teams in question;
• Goal difference resulting from the matches between the teams in question;
• Number of away goals scored in the matches between the teams in question;
• Results of all qualifying competition matches:
- goal difference
- number of goals
- number of away goals;
• Fair Play conduct of the teams in question;
• A drawing of lots.

Play-offs
Ten group winners automatically qualify alongside Portugal for the finals. The ten group runners-up will take part in five play-offs on a home-and-away basis according to the knockout system described below. The five winners of these play-offs will advance to the final tournament.

Runners-up rankings
Should it be necessary to decide the ranking of the group runners-up, only their results against the teams in first, third and fourth place in their group will be taken into account, with the following criteria applied:
• Number of points obtained in the matches against the teams in first, third and fourth place in the group;
• Goal difference from these matches;
• Number of goals scored in these matches;
• Number of away goals in these matches;
• Fair play conduct of the teams in all group matches;
• Drawing of lots.

Playoff procedures
In matches played according to the knockout system, each team plays the same opponent twice, in home-and-away matches. The team which scores the greater aggregate of goals in the two matches qualifies for the final tournament. If the two teams score the same number of goals over the two legs of their tie, the team which scores more away goals qualifies for the final tournament. If this procedure does not produce a result (ie. if the two teams score the same number of goals at home and away), extra time of 2 x 15 minutes is played at the end of the second leg. If during extra time, both teams score the same number of goals, away goals count double (ie. the visiting team qualifies). If no goals are scored during extra time, kicks from the penalty mark (as per Article 14) determine which team qualifies.