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UEFA European National Team Ranking Table 1997
  ECP 1996 WCP 1998 Combined
No. Team Pts Pl Pts Av Pts P Pts Av Pts P Pts Av
1 Spain 26 10 2.60 26 10 2.60 52 20 2.60
2 Romania 21 10 2.10 28 10 2.80 49 20 2.45
3 Russia 26 10 2.60 17 8 2.125 43 18 2.388
4 England - - - 19 8 2.375 19 8 2.375
5 Germany 25 10 2.50 22 10 2.20 47 20 2.35
6 Yugoslavia - - - 23 10 2.30 23 10 2.30
7 Scotland 23 10 2.30 23 10 2.30 46 20 2.30
8 Italy 23 10 2.30 18 8 2.25 41 18 2.277
9 Norway 20 10 2.00 20 8 2.50 40 18 2.222
10 Bulgaria 22 10 2.20 18 8 2.25 40 18 2.222
11 Netherlands 20 10 2.00 19 8 2.375 39 18 2.166
12 Denmark 21 10 2.10 17 8 2.125 38 18 2.111
13 Croatia 23 10 2.30 15 8 1.875 38 18 2.111
14 Portugal 23 10 2.30 19 10 1.90 42 20 2.10
15 Austria 16 10 1.60 25 10 2.50 41 20 2.05
16 France 20 10 2.00 - - - 20 10 2.00
17 Czech Republic 21 10 2.10 16 10 1.60 37 20 1.85
18 Belgium 15 10 1.50 18 8 2.25 33 18 1.833
19 Turkey 15 8 1.875 14 8 1.75 29 16 1.812
20 Greece 18 10 1.80 14 8 1.75 32 18 1.777
21 Rep. of Ireland 17 10 1.70 18 10 1.80 35 20 1.75
22 Switzerland 17 8 2.125 10 8 1.25 27 16 1.687
23 Sweden 9 8 1.125 21 10 2.10 30 18 1.666
24 Ukraine 13 10 1.30 20 10 2.00 33 20 1.65
25 Lithuania 16 10 1.60 17 10 1.70 33 20 1.65
26 Slovakia 14 10 1.40 16 10 1.60 30 20 1.50
27 Finland 15 10 1.50 11 8 1.375 26 18 1.444
28 Israel 12 10 1.20 13 8 1.625 25 18 1.388
29 Georgia 15 10 1.50 10 8 1.25 25 18 1.388
30 Poland 13 10 1.30 10 8 1.25 23 18 1.277
31 Hungary 8 8 1.00 12 8 1.50 20 16 1.25
32 Northern Ireland 17 10 1.70 7 10 0.70 24 20 1.20
33 Bosnia-Herzegovina - - - 9 8 1.125 9 8 1.125
34 Latvia 12 10 1.20 10 10 1.00 22 20 1.10
35 FYR Macedonia 7 10 0.70 13 10 1.30 20 20 1.00
36 Cyprus 7 10 0.70 10 8 1.25 17 18 0.944
37 Wales 8 10 0.80 7 8 0.875 15 18 0.833
38 Iceland 5 8 0.625 9 10 0.90 14 18 0.777
39 Belarus 11 10 1.10 4 10 0.40 15 20 0.75
40 Slovenia 11 10 1.10 1 8 0.125 12 18 0.666
41 Armenia 5 10 0.50 8 10 0.80 13 20 0.65
42 Faroe Islands 6 10 0.60 6 10 0.60 12 20 0.60
43 Albania 8 10 0.80 4 10 0.40 12 20 0.60
44 Luxembourg 10 10 1.00 0 8 0.00 10 18 0.555
45 Moldova 9 10 0.90 0 8 0.00 9 18 0.50
46 Azerbaijan 1 10 0.10 3 8 0.375 4 18 0.222
47 Estonia 0 10 0.00 4 10 0.40 4 20 0.20
48 Malta 2 10 0.20 0 10 0.00 2 20 0.10
49 Liechtenstein 1 10 0.10 0 10 0.00 1 20 0.05
50 San Marino 0 10 0.00 0 8 0.00 0 18 0.00
51 Andorra - 0 - - 0 - - 0 -

Notes

In late 1997 UEFA prepared a European national team ranking table based on coefficients or points per match averages calculated from the qualifying results in European Championship 1996 and World Cup 1998, excluding the playoffs.  Since England, as host nation, did not participate in qualifying for European Championship 1996, their points average was calculated solely on the basis of qualifying results for World Cup 1998.  Similarly, since France, as host nation, did not take part in qualifying for World Cup 1998, their coefficient was calculated solely on the basis of qualifying results for the European Championship 1996.  And since conflict in the area prevented Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina from taking part in European Championship 1996, their coefficients were determined on the basis of qualifying results for World Cup 1998 alone. 

England were ranked 4th in Europe, the same spot they occupied in FIFA's world ranking prepared at about the same time.  While England were placed behind only Germany and the Czech Republic among European teams in the FIFA ranking of December, 1997, they were behind Spain, Romania and Russia but ahead of Germany and the Czech Republic in the UEFA European ranking.  These discrepancies resulted from the differences in the bases the two organizations use for their rankings, one of which is that the FIFA ranking takes account of all results, not just qualification results in the major competitions.

The reasoning behind UEFA's use of qualification results alone apparently is that they serve as the best basis for a comparative ranking since all nations but the host country and, in the case of the World Cup, the reigning champion participate in qualification group play for the major competitions and because the qualification groups are roughly equivalent in the difficulty of the competition they provide.  UEFA explained its method of ranking as follows:  

"the total number of points obtained in the qualifying rounds of both of the aforementioned competitions have been divided by the number of matches played. The resulting quotient is used to determine the ranking. For example, Spain accumulated 26 points in ten matches in EURO 96 producing a coefficient of 2.6. They amassed an identical 26 points in ten games in the qualifying competition for the 1998 World Cup, leading to a combined coefficient of 2.6. In the case of those associations that have qualified automatically for the final rounds of these competitions (ie. England, Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina in EURO 96 and France in the 1998 World Cup), the coefficient has been calculated by taking into account just those results achieved in their most recent qualifying round. For example, England's eight games in qualifying for the 1998 World Cup yielded 19 points, earning them a coefficient of 2.375. For those teams with identical coefficients, for example Yugoslavia and Scotland, the following criteria were taken into account: Goal Difference, Numbers of goals scored, Number of away goals scored, Drawing lots.

With some modifications, UEFA used the ranking table to seed the 49 teams participating in the 2000 European Championship preliminary draw held in Ghent, Belgium on January 18, 1998.  That draw determined the composition of the nine groups in the 2000 European Championship qualifying competition.  Holland and Belgium, both of which qualified automatically for the 2000 European Championship final competition as host nations, were excluded from the ranking list for purpose of the seeding.  Although Germany had only the fifth best coefficient, they were seeded first.  Apart from these modifications, UEFA's seeding for the European Championship 2000 preliminary draw tracked the ranking table.

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