It all began in Tallinn, Toftir and Brussels on a Wednesday night in August last year. That evening saw the first ball kicked in anger as the teams of 50 nations set out in search of qualification for the 2008 European Championship.

Thousands of air miles later, 14 of them have secured the right to join hosts Austria and Switzerland, who qualified automatically, in the final tournament next June. Along the way, there have been shock results and games of almost unbearable tension and drama, but also bizarre incidents and tournament records set.