Every UEFA European Championship Winner Since 1960

The latest edition of the UEFA European Championship has drawn to a close, with Spain lifting the title for a record fourth time, but which other nations have lifted the iconic piece of silverware since the tournament’s inception in 1960?

Originally founded as the European Nations’ Cup in 1958, the UEFA European Championship, renamed in 1968, was first held in 1960, and has been held every four years since, barring the 2020 edition of the tournament which was delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The competition has been played in many different formats since its inception, initially starting with just four teams taking part, before the number of teams was increased to eight in 1980, to 16 in 1996, and finally to 24 in 2016, which remains the amount of competitors to this day.

There have also been coin tosses to decide draws, replays, golden goals and third place play-offs throughout the European Championship’s history, all of which have since been abolished.

Germany hosted the most recent edition of the tournament, for just the second time in their history, with the 2028 edition set to be held in Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, while the 2032 tournament will be hosted by both Italy and Turkey.

EURO 1960 – Soviet Union

Hosted in France, the inaugural European Championship was contested between the French, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union.

Wins for the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia in the semi-final meant that the pair had officially advanced to the first ever European Championship final at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

Meanwhile, the hosts were forced to contest a third place play-off against Czechoslovakia, in which the French were well beaten 2-0 and failed to impress the home crowd at Stade Velodrome in Marseille.

In the final, Yugoslavia hit first just before the half-time break through Milan Galic, an Olympic gold medallist, before Slava Metreveli drew the Soviets level just four minutes in to the second half.

Extra time was needed to decide the first ever winner of the European Championship, and despite Galic having the opportunity to secure the title for Yugoslavia, Viktor Ponedelnik headed home a 113th minute winner for the Soviet Union.

Each player received $200 in prize money, and returned to Moscow where they were welcomed by over 100,000 people at a victory parade held at the Central Lenin Stadium.

EURO 1964 – Spain

The 1964 edition of the tournament was hosted by debutants Spain, contested alongside reigning champions the Soviet Union, Hungary, and Denmark.

Spain bested Hungary 2-1 in extra time in the first semi-final held at in Madrid, while the Soviet Union picked up where they left off in 1960 and hammered their Danish counterparts 3-0 in Barcelona.

Attended by a mere 3,869 at the Camp Nou, Hungary ran out as 3-1 winners over Denmark to ensure a third place finish in the play-off, where Ferenc Bene netted the opener, before Dezso Novak sealed the victory with an extra time brace.

Held at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, the 1964 European Championship final got off to a flying start. Spain’s Chus Pereda opened the scoring after just six minutes, however Galimzyan Khusainov struck back for the Soviets just two minutes later.

With it looking as if we were headed towards a second successive European Championship final to go to extra time, Real Zaragoza striker Marcelino came up trumps for Spain with a header at the near post with just six minutes to spare, securing the Spanish an historic triumph on home soil.

EURO 1968 – Italy

In the same fashion as the 1964 European Championship, a debutant in Italy hosted the 1968 edition of of the tournament. Contesting alongside the Italians, were the ever-present Soviet Union, 1960 finalists Yugoslavia, and fellow debutants England, who had won the World Cup two years prior.

The opening clash between Italy and 1960 champions the Soviet Union ended goalless, which incredibly resulted in a coin toss to decide the winner. It was Italy who came out on top in the coin toss, while Yugoslavia narrowly bested England 1-0 in Florence a few hours later.

Goals from Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Bobby Charlton sealed a 2-0 victory for England in the third place play-off, however the final ended 1-1 between Italy and Yugoslavia after extra time, meaning that a replay was scheduled for two days later.

It would be the host nation that came out on top in the second clash between the pair, a second consecutive host nation triumph at the European Championship, as Luigi Riva, and Pietro Anastasi scored the crucial goals in a 2-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

EURO 1972 – West Germany

Once again, the host nation for the 1972 European Championship were debutants, as the tournament was held across three cities in Belgium. Competing against the Belgians were, once again, the Soviet Union, West Germany, and Hungary.

The hosting Belgians were narrowly beaten 2-1 by West Germany in one of the semi-finals, with both goals coming courtesy of the legendary Gerd Muller, meanwhile the Soviets edged out Hungary 1-0 in Brussels.

