Euro 2012 began tonight, and if the Old World preening gets any worse these guys are going to dislocate shoulders from clapping themselves on the back.

The quadrennial Euro soccer tournament involves 16 national teams from Uefa, and right about here in the discussion all Euro fans are obliged to inform the rest of the world that, you know, this is the planet’s best international competition. Yes, better than the World Cup. And harder to win. Really.

And why would that be?

Because all that riff-raff from the rest of the world is not playing.

You know, the South American and African and Asian and North American teams that get in the way at the World Cup … national sides that Euros can’t be bothered to know much about … and who have the unfortunate habit of beating Euro teams, in the World Cup.

Take, for example, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Thirteen Euro sides were in when it started, only six survived the group stage. Meanwhile, all five South American teams advanced, as did two of three North American and two of four Asian.

Or consider the 2002 World Cup, the previous occasion when the Euros were dragged off their sodden little patch of the world. Fifteen Euro sides went to Japan/Korea, and six didn’t make it to the second round. Two of three North American teams made the final 16, two of four South America teams did, and two of four Asia teams. Brazil won it.

Basically, it turns out that Euros confuse important domestic leagues with international success. Strip all those foreigners away from their local leagues, and what is left — guys with passports — is far less interesting. (England being the leader here. Great league; middling national team.)

Take away Germany and Italy, and the list of European countries who can be counted on to stick around a long time in a World Cup gets very short. Holland, maybe England. France and Spain, now and then.

Besides the “riff-raff” thing, which suggests that Euro sides can’t get motivated to play Mexico or Uruguay or Senegal, the other main point of “Euro as best tournament” are these notions that “all the games matter” and “no tournament is harder to win.”

Spain’s Xavi Hernandez this week said: “The Euros are more difficult to win than the World Cup, because, with the greatest respect, there are no weaker teams.”

Another player suggested that at the World Cup, you can start slowly, and still win your way into the knockout rounds. But at the Euro one bad game means you are done.

Which is balderdash, of course. I can assure you that, for example, the United States or Mexico would love to be in a World Cup group with Greece, Poland and Ukraine — all of which are playing here.

And even if we subtract Poland and Ukraine, because as co-hosts they didn’t have to qualify, South Korea (for instance) would not be disturbed at being in a foursome that included the Czech Republic, Sweden and Ireland — and they are all at the Euro 2012 party.

And “hardest tournament to win”? Bosh. The Euro tournament has 16 teams. How is it possible that winning any 16-team competition is more difficult than a 32-team competition? Euros like Xavi Hernandez will tell you, “because all the teams are good.” Which we have demonstrated is rot.

This tournament deserves some love, yes: It fills what otherwise would be a very slow time on the international sports calendar. If you can’t live without a live soccer tournament, and the world’s handful of summer leagues (in the U.S. and China, for instance) don’t rev up your engine, the Euro tournament fills a void for three weeks.

We here at The National have a staff writer in Ukraine and a free-lancer in Poland, and they are writing like mad every day.

I might even enjoy this tournament if not for all the Euros telling me how special it is. Remember, Europeans account for the vast majority of westerners in the UAE, and with a 2012 lineup that includes England, Ireland, Germany, France and Italy … we have probably accounted for about 75 percent of all the westerners in this country, each with a dog in the hunt.

So, it began tonight, and Poland and Greece were wretched in a 1-1 draw to open the tournament, and Russia kicked around the Czechs 4-1 in the late game. Zzzzzzz.

It has to get better, right? We get Germany and Portugal tomorrow, Spain and Italy on Sunday and England and France on Monday. OK, those are interesting.

(We also have Ireland and Croatia, and Sweden and Ukraine during the same span, and those are far less interesting.)

I have been dragooned into an office pool for this tournament, which costs Dh30, about $11, to enter, and I have Germany and Spain in the final. OK, I lack imagination.

Euro 2012? Sure. Something to do in June that isn’t cricket. I’m for that. But let’s perhaps see if the attitude can be turned down a little. This is not as big a deal as the Euro zone would have you believe.

The really big event? That will be in Brazil in 2014.