In March 2008, Engelaar said in an interview that he determined to make it to the Netherlands squad for the UEFA Euro squad. Two months later, Engelaar was included in the Oranje’s provisional squad. He made his first start for Netherlands against Ukraine on 24 May 2008 and started the whole game, as they won 3–0. Engelaar made two more starts for Oranje against Denmark and Wales. His performance prior to the tournament convinced coach Marco van Basten to include the player in the 23 men squad. He played the full match in the Netherlands' 3–0 victory over Italy in their Group C match. After the match, manager Van Basten praised Engelaar’s performance, saying: "He played an excellent role in his controlling role. Engelaar was calm on the ball, controlled the game well on the right and left and was well positioned for falling balls." He made another start for Oranje’s second group match of the tournament, playing the first half before being substituted, in a 4–1 win over France three days later on 14 June 2008. Engelaar made his third start for Oranje in the third group stage match and played the full 90 minutes, as Netherlands won 2–0 against Romania. With Netherland expected to be the favourite to win the UEFA Euro, the Oranje, however, lost 3–1 in quarter-final match against Russia, in which he made his fourth start of the tournament and was substituted for Ibrahim Afellay in the 61st minute.