Belgium would go on to beat Hungary 2-1 in the third place play-off, and the West Germans comfortably overcame tournament veterans Soviet Union 3-0 in the final, with Muller grabbing a brace once again to finish as the tournament’s top scorer with four goals.

Franz Beckenbauer, the West German captain, went on to win the 1972 Ballon d’Or, with teammates Muller and Gunter Netzer finishing second and third, respectively, before securing the World Cup title two years later at the 1974 World Cup on home turf.

EURO 1976 – Czechoslovakia

The 1976 European Championship was the last edition of the tournament to have just four teams compete at the finals, hosted by Yugoslavia, who battled West Germany, Netherlands, and Czechoslovakia for the title.

Both semi-final matches went into extra time, with Czechoslovakia beating the Netherlands 3-1, and reigning champions West Germany getting the best of Yugoslavia via a 4-2 scoreline, in which Dieter Muller scored the first ever hat-trick at a European Championship.

Captained by Ruud Krol, the Dutch defeated the hosts 3-2 in extra time to seal a third place finish at the tournament, while the final between Czechoslovakia and West Germany had to be decided by a penalty shootout a day later when the match finished 2-2 after extra time.

It was the first every penalty shootout at any edition of the tournament, and it would gain notoriety for the ‘Panenka’ as Antonin Panenka coolly chipped his penalty down the middle to win the shootout 5-3 and secure Czechoslovakia’s first and only European Championship title.

EURO 1980 – West Germany

Italy would become the first nation to host a European Championship on more than one occasion in 1980, where a group stage would be introduced for the first time, with eight teams split into two groups of four.

Each team would play three matches within their group, with the group winners advancing straight to the final, and the second place teams would make up the third place play-off.

Group 1 finished with West Germany sealing first place, followed by Czechoslovakia, Netherlands, and Greece, as they recorded two wins over Czechoslovakia and the Netherlands, and a goalless draw against Greece.

Group 2 saw Belgium crowned as champions, finishing above the hosting Italy on goals scored, with England finishing in third, and Spain in fourth. The Belgians’ sole win in the groups came in the form of a 2-1 triumph over Spain in Milan, with their other two ties ending in draws.

A 1-1 draw between Italy and Czechoslovakia in the third place play-off forced just a second ever European Championship penalty shootout, in which the hosts were painfully beaten 9-8 in Naples.

The final followed a day later at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Hrost Hrubesch opened the scoring for the West Germans after just 10 minutes, but Belgium drew level from the spot with just 15 minutes left on the clock. Two minutes from time, Hrubesch popped up once more, heading home the winner from a corner to seal the title for West Germany, making them the first nation to win the European Championship on more than one occasion.

EURO 1984 – France

The European Championship returned to France for the first time since 1960 in 1984, and it was the first edition of the tournament to not include a third place play-off.

In the same grouping format as the 1980 edition of the tournament, rather than the two second place teams advancing to the third place play-off, they’d advance to the semi-final, where they’d face the winner in the opposing group.

Group 1 saw hosts France finish first, with Denmark also advancing in second place, followed by Belgium and Yugoslavia who were eliminated from the tournament. Spain were crowned champions in Group 2, followed by Portugal, West Germany, and Romania.

France’s semi-final against Portugal would be decided in extra time, where the French triumphed 3-2, while Spain would also book their place in the final, but via a 5-4 win on penalties after their clash with Denmark ended 1-1.

Looking to secure their first European Championship title, the French did exactly that, on home turf too, as Michel Platini and Bruno Bellone netted the all-important goals to seal a 2-0 victory over the Spanish in Paris.

Platini finished the tournament with nine goals, the most scored by any player in a single edition of the European Championship finals, and a record that still stands to this day. Having won the Ballon d’Or in 1983, his exploits at Euro 1984 ensured that he retained the accolade the following year, doing so once more in 1985 too.

EURO 1988 – Netherlands

For the first time in their history, West Germany had been selected to host the European Championship in 1988. The hosts contested alongside Denmark, Soviet Union, England, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands for continental glory.

The hosts topped Group 1, advancing with Italy, while Spain and Denmark were eliminated. Group 2 saw the Soviet Union finish top, with Netherlands finishing second, and the Republic of Ireland and England in third and fourth, respectively.

