The month of July has come to an end and UEFA Euro 2012 is over. A total of 16 nations took part in the continent’s most prestigious international football tournament.
As expected, several records got broken. Meanwhile, no team managed to prevent Spain from defending their European Championship title.
For European footballing nations, the focus has now shifted to Brazil 2014. The European qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup will commence later this year, in September.
However, there is more to look forward to than just the World Cup in two years’ time. In other words, the long-term future of highly ranked countries like Spain, Portugal, France and England is always a concern.
Likewise, emergent contenders like Greece, Serbia and Croatia are looking to close the gap against Europe’s elites. For that matter, junior tournaments exist and they are a vital element in the development of football. This July, Estonia are hosting the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. This is where fresh talents will fight to keep growing.
Euro U-19 groups and match schedule
Eight teams will compete for the prize. Host Estonia are in Group A with Portugal, Greece and favourites Spain. In Group B, France and England find themselves together again. These two countries landed in the same group at UEFA Euro 2012. Serbia and Croatia complete this section.
The crunch tournament begins on July 3 with Greece and Spain meeting in Haapsalu. Portugal’s U-19 team will be hoping to cause an upset against host nation Estonia in Tallinn. Meanwhile, France and Serbia will clash at the Rakvere Stadium.
Watch the UEFA Under-19 European Championship on Eurosport 2 International. Gol TV USA will also broadcast some matches live. More info is available on the UEFA Under-19 European Championship match page.
