Euro 2024: Who has won the European Championship the most? Have England won it? Past winners and host nation record
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Published 20/06/2024 at 16:05 GMT
All eyes will be on Germany this summer when the European Championship kicks off in June. The tournament, which first took place in 1960, has gradually expanded over the years with 24 teams now vying for European supremacy at the finals. But what is the history of the tournament? Who has won it most? How have England performed over the years? And how do host nations typically perform?
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The 17th edition of the European Championship began on June 14 with 24 teams doing battle for the continent’s biggest international prize.
The competition is rich in history and featured some of the sport’s greatest players, most thrilling matches and biggest shocks.
This year’s event takes place in Germany but has been played all over Europe in the past from east to west.
By no means a closed shop, several teams have also lifted the trophy and here, we take a look at how and why most of that occurred…
Who has won the most European Championships?
This year’s hosts Germany began the tournament as the joint most successful winners of the competition since its inception in 1960.
Before unification, they first lifted the trophy as West Germany in the fourth edition of the event, beating the Soviet Union 3-0 in Brussels.
They doubled up eight years later with a 2-1 win over Belgium in Rome before completing the hat-trick with the same scoreline against Czech Republic in 1996 at Wembley.
Spain have also won the Euros three times, first beating the Soviet Union as hosts in 1964 before back-to-back wins in 2008 and 2012, beating Germany and Italy in Vienna and Kyiv respectively.
| TEAM | TOTAL WINS | YEARS WON |
| Germany | 3 | 1972*, 1980*, 1996 |
| Spain | 3 | 1964, 2008, 2012 |
| Italy | 2 | 1968, 2020** |
| France | 2 | 1984, 2000 |
| Russia | 1 | 1960*** |
| Czech Republic/Slovakia | 1 | 1976**** |
| Portugal | 1 | 2016 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 1988 |
| Denmark | 1 | 1992 |
| Greece | 1 | 2004 |
*As West Germany
**Held in 2021
***As the Soviet Union
****As Czechoslovakia
Have England ever won the European Championship?
England are among the favourites for the tournament and should Gareth Southgate’s side triumph in Berlin on July 14, it will be the first time a senior England men’s team will have won the competition.
They will look to replicate the success of the women’s team who won the 2022 tournament on home soil after beating Germany 2-1 in the final at Wembley.
At youth level, the Three Lions have won the title at U17, U18, U19, and U21 levels.
The best result of the men's senior team to date is a defeat in the final on penalties to Italy in 2021.
When WAS the first European Championship?
The first edition of the tournament was held in 1960 with France as hosts.
Following the qualifying campaign, the final tournament, which ran for a week in July, featured four teams: hosts France, Yugoslavia, Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia.
The four were drawn into two semi-finals with Soviet Union and Yugoslavia overcoming Czechoslovakia and France respectively to face off in the final, where the Soviets came out on top 2-1 after extra time.
History of European Championship finals
| YEAR | HOST | FINAL |
| 1960 | France | Soviet Union 2–1 (a.e.t.) Yugoslavia |
| 1964 | Italy | Spain 2-1 Soviet Union |
| 1968 | Spain | Italy 1–1 (a.e.t.) 2–0 (replay) Yugoslavia |
| 1972 | Belgium | West Germany 3–0 Soviet Union |
| 1976 | Yugoslavia | Czechoslovakia 2–2 (a.e.t.) (5–3 p) West Germany |
| 1980 | Italy | West Germany 2–1 Belgium |
| 1984 | France | France 2-0 Spain |
| 1988 | West Germany | Netherlands 2–0 Soviet Union |
| 1992 | Sweden | Denmark 2–0 Germany |
| 1996 | England | Germany 2–1 (GG a.e.t) Czech Republic |
| 2000 | Belgium/Netherlands | France 2–1 (GG a.e.t) Italy |
| 2004 | Portugal | Greece 1–0 Portugal |
| 2008 | Austria/Switzerland | Spain 1–0 Germany |
| 2012 | Poland/Ukraine | Spain 4–0 Italy |
| 2016 | France | Portugal 1–0 (a.e.t.) France |
| 2020 (Held in 2021) | Pan-Europe | Italy 1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–2 p) England |
Records of host nations at the Euros
At the inaugural tournament, hosts France were beaten in an epic semi-final against Yugoslavia, surrendering a 4-2 lead to lose 5-4 after conceding three times in the space of five minutes. They would also go on to lose the third-place play-off to Czechoslovakia.
It was a better story for Spain four years later who won the tournament at home, beating the holders Soviet Union 2-1 in the final. Similarly, Italy lifted the trophy in Rome in 1968 after a 2-0 win in a replay against Yugoslavia.
The 1972 tournament held in Belgium saw the hosts lose their semi-final to eventual winners West Germany before beating Hungary in the third-place play-off.
Four years later, Yugoslavia were beaten in extra time by West Germany and Netherlands in both their semi-final and third-place play-off matches respectively.
The tournament expanded to eight teams featuring two groups of four in 1980 in Italy. Finishing second in their group, the hosts advanced to the third-place play-off where they were beaten on penalties by Czechoslovakia.
Making amends for 1960, France won the tournament as hosts in 1984, beating Spain 2-0 in the final.
West Germany hosted in 1988 and were beaten in the semi-final by rivals Netherlands who went on to lift the trophy – the third-place play-off had been abolished at the previous tournament.
Sweden made their tournament debut as hosts in 1992 but were beaten 3-2 by Germany in the semis as fellow Scandinavians Denmark shocked the world by winning the competition.
Football ‘came home’ to England in 1996 in the first 16-team edition, but the hosts were beaten on penalties by eventual winners Germany in the semis.
Belgium and the Netherlands were the first joint tournament hosts in 2000. The former crashed out in the group stages while the latter were beaten on penalties in the semi-finals by Italy.
Portugal marched to the final on home soil four years later but were beaten by Greece in one of the competition's greatest ever upsets.
Austria and Switzerland assumed joint-hosting duties in 2008 but neither team made it out of their first-round group.
It was the same story in 2012 as joint hosts Poland and Ukraine exited before the knockout rounds.
Like Portugal in 2004, France reached the final of the now 24-team tournament as hosts in 2016 but were beaten in the deciding match – coincidentally, by Portugal this time around.
Euro 2020 had no set hosts with matches taking place across 11 countries in a one-of-a-kind tournament. The final took place at Wembley with England, in front of their own fans, one of the two protagonists. However, the Three Lions were beaten on penalties by Italy.
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