It would be both Group 2 sides that advanced to the final in Munich, as the Soviet Union defeated Italy 2-0, and the Netherlands narrowly beat West Germany 2-1 thanks to two late goals from Ronald Koeman and Marco van Basten.

The Soviet Union came out on top with a 1-0 win in the group stage, but the Dutch had different ideas this time around. Rinus Michels’ side took the lead after 32 minutes through captain Ruud Gullit, before Van Basten doubled the Netherlands’ lead on the 54 minute mark, which was enough to secure their first ever European Championship title.

Van Basten’s goal in the final was dubbed “perhaps the most iconic goal in UEFA European Championship history” by UEFA, as the AC Milan forward ended the tournament as top goalscorer with five goals to his name.

EURO 1992 – Denmark

Hosted in Sweden, the 1992 European Championship was the final eight-team edition of the tournament. Both Scotland and Sweden made their respective debuts, while France, England, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and the Commonwealth of Independent States, previously known as the Soviet Union, had also qualified.

A Scandinavian double in Group 1 saw Sweden crowned group winners, followed by the Danish in second, as France and England were sent crashing out of the competition.

In Group 2 meanwhile, the Netherlands finished first with two wins and a draw, advancing to the knockout stages alongside Germany, with Scotland and the Commonwealth of Independent States succumbing to a group stage exit.

Against the odds, it would be both second place sides that advanced to the 1992 European Championship final, with Denmark defeating the Dutch on penalties after a 2-2 stalemate in Gothenburg, as hosts Sweden fell to a narrow 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Germans in Solna.

Despite a strong start for the favoured Germany in the final, it was Denmark who took the lead through John Jensen after just 18 minutes. Central midfielder Kim Vilfort doubled the Danish lead on 78 minutes, securing an almighty triumph for Peter Schmeichel and co, in what remains one of the biggest upsets in international football history to this day.

EURO 1996 – Germany

For the first time in the competition’s history, the European Championship came to England in 1996, with it being the first edition of the tournament to have 16 teams at the finals.

The format would see four groups of four battle it out for a spot in the knockout stages, with each first and second place side advancing to the quarter-finals, while all third and fourth place sides were eliminated.

Hosts England finished top of Group 1, advancing alongside the Netherlands, with France and Spain advancing from Group 2, Germany and the Czech Republic from Group 3, and Portugal and Croatia from Group 4.

Penalty shootout victories for France and England ensured their advancement to the semi-finals, as the Czech Republic narrowly overcame Portugal 1-0, and Germany edged out their Croatian counterparts via a 2-1 scoreline.

Both semi-final matches required penalty shootouts too, where the Czech Republic shocked France 6-5 to book their spot in the final after a goalless stalemate, and England were sent crashing out after Gareth Southgate’s missed spot-kick ensured a 6-5 win for Germany after a 1-1 draw in normal time.

Despite taking the lead with just over half an hour to go in the final at Wembley, it wasn’t to be for the Czech Republic. Oliver Bierhoff drew Germany level in the 73rd minute, and later grabbed the golden goal in extra-time to seal a third European Championship title for his country.

EURO 2000 – France

In the same format as Euro 1996, the 2000 European Championship was the first edition of the tournament that was co-hosted by two separate nations, with the finals being held in both Belgium and the Netherlands.

Shock results in Group A saw Portugal crowned as group winners, with Romania advancing as the second place side, while England and reigning champions Germany were eliminated at the first hurdle.

Italy and Turkey advanced from Group B, with the former winning all three of their group matches, along with Spain and FR Yugoslavia from Group C, and the Netherlands and France from Group D.

All quarter-final fixtures were decided within 90 minutes, as France edged out Spain 2-1, Portugal beat Turkey 2-0, Italy bested Romania 2-0, and the Netherlands battered FR Yugoslavia via a stunning 6-1 scoreline.

Extra time and penalties were required in the respective semi-final ties however, where France came from behind to defeat Portugal 2-1 thanks to goals from Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane, and Italy sent the hosting Netherlands packing with a 3-1 triumph on penalties after a goalless stalemate in Amsterdam.

Despite France being earmarked as clear favourites for the final, it was Italy who took the lead in the 55th minute after a cagey first half in Rotterdam. As the clock ticked down to the final minutes, the Italians looked to be heading for a second European Championship success, however the French struck back through Sylvain Wiltord in the 94th minute to send the tie into extra-time.

