Like the World Cup, UEFA's Euro tournament takes place every four years--pitting 16 qualifying teams against each other in group and knockout stages until only one remains. Also like the World Cup, which was last held in both Japan and Korea in 2002, this year's Euro tournament has been deemed worthy of its own game by EA Sports. UEFA Euro 2004 might have only a fraction of the teams and features found in this year's FIFA offering, but the gameplay and options it offers are actually sufficiently different from those found in FIFA 2004 to make it a worthwhile purchase.

As the manager of an international soccer team, your job entails not only qualifying for major tournaments but also making sure that your entire squad is in the best shape it can be in before the team's first match. UEFA Euro 2004's player morale system, which is represented by colored bars of varying lengths next to players' names, allows you to easily determine which of your players are in top form (because their morale is affected by their performances on the pitch) so that you can take action when necessary. Some players, for example, will become depressed if they don't make it into your starting 11 or get stuck on the substitute bench for a period of time, whereas others will think their worlds are coming to an end if they're involved in games where their teams are defeated or if they receive bookings from a referee. All of the players in your squad have different expectations, and it's up to you, as the manager, to decide whether you focus solely on your first-choice players or try to keep the entire squad happy by ensuring that they all get some playing time at some point. Some players will get morale boosts for doing nothing more than sitting on the subs' bench during a match, but, for the most part, a majority of your team members will need to have played an active part in the game.