European Football Championship Winners: Full List

The 17th UEFA European championship is just around the corner, promising the magic of the game to be delivered by the 24 finalist teams.

UEFA Euro 2024 will take place in Germany from 14 June to 14 July. Matches will be hosted across 10 cities: Munich (opening match), Cologne, Hamburg, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Frankfurt and Berlin (final).

Italy, the reigning European champion, will strive to defend its title from the last championship, while the host team, Germany, will be looking to win a record fourth title and come out on top of this ranking.

Let's go back in time and explore all the European football championship winners, from the tournament's first edition in 1960 until now. In the following lines, you will get to know the history of the final stages and especially, the finals from previous European championships.

France 1960 - Won by USSR

The first edition of the European Championship, known as the European Nations Cup, featured an elimination tournament between 17 participants. Qualification began in 1958, with France, Yugoslavia, the USSR, and Czechoslovakia emerging as the semi-final participants.

After the qualifiers, France was selected to host the competition, with matches being held in Paris (at the Parc des Princes stadium) and Marseille (at the Stade Velodrome).

In the first semi-final, the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) team defeated Czechoslovakia 3-0 to advance to the final, while in the other match, Yugoslavia defeated France 5-4 to qualify.

The final match of the European Nations Cup was played on 10 July 1960 in Paris, with the USSR defeating Yugoslavia 2-1 after extra time, to become the first winners of the silver amphora.

Paris 1960: USSR 2:1 Yugoslavia (after extra time)

0:1 Galic (43')

1:1 Metreveli (49')

2:1 Ponedelnik (113')

Spain 1964 - Won by Spain

Image credits: Imago

Following the end of the knockout phase of the tournament, which involved 29 teams, Spain was appointed to host the final matches. Once again referred to as the European Nations Cup, the semi-finalists comprised Spain, Hungary, Denmark and the USSR.

The semi-finals were played on 17 June in Madrid and Barcelona. Spain defeated Hungary 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and the USSR convincingly won 3-0 against Denmark.

Madrid was also chosen to host the final match. On 21 June, in front of nearly 80,000 spectators, Spain defeated the USSR with a late goal by Marcelino Martinez to become the second European champion.

Madrid 1964: Spain 2:1 USSR

1:0 Pereda (6')

1:1 Khusainov (8')

2:1 Marcelino Martinez (84')

Italy 1968 - Won by Italy

In 1968, the tournament underwent a name change from the European Nations Cup to the European Championship, replacing as well the knockout phase with a group stage. Four countries qualified for the final part of the tournament, where they competed in semi-finals, a final and a play-off for third place.

In the quarter-final phase, Italy won against Bulgaria with an overall score of 4:3 securing their advancement in the tournament. Additionally, Italy was selected as the host country for the finals. The other teams to qualify were Yugoslavia, England and the USSR.

The first semi-final was played at the Stadio San Paolo (now called Stadio Diego Armando Maradona) in Naples, where, in regular time, Italy and the USSR drew 0-0. Italy qualified for the final, after the winner was determined with a coin toss.

In the second semi-final, Yugoslavia beat England 1-0 to advance to the final match in Rome.

The final was hosted on 8 June at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, where Italy and Yugoslavia finished in a 1-1 draw after extra time. During that time, penalty shootouts had not been introduced yet to determine a winner, so a replay of the match was scheduled two days later.

In the second final, Italy won 2-0, to become the third European football champion.

Rome 1968: Italy 1:1 Yugoslavia (after extra time)

0:1 Djaic (39')

1:1 Domengini (80')

2nd final in Rome: Italy 2:0 Yugoslavia

1:0 Riva (12')

2:0 Anastasi (31')

Belgium 1972 - Won by West Germany

The finals of the fourth European Football Championships were played in Belgium, and again, only four countries qualified for the tournament's final stage.

Belgium qualified for the semi-finals with a 2-1 aggregate score against Italy, while Hungary won 5-4 against Romania (after 1-1, 2-2 and 2-1 in the third match). The other two finalists were the USSR and West Germany.

In the semi-final matches, West Germany secured a hard-fought 2:1 victory against Belgium and the USSR claimed a narrow 1:0 win over Hungary.

The final of the championship took place on 18 June at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, where the West German team defeated the USSR 3-0, with German football legend Gerd Muller scoring two goals. He subsequently became the championship's top scorer with a total of 4 goals.

