Competition format
Wednesday 29 November 2006
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German captain Doris Fitschen lifts the 2001 UEFA European Women's Championship trophy (©AFP)The 2009 finals in Finland will feature 12 teams, an increase from the previous eight.
Preliminary round
Prior to the main qualifying round, 20 teams that would previously have been involved in the old second division were given a chance to compete with the top ranked teams by coming through a preliminary round, with Northern Ireland, Israel, Slovakia, Romania and Wales winning through to join 25 others in six groups of five teams.
Qualifying round
The six group winners will be ensured their berths in Finland along side the hosts, with the runners-up and the four third-placed teams with the best record against the rest of the top four in their pool will go into five two-legged play-offs in October which will complete the lineup.
Final tournament
The 12 contenders will be drawn into three groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each pool plus the two best third-placed will progress into the knockout phase, beginning with the quarter-finals. The final will be held on 10 September 2009.
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