Even if you don’t care about soccer – the European Championships, currently underway in Austria and Switzerland provides a useful – and entertaining – window into the important economic, social and political changes taking place in Europe.

 The tournament, which is Europe’s equivalent to the World Cup, features 16 national teams and lasts three weeks. The 16 teams reached the tournament through a two-year elimination process that started with 52 countries, from Andorra to Wales.  Next Sunday the two finalists will meet in Vienna to determine the champion of Europe . The game will be watched by tens of millions in Europe, but also Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the United States (on the ABC network).

The ethnic diversity that now marks Europe’s greatest cities is reflected in its soccer teams. France fielded a team with 8 black and Arab players out of 11 starters. Holland featured a mix of white, multiracial and black athletes. Sweden had the multiracial Henrik Larsson, who was closing out a stellar career that saw him play with some of the world’s best teams.

 If teams reflect a county’s relationship to immigration, there is a lesson in the fact that Italy, a country currently on a witch hunt for illegal aliens, featured just one immigrant player, an Argentinean with Italian grandparents. Russia, which has been plagued by xenophobic violence, had none at all. In between, even Germany’s squad included one multiracial player and Poland featured a naturalized Brazilian, as did Turkey and Spain.  

The Brazilians reflect the impact of globalization on the game; coming from a country loaded with talent, several players apparently decided they had a better chance of starring abroad. Coaching too has been internationalized. The trainer of Russia’s national team, Guus Hiddink, showed no remorse in beating the highly -favored team from his native Holland. Portugal’s coach, who once played for Brazil and led them to a World Cup, is now moving to Chelsea, a storied English team owned by a Russian oligarch.

The players, of course, have long earned their living wherever they can get paid the most; England’s Arsenal is loaded with French players; the top scorer in the English Premier League last season was Christiano Ronaldo, a 22-year-old whiz from Portugal who may be taking his speed and tricky moves to Real Madrid. The Spanish club, loaded with international stars from Brazil and Africa, and may end up paying $100 million dollars for him. There are so many foreigners playing in the high-wage leagues that some officials have expressed concern that native talent will not get a chance to blossom.

The tournament also reflects the changing political order in Europe. Russia and Turkey joined Spain and Germany in the semifinals. Only Germany represents the old Europe among the final four. Perennial powers France, Holland, and Italy have been knocked out and England never even qualified for the final 16. Spain a consistent underachiever, managed to knock off Italy in a nail-biter Sunday, the first time it has beaten Italy in a major international tournament since 1920.  Maybe its success is a mirror of the Spain’s newfound confidence as a member of the European Community. Turkey, which is still trying to get admitted to that club, and Russia, basking in its new wealth and power, are the newcomers knocking on the door.

As I walked around New York yesterday, I could hear the roar of the crowds that spilled out of New York bars, engrossed in the game between Italy and Spain. The Big Apple is still the immigrant city and so many of those watching are from somewhere else. Too bad, because watching the European Cup can teach you more about how Europe is evolving than a week of sightseeing in Paris or London.