Brussels 1972: West Germany 3:0 USSR

1:0 Gerd Müller (27')

2:0 Wimmer (52')

3:0 Gerd Müller (58')

Yugoslavia 1976 - Won by Czechoslovakia

The tournament's fifth edition was the last in history in which only four teams qualified for the final stage. Starting from the next Championship, the format was expanded to include eight teams battling it out for the final.

This European Championship will be remembered for Panenka's incredible last-gasp penalty in the final, that left West Germany goalkeeper Sepp Meyer helpless.

The teams of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, West Germany and the Netherlands qualified for the semi-finals and the final took place at the Raiko Mitić Stadium in Belgrade. In front of 30,000 people, Czechoslovakia and West Germany finished 2-2 both in regular and extra time. Czechoslovakia emerged as the winner, triumphing 5-3 after a penalty shoot-out.

Belgrade 1976: Czechoslovakia 5:3(2:2) West Germany after penalty shootout

1:0 Švehlík (8')

2:0 Dobias (25')

2:1 Gerd Müller (28')

2:2 Holzenbein (89')

Italy 1980 - Won by West Germany

The sixth European Football Championship was hosted in Italy and was held from June 11 to June 22,1980. For the first time, the host team qualified automatically, and the final stage of the competition featured eight teams.

The final took place on 22 June 1980 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, where nearly 50,000 spectators witnessed West Germany's 2-1 victory over Belgium. The championship will be remembered for the poor attendance at the football matches and the performances of rising German stars Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Bernd Schuster.

Rome 1980: Belgium 1:2 West Germany

0:1 Hrubesch (10')

1:1 Vandereycken (75')

1:2 Hrubesch (88')

France 1984 - Won by France

The seventh European Football Championship was held in 1984 in France. Only eight teams participated in the competition's final stage with seven of them (excluding the host) playing qualifier matches.

The teams were divided into two groups of four and after the group phase, France and Denmark from Group A and Spain and Portugal from Group B qualified for the tournament's semi-finals. There, France secured a hard-fought 3:2 victory over Portugal (after extra time), and Spain forced a 5:4 aggregate score (after penalty kicks) over Denmark.

The final was played in front of 50,000 spectators at the Parc des Princes in Paris, where hosts France, led by their captain Michel Platini, beat Spain 2-0.

Paris 1984: France 2-0 Spain

1:0 Platini (57')

2:0 Bellon (90')

West Germany 1988 - Won by Netherlands

The 1988 European Football Championship took place in West Germany. It was the last championship on the Old Continent in which the teams of West Germany (then the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG) and the USSR (then Russia) participated.

At this championship, participating nations were again divided into two groups. West Germany and Italy in Group A and the USSR and the Netherlands in Group B qualified for the direct knockout phase. In the semi-final clashes, the USSR defeated Italy 2-1, while the Netherlands faced a tough challenge against hosts West Germany winning 2-1.

The eighth European Championship final was played on 25 June 1988 at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. The Netherlands won against the USSR with goals by Ruud Gullit and Marco Van Basten (then a Milan player). Van Basten's goal was subsequently voted as one of the most beautiful goals in a football final.

Munich 1988: Netherlands 2:0 USSR

1:0 Gullit (32')

2:0 Van Basten (54')

Sweden 1992 - Won by Denmark

Image credits: Imago

The 1992 European Football Championship took place from 10 to 26 of June in Sweden. Eight countries qualified for the tournament, with Yugoslavia being disqualified and replaced by the Danish team. The USSR team also qualified before the Soviet Union collapsed and competed in the competition under the name CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States).

The Danish team miraculously won this edition of the European Championship, coming second from Group A and qualifying for the final after defeating the Netherlands team (2:2 in regular time, 5:4 after penalties).

The final of the championship was played on 26 June 1992 in Gothenburg, where Denmark, the surprise of the tournament, defeated Germany 2-0 in front of over 40,000 spectators.

Gothenburg 1992: Denmark 2:0 Germany

1:0 Jensen (18')

2:0 Vilfort (78')

England 1996 - Won by Germany

Euro 96 was the first European Championship held in England, the home of football. The competition was held from 8 to 30 June 1996.

The teams were divided into four groups of four. The first two teams from each group qualified for the quarter-finals and the direct knockout phase.

