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Sweden made it to the quarterfinals of the 2004 European Championships and the semifinals in its first appearance, in 1992, but it has not had overwhelming success since its third place finish at the 1994 World Cup. Still, Sweden has a traditionally solid squad and it made it through qualifying with only two losses and only a draw separating it and Spain, which is favored by some to win the tournament.
Sweden will rely on its experience when it heads to Austria and Switzerland. Defender Olof Mellberg (Juventus) is one of four players on the roster with more than 80 international appearances and star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan) will pick up his 50th cap in the tournament despite only being 26 years old. Ibrahimovic’s scoring touch will benefit the Swedes greatly while veteran Marcus Allback (FC Copenhagen), who led the team in goals during qualifying, will help carry the load. Another Swedish player to watch will be Henrik Larsson (Helsingborgs FC), who had retired from international soccer after the 2006 World Cup but played well in the Swedish league last season and earned a spot.
Sweden is ranked 23rd in the world by FIFA and will have to take on Russia, Spain and defending European champions Greece, but it should contend for the second spot in the group based on its experience and ability to put the ball in the back of the net.
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The defending champions of Europe won Group C with a 10-1-1 record. Though the numbers look impressive it was not the most powerful group and Greece –while consistently solid- did not play spectacularly. They were thumped 4-1 by Turkey at home in Athens but did return the favor, however, with a 1-0 win in Istanbul. 
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Russia pulled off arguably the biggest upset in the Euro 08 qualifying stage when it downed England 2-1 in Moscow and knocked England out of the second spot in their qualifying group. This is Russia’s third appearance at the European Championships and it will try to advance past the first round for the first time in its history.
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Spain will take one of the most formidable sides in its history to Austria and Switzerland this summer to try to win its first European Championship since 1964. Though Spain stumbled twice during qualification, it still emerged on top of its group and received a favorable draw for the finals.
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Coming off its runner up finish in the 2006 World Cup, France only narrowly qualified for Euro 2008. The French found themselves in the same qualifying group as Italy, the team that defeated them to take home the 2006 World Cup title, but surprisingly the Italians did not pose the biggest threat. Scotland, however, beat France twice and almost earned the second spot in the group, but France was simply too strong.
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The 21st century has not been kind to Romania so far, with the Tricolorii failing to qualify for a major tournament between the 2000 European Championships and the 2008 edition, but there is hope for the future. The Romanians stormed through Euro 08 qualifying, besting super talented Holland to take the top spot in their group, and head to Austria and Switzerland ranked 12th in the world by FIFA.
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Holland has made it to the semifinals of four of the past five European Championships and won the 1988 tournament, but squeaked into this summer’s tournament by amassing only one more point than Bulgaria. Though the Oranje did not dominate qualifying, though, they still have the capability to make a strong run in the tournament.
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Can the reigning world champs conquer their own continent as well? On paper the easy answer to that question would be yes. They certainly are a talent-laden squad and with a #3 FIFA world ranking (the highest of any European country) the Italians have to considered a favorite to lift the trophy in Vienna.
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When Germany won the 1996 European Championship, it was the third time the country had won the title, the fifth time in seven tournaments that Germany had progressed to the final game and the sixth time in seven tournaments that it had made it as far as the semifinals. In the two European tournaments since then, however, Germany has not gotten through the first round. However, with a new coach, a third place finish in the 2006 World Cup, and a star-studded roster on the pitch, Germany looks ready to contend for another European title.
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Croatia looked dominant during the European Champions qualifiers, posting a record of nine wins, two draws and only one loss in a tough group. The Croats defeated superpower England twice en route to winning the group and posting one of the best goal differentials of the tournament. Their only loss came after they had secured qualification.
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Austria enters the 2008 European Championships with an automatic berth as one of the co-hosts. This will be Austria’s first appearance in the European Championships and while expectations are low, there is a chance that Austria can surprise some people.
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Though Poland got off to an inauspicious start to its Euro 08 qualifying campaign, losing to Finland and drawing against Serbia, it finished strong to win its group, beating 2004 European runner up Portugal in the process. This will be Poland’s first attempt at European glory and will give it a chance to showcase its skills in preparation for 2012, when it will co-host the tournament with Ukraine.
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Portugal has exploded onto the international scene in recent years, reaching the semifinals of the 2000 European Championships and the 2006 World Cup plus making it all the way to the finals of the 2004 European Championships. The Portuguese only lost one game in qualifying, to eventual group champion Poland, but drew six times, including an embarrassing 1-1 tie with Armenia.
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The last time Switzerland played in a major international tournament, the 2006 World Cup, it became the first team to be eliminated from the competition without allowing a single goal. The 2008 European Championship co-hosts will try to continue that legacy of a stout defense this summer as they try to turn their home field advantage into a berth in the quarterfinals.
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Turkey enjoyed a mini-renaissance at the beginning of the century, making it to the quarterfinals of Euro 2000 and finishing third at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Since those successes, however, Turkey has battled inconsistency. After winning its first four games of qualifying for this year’s tournament, including a 4-1 statement win over defending champs Greece, Turkey went winless over its next three games against three of the group’s minnows. Still, Turkey held on to qualify to go to Austria and Switzerland.