With the start of Euro 2012 a little more than 2 weeks away, it’s time to launch Political Footballs Prediction Competition for the tournament.  This is free to enter and the winner* gets a $50 gift certificate to SoccerPro.com – an online retailer where you can now buy Euro 2012 soccer jerseys.  To enter, simply predict which countries will make the quarter-finals, semis and the final, as well as the overall winner of the tournament.  To assist you in your picks – here is the tournament grouping and knock-out stage bracket.

*If the winner is outside of the US, they will have to pay any customs fees for the items selected with the gift certificate, but shipping will be included.

Tournament Schedule

Group A: Poland; Czech Republic; Greece; Russia

Group B: Netherlands; Denmark; Germany; Portugal

Group C: Spain; Croatia; Ireland; Italy

Group D: Ukraine; England; France; Sweden

Quarter-Finals:

1. Winner of Group A vs Runner-up Group B

2. Runner-up of Group A vs Winner Group B

3. Winner of Group C vs Runner-up Group D

4. Runner-up of Group C vs Winner Group D

Semi-Finals

1. Winner of QF 1 vs Winner of QF 3

2. Winner of QF 2 vs Winner of QF 4

Final

Winner of SF 1 vs Winner of SF 2

Competition Scoring

Group Stage:

Correctly pick team to qualify from group = 5 points +

Correctly predict final position of team (1st or 2nd) = additional 3 points**

Max Group stage points = 64

Quarter-finals:

Correctly pick a team to win their Quarter-Final game = 16 points

Max Quarter-Final stage points = 64

Semi-Finals:

Correctly pick a team to win their Semi-Final game = 32 points

Max Semi-Final stage points = 64

Final

Predict the winner of Euro 2012 = 64 points

Max Final stage points = 64

**If you select a team to top their group but they come second, you still earn any later round points they earn if you have predicted they will be playing different opponents – your maximum potential score will just be reduced.

Entering the Competition

Entries should be sent via e-mail to politicalfootballs@gmail.com and must be received by 12:00am (Eastern Time) on June 8th, 2012 – prior to the start of the tournament.  Fill in the following:

Name:

City/Country:

Entry Name: 

(Nothing too lengthy and no swearing!)

Group A Winner:

Group A Runner up:

Group B Winner:

Group B Runner up:

Group C Winner:

Group C Runner up:

Group D Winner:

Group D Runner up:

QF 1 Winner:

QF 2 Winner:

QF 3 Winner:

QF 4 Winner:

SF 1 Winner:

SF 2 Winner:

Euro 2012 Winner:

Tie breaker 1 – Predict total number of goals in Euro2012 (not including penalty shootouts):

Tie breaker 2 – Predict minute of first goal in the Final (if no goals prior to penalty shootout put 120):

If multiple entries are still tied after tie-breakers, the winner will be selected at random.

Get your entries in and good luck – I will be posting a preview of the tournament a few days before the first game and will be including my own predictions in that.