The 1968 European Championship was the third UEFA European Championships, it was held in Italy between 5 June and 10 June 1968. The tournament was won by hosts, Italy, who defeated Yugoslavia 2-0 in a replay at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome after the first match had ended 1-1 after extra time.
It was in this year that the tournament changed its name from the European Nations' Cup to the European Championship.
The qualification for the 1964 European Nations Cup consisted of seven groups of four and one group of three. The group winners advanced to a quarter-final round with all ties played on a two-legged basis. The four quarter-final winners would qualify for the tournament proper with one of those four countries chosen to host it.
UEFA agreed that the combined results of the 1966-67 and 1967-68 British Home Championships would make up Qualifying Group 8 of the 1968 European Championship.
Malta were the oly UEFA member not to enter the qualifying competition.
Wales and the 1968 European Championship
UEFA agreed that the combined results of the 1966-67 and 1967-68 British Home Championships would make up Qualifying Group 8 of the 1968 European Championship.
Despite starting the campaign with a creditable draw at home to Scotland, Wales' hopes of qualification were over by the end of the first round of matches following a 5-1 thrashing by World Champions, England, and a disappointing 0-0 draw away to Northern Ireland.
Uefa qualifying group 8
| no. | date | score | scorers (wales) | venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 273 | 22/10/1966 | Wales 1-1 Scotland | R Davies | Ninian Park, Cardiff | EC/BC |
| 22/10/1966 | Northern Ireland 0-2 England | Windsor Park, Belfast | EC/BC | ||
| 16/11/1966 | Scotland 2-1 Northern Ireland | Hampden Park, Glasgow | EC/BC | ||
| 274 | 16/11/1966 | England 5-1 Wales | RW Davies | Wembley | EC/BC |
| 275 | 12/04/1967 | Northern Ireland 0-0 Wales | Windsor Park, Belfast | EC/BC | |
| 15/04/1967 | England 2-3 Scotland | Wembley Stadium, London | EC/BC | ||
| 276 | 21/10/1967 | Wales 0-3 England | Ninian Park, Cardiff | EC/BC | |
| 21/10/1967 | Northern Ireland 1-0 Scotland | Windsor Park, Belfast | EC/BC | ||
| 22/11/1967 | England 2-0 Northern Ireland | Wembley Stadium, London | EC/BC | ||
| 277 | 22/11/1967 | Scotland 3-2 Wales | R Davies, Durban | Hampden Park, Glasgow | EC/BC |
| 24/02/1968 | Scotland 1-1 England | Hampden Park, Glasgow | EC/BC | ||
| 278 | 28/02/1968 | Wales 2-0 Northern Ireland | Rees, RW Davies | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | EC/BC |
Group standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | England | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 5 | 9 |
| 2. | Scotland | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| 3. | Wales | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 4 |
| 4. | Northern Ireland | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 3 |
Players used during qualifying
Wales used 20 players during the campaign with Barrie Hole the only player to play every minute of every game.
Alan Jarvis won his first cap during the home game against Scotland, Rod Thomas won his first cap against Northern Ireland in Belfast whilst John Mahoney won his first cap in the home match against England.
| Player | SCO | ENG | NIR | ENG | SCO | NIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Davies | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | |
| Wyn Davies | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | ||
| Alan Durban | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | ||
| Mike England | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | ||
| Colin Green | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | ||
| Tery Hennessey | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | |
| Barrie Hole | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| Glyn James | 90 | 90 | ||||
| Alan Jarvis | 90 | 90 | 90 | |||
| Cliff Jones | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | ||
| John Mahoney | 90 | |||||
| Tony Millington | 90 | 90 | 90 | |||
| Keith Pring | 90 | |||||
| Gil Reece | 90 | |||||
| Ron Rees | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | |
| Peter Rodrigues | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | ||
| Gary Sprake | 90 | 90 | 90 | |||
| Rod Thomas | 90 | |||||
| Roy Vernon | 90 | 90 | ||||
| Graham Williams | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 |
