Who created the EURO Championship?
The idea of holding this tournament was of Henri Delaunay, who was the administrator of the French Football Federation. At that time in history, there were already international competitions such as the World Cup and the America Cup. Taking this into account, in 1927 Delaunay proposed making the Euro Championship competitions so the best European countries could play it.
However, it was not until 1957 that UEFA approved the project. Subsequently, the first European Cup was held in France in 1960. Unfortunately, the creative mind to whom we owe this incredible competition, died 3 years before the competition started. In his honor, the trophy has his name.
How many competitions were played?
Without counting the last edition of the Euro to be played in 2021, 15 tournaments have been held. In total, the countries that have hosted this competition the most are France 3 times and Italy 2 times.
Euro Championship expansion
To start, the first edition of the UEFA Euro Championship was a knockout competition. To sum up, 17 teams played the round-trip matches to the semifinals, where 4 teams would play the final.
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8 teams
It was not until 1980 when the competition extended from 4 to 8 teams. It worked as follows: a group stage to start and the winners of this played the final while the runners-up played the play-offs for second place. -
16 teams
In 1996, the format changed to double the number of teams in the competition. The counts were simple so the stages remained the same but allowing more participants. -
24 teams
For Euro 2016 the number of participants increaed to 24 teams. This is thanks to the fact that in 2007 the Irish and Scottish Football Association proposed the expansion of the tournament and in 2008 the UEFA Executive Committee approved the incorporation of the 24 teams.
Which teams have more titles?
1. Germany: 3 titles (1972, 1980, 1996)
2. Spain: 3 titles (1964, 2008, 2012)
3. France: 2 titles (1984, 2000)
All Euro Championship winners
Let’s check the overview of all the Euro Championships played until now.
Euro 1960 - France
The first final of the EUFA Euro Championship was in France from July 6 to 10, 1960. On the whole, the winner of this edition was the Soviet Union who scored 2-1 against Yugoslavia.
Runner-up: Yugoslavia
Third place: Czechoslovakia
Euro 1964 - Spain
In this second edition, Spain won the cup after beating the Soviet Union 2-1. Thus, they achieved the first important title in their history as a team.
Runner-up: Soviet Union
Third place: Hungary
Euro 1968 - Italy
Italy was the host and also the winners this year. They won against Yugoslavia 2-0.
Runner-up: Yugoslavia
Third place: England
Euro 1972 - Belgium
At this time, the final was between West Germany and the Soviet Union and it was won by West Germany 3-0.
Runner-up: Belgium
Third place: Czechoslovakia
Euro 1976 - Yugoslavia
The Germans were in the final again but they lost against Czechoslovakia on penalties 5-3.
Runner-up: West Germany
Third place: Netherlands
Euro 1980 - Italy
Just as the last time, the new German generation won the championship (2-1) in the final match with Belgium.
Runner-up: Belgium
Third place: Czechoslovakia
Euro 1984 - France
France not only was the host, but the team also won the trophy. In short, they showed an amazing football star: Michel Platini scored 9 goals in 5 matches. The final result was 2-0 against Spain.
Runner-up: Spain
Semi-finalists: Denmark & Portugal
Euro 1988 - Germany
Finally, Netherland won their first international competition. The final was with the Soviet Union and ends 2-0.
Runner-up: Soviet Union
Semi-finalists: Italy & West Germany
Euro 1992 - Sweden
Undoubtedly, Denmark surprised everyone in this edition when they won against Germany 2-0.
Runner-up: Germany
Semi-finalists: Netherlands & Sweden
Euro 1996 - England
For the third time, Germany was crowned champion. They won 2-1 in the final with the Czech Republic and also won the ‘golden goal’.
Runner-up: Czech Republic
Semi-finalists: England & France
Euro 2000 - Belgium/Netherlands
This year, for the first time, the euro championship has 2 hosts. At this time, France won 2- 1 against Italy.
Runner-up: Italy
Semi-finalists: Netherlands & Portugal
Euro 2004 - Portugal
Without a doubt, the Portuguese team was the favorite to win but Greece changed the game and won 1-0.
Runner-up: Portugal
Semi-finalists: Czech Republic & Netherlands
Euro 2008 - Austria/Switzerland
Spain was again in the final and this time with a better team with amazing individuals’ skills. With this in mind, they won 1-0 against Germany.
Runner-up: Germany
Semi-finalists: Russia & Turkey
Euro 2012 – Poland/Ukraine
Similarly, Spain, which had just won the World Cup, won 4-0 against Italy. Therefore, this was considered the biggest victory in the competition.
Runner-up: Italy
Semi-finalists: Germany & Portugal
Euro 2016 - France
Finally, in this edition, 24 teams participated and Portugal won against the odds. The final was with France and ends 1-0.
Runner-up: France
Semi-finalists: Germany & Wales
Now, the new edition of this tournament will be played in 2021. To get informed with all the news about the UEFA European Championship after the pandemic, stay tuned to our website.