Like the 1996 European Championship final, the 2000 edition was also decided via a golden goal in the additional period after a stalemate in normal time. A mistake at the back from Italy allowed Robert Pires to break in behind, before he sent a cross towards David Trezeguet who half-volleyed his effort into the top corner, sealing the title for France in style.

EURO 2004 – Greece

The 2004 edition of the European Championship was held in Portugal for the first time ever, and with Greece defying all of the odds to lift the title, it is still considered as one of the great upsets in not only football history, but sporting history.

Greece defeated Portugal 2-1 in the opening game of the tournament, but despite this, it was the Portuguese who were the eventual Group A winners, with the Greek narrowly advancing ahead of Spain via overall goals scored.

France and England booked their spots in the quarter-finals from Group B, with Sweden and Denmark advancing in lieu of Euro 2000 finalists Italy in Group C, while the Czech Republic and Netherlands finished above Germany and Latvia in Group D to advance to the knockout stages.

Penalty shootout victories for Portugal over England, and the Netherlands over Sweden set up the first semi-final clash, as Greece overcame reigning champions France 1-0 and the Czech Republic comfortably beat Denmark 3-0 to set up the second semi-final match.

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Maniche ensured a 2-1 victory for the hosts, sealing their spot in the final, meanwhile Traianos Dellas scored a ‘silver goal’ in the dying moments of the first half of extra time to win the tie for Greece, and set up a rematch of the tournament’s opening match in Lisbon.

Unsurprisingly, Portugal were favoured to win the match despite having already lost to Greece in the group stage. As they had done throughout the tournament, the Greek set up in their typical defensive style. This would seemingly pay dividends in the 57th minute when Angelos Christeas headed the underdogs in front with what was described as “practically a carbon copy” of their winning goals against France and the Czech Republic in the quarter and semi-finals.

Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Maniche, and Jorge Andrade all had opportunities to draw the hosts level in front of a desperate home crowd, but Greece held on to secure an almighty 1-0 victory, seeing them lift the European Championship title for the first, and only, time in their history.

EURO 2008 – Spain

The 2008 European Championship was co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland, and the tournament is fondly remembered by many due to Spain’s dominance throughout, as they went on to lift the title for a second time.

Luis Aragones’ side topped Group D with three wins from three, scoring eight and conceding three, with Russia finishing second, advancing alongside Portugal, Turkey, Croatia, Germany, Netherlands, and Italy to the quarter-finals.

Wins for Germany and Turkey over Portugal and Croatia on one side of the bracket made up the first semi-final, and so did wins for Spain and Russia over Italy and the Netherlands on the other side of the bracket.

A memorable clash in Basel saw Germany edge out Turkey 3-2 to book their spot in the final, while goals from Xavi, Daniel Guiza, and David Silva ensured a comfortable 3-0 win for the Spanish over Russia in the second semi-final.

Vienna played host to the final, where a closely-fought battle between the Germans and the Spanish was decided via Fernando Torres’ 33rd minute effort, which was clipped over the head of the onrushing Jens Lehmann. Torres was awarded Man of the Match for his exploits in the final, while David Villa finished as the tournament’s top scorer with four goals to his name.

EURO 2012 – Spain

Having won Euro 2008 and the South Africa World Cup in 2010, Spain’s era of dominance continued at Euro 2012, as they became the first team in history to retain a European Championship, sealing a third successive major international trophy.

Co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, Spain were placed in Group C alongside Italy, Croatia, and the Republic of Ireland, and to the surprise of very few, they finished in first place once again, dropping just two points to runners up Italy after drawing 1-1 in their opener.

Elsewhere, Czech Republic and Euro 2004 winners Greece finished first and second in Group A, Germany and Portugal secured advancement to the quarter-finals via Group B, and England and France finished in the top two in Group D.

Wins for Portugal, Spain, Germany, and Italy made up a rather unsurprising final four, where the Spanish would come out on top against the Portuguese in a penalty shootout after playing out a goalless stalemate in Donetsk, while Italy narrowly triumphed against Germany 2-1 in Warsaw.