The hosts, England, failed to qualify for the European Championship final. They lost the penalty shoot-out in the semi-final match against Germany by a total score of 6:5 (1:1 in regular time). England was eliminated and Germany advanced. The other finalist was the Czech Republic, which defeated France 6:5 on penalties(0:0 in regulation time).

The final of Euro 96 took place on 30 June 1996 at Wembley Stadium in London. In front of 77,000 spectators, Germany and the Czech Republic finished 1-1, with Oliver Birchhoff bringing victory for Germany with a golden goal in added time.

London 1996: Germany 2:1 Czech Republic (1:1 in regular time)

0:1 Berger (59')

1:1 Bierhoff (73')

2:1 Bierhoff (95')

Euro 2000 in Belgium and The Netherlands - Won by France

The 2000 European Football Championship was held for the first time on the territory of two countries: Belgium and the Netherlands. They automatically qualified for the tournament, with the other participants having to go through the sieve of qualification.

Of the 16 teams participating in the championship, France and Italy reached the final. The final was played at the De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam in front of 50,000 spectators. In added time, France managed a 2-1 win over Italy with goals from Wiltor and David Trezeguet.

Rotterdam 2000: France 2:1 Italy (after extra time)

0:1 Delvecchio (55')

1:1 Wiltor (90')

2:1 Trezeguet (103')

Euro 2004 in Portugal - Won by Greece

Euro 2004 took place from June 12 to July 4, 2004, with 16 national teams participating. 

The opening match of the championship was between Portugal (with Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad) and Greece, ending with a score of 1:2 in favor of Greece. During that tournament, nobody considered the Greeks to be favorites. Nonetheless, with a series of successful games, they overcame all opponents on the way to the final match.

The final of Euro 2004 was played on 4 July 2004 in Lisbon and was a repeat of the competition's opening match. Charisteas shocked the hosts and brought glory to the Greek team.

Lisbon 2004: Portugal: Greece 0:1

0:1 Charisteas (57')

Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland - Won by Spain

The 2008 European Football Championships was again held in two host countries, this time Austria and Switzerland. The hosts automatically qualified, while the remaining 14 teams earned their spots after playing qualifiers for the European Championship.

The final of the championship was played on 29 June 2008 in Vienna, with Germany and Spain as finalists. After a difficult match and only one goal scored, the Spanish team triumphed after a 1-0 victory over Germany.

Vienna 2008: Germany 0:1 Spain

0:1 Fernando Torres (33')

Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine - Won by Spain

The fourteenth European Football Championship was once again held in two host countries, Poland and Ukraine. This was also the last championship in which only 16 teams took part.

The final game was played at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv in front of more than 63,000 spectators, witnessing Spain´s impressive 4-0 victory over Italy. The Iberians thus defended their title from the previous European Championships, securing their third title.

Kyiv 2012: Spain 4:0 Italy

1:0 Silva (14')

2:0 Alba (41')

3:0 Torres (84')

4:0 Mata (88')

Euro 2016 in France - Won by Portugal

Image credits: Imago

Euro 2016 was the 15th European Championship, hosted by France. The tournament was played from 10 June to 10 July in various cities in France, and for the first time, 24 teams participated.

The hosts, France, didn't lose any game before the final, where they met the title challenger, Portugal. The final was held at a packed Stade de France in Paris, with the match ending 0-0 in regular time. In the ensuing extra time, Eder scored for Portugal and brought his team the victory.

2016 in Paris: Portugal 1:0 France (after extra time)

1:0 Eder (109')

Euro 2020 - Won by Italy

Euro 2020 was the second European championship, in which 24 teams participated. The championship was postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it retained its original name and took place in 11 different cities.

The final was played on 11 July 2021 at Wembley Stadium in London, with the national teams of Italy and England as rivals. Both teams scored one goal each in regular time, going to extra time and penalties. In the penalty shootout, Berardi, Bonucci, and Bernardeschi scored for the Italians, while Harry Kane and Maguire scored for England, thus winning Italy 3-2 on penalties. By doing so, Italy won their second European title after the 1968 one.

2021 in London: Italy 5:3(1:1) England (after extra time and penalties)

0:1 Shaw (2')

1:1 Bonucci (67')

Euro 2024: Who Will be the New European Champion?

We are just a few weeks away from this year's most anticipated football event: the European Championships of the Old Continent with Betano serving as the official sponsor of this year's competition.

Who will be the winner? We look forward to welcoming you on our dedicated page for the tournament with bets on the Euro 2024 winner, along with many other types of online sports betting.