How they got here: Finished second to Greece in Group 6 despite having beaten them 2-0 away in their opening game. Draws in the Ukraine and Northern Ireland meant they had to settle for the play-offs although once there the Spaniards easily beat Norway to qualify.
Manager: Inaki Saez
Star turn: A few to choose from, with Iker Casillas, Carlos Marchena and Fernando Morientes all having enjoyed excellent seasons but Raul's seven goals underlined just how important he remains to the side. The 26-year-old Real star tends to play behind a more advanced striker, usually Morientes or Fernando Torres but the timing of his runs are quite brilliant as is his close-range finishing.
Prospects: Potential champions but then they almost always are and yet they have only picked up the silverware once, way back in 1964 when the beat Ireland at the quarter-final stage.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)