In a replay of their opening fixture at the finals, Spain and Italy would face off at the 2012 European Championship final in Kiev. Despite a 1-1 stalemate when the pair last met, Vicente del Bosque’s Spain proved why they were considered the best team on the planet once again, as they ran out as 4-0 victors, thanks to goals from David Silva, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres, and Juan Mata.

Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta was named the Player of the Tournament, while all of Mario Mandzukic, Mario Gomez, Mario Balotelli, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Dzagoev, and Fernando Torres finished as joint top-scorers with three goals apiece.

EURO 2016 – Portugal

2016 marked the European Championship’s return to France for a third time in its history, and was the first edition of the tournament to have 24 teams at the finals, with debut appearances for Iceland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Albania.

The larger pool of teams meant that there were now six groups of four, with the top two automatically advancing to the round of 16, while the four highest ranked third place teams would also move on to the next stage.

France, Wales, Germany, Croatia, Italy, and Hungary advanced to the last 16 as group winners, with Switzerland, England, Poland, Spain, Belgium, and Iceland joining them as runners up, along with the four best third place teams; Slovakia, Republic of Ireland, Portugal, and Northern Ireland.

Some shock results on the road to the final saw Iceland topple England in the last 16 and Wales overcome Belgium 3-1 in the quarter-finals, but victories for Portugal and France in the semi-finals set the stage for the final in Paris.

Clearly favoured to win, France were held to a goalless draw after 90 minutes, meaning extra time, and possibly penalties would be required to decide a winner. As the game crept closer and closer to the full time whistle, Eder, formerly of Swansea City, shocked the home crowd and opened the scoring for Portugal.

Despite a late push from France, the Portuguese held on and secured their first ever European Championship title. It would be Cristiano Ronaldo’s first ever trophy with his nation, before securing the 2019 Nations League title three years later.

EURO 2020 – Italy

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the UEFA European Championship, the 2020 edition of the tournament was held in 11 different cities across 11 different UEFA countries, making it just the second ever major international tournament to have more than two host nations.

The tournament was also unique in the sense that it was delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the majority of matches were played in front of reduced crowds due to COVID restrictions.

Following the same format as 2016, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, England, Sweden, and France advanced as group winners, along with runners up; Wales, Denmark, Austria, Croatia, Spain, and Germany, as well as the four best ranked third place sides; Portugal, Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

Upsets included Switzerland’s penalty shootout victory over France, and the Czech Republic’s 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the last 16, but wins for Italy over Spain, and for England over Denmark confirmed the two sides that would meet at Wembley to battle it out for the trophy.

Luke Shaw put England in front after only two minutes of play in front of the home crowd, however Leonardo Bonucci struck back after 67 minutes to draw the Italians level. No further goals in normal or extra time meant that a penalty shootout was required to decide the winner.

Despite scoring their first two penalties, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka missed three in succession for England, which meant that Italy would reign victorious with a 3-2 scoreline, lifting the trophy for just the second time in their history, and for the first time since 1968.

EURO 2024 – Spain

The most recent European Championship, held in Germany in 2024, ended in similar fashion to the last for England, while Spain’s triumph sees them overtake Germany as the record title holders with four.

Not only did Spain win the tournament, but they did so in convincing fashion, becoming the first side since France in 1984 to win every single match on their road to the title. They also set a new record for the most goals scored by a team at a single European Championship, netting 15 goals across their seven games.

Captained by Alvaro Morata, the Spanish topped their group with three victories from three against Italy, Croatia, and Albania, securing a last 16 tie against tournament newcomers Georgia, in which they came from behind to win 4-1.

A 2-1 extra time victory over hosts Germany in the quarter-finals ensured a semi-final showdown against another tough opponent in France, however Luis de la Fuente’s side were up to the task once more, as they ran out as 2-1 winners in Munich.

England awaited in the final, and after a goalless first half, it was anyone’s to take. Just two minutes into the second period though, impressive Athletic Club winger Nico Williams smashed home the opener, but for Cole Palmer to draw the Three Lions level with less than 20 minutes to go.

With less than five minutes remaining, Marc Cucurella sent an inch-perfect cross into the English box, which second half substitute Mikel Oyarzabal met and turned home to seal an historic victory for Spain, with Manchester City midfielder Rodri being awarded the Player of the Tournament accolade, while Barcelona’s 17-year-old wonder Lamine Yamal was named Young Player of the Tournament.