UEFA Euro 2012 in October 2011, the nine group winners qualified automatically, along with the highest ranked second placed team. The remaining eight-second placed teams contested two-legged play-offs, and the four winners qualified for the finals. Twelve of the sixteen finalists participated at the previous tournament in 2008. England and Denmark made their return to the Euro, having last participated in 2004, while Republic of Ireland returned after a twenty-four-year absence to make their second appearance at a European Championship. One of the co-hosts, Ukraine, made their debut as an independent nation (before 1992 Ukraine participated as part of the Soviet Union). With
2012 Copa Libertadores Finals of the final on 4 July at the Estádio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho (Pacaembu), Emerson Sheik scored two second half goals to give Corinthians a 2–0 win. As a result, Corinthians won their first Copa Libertadores, and finished the tournament undefeated. As winners, Corinthians represented CONMEBOL at the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup, in which they entered at the semifinal stage and made it to the final, where they defeated Chelsea 1–0. They are also playing against 2012 Copa Sudamericana winners São Paulo in the 2013 Recopa Sudamericana. To reach the finals, in the knockout phase Boca defeated Unión