UEFA European Football Championship History
The UEFA European Football Championship is the pinnacle of international football for all European nations governed by the European ruling body, UEFA (Union of European Football Associations).
Held every four years since 1960, the European Championships tournament has undergone severe changes since it's inception through to it's modern day format and is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in world soccer.
Despite the first seeds of an idea for a European Championship competition having been sown in 1927 by the French Football Association's Henri Delaunay (whom the trophy is now named after), it wasn't until 1958 that the first qualifying rounds were held, initially on a home and away knockout basis between nations culminating in a four team final stage with two semi-finals and a final to decide the winner.
UEFA Euro 1960
The first European Football Championship was in 1960. It was called UEFA European Nations Cup. "EURO" held every four years and supported by UEFA. The main final tournament was held in France. It was won by the Soviet Union, who beat Yugoslavia 2–1 in Paris after extra time. UEFA invited countries to enter the qualifying stages from 1958 onwards, with a view to a four-team event to be staged in France in 1960.
UEFA Euro 1964
The 1964 UEFA European Nations Cup was the second edition of the great European Football Championship, endorsed by UEFA. This time the final tournament was held in Spain. This time success was at the host's side. Spain won 2-1 over defending champions Soviet Union. The Spain beat the holders the Soviet Union at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.
UEFA Euro 1968
In 1968 Italy held UEFA European Football Championship final tournament. This was the third European Football Championship. The final tournament took place between June 5 and June 10, 1968.
This year the tournament changed its name from European Nations Cup to European Championship.31 teams entered with the Finals held in Italy.
There were also some changes in the tournament's qualifying structure, with the two-legged home-and-away knock-out stage being replaced by a group phase.
UEFA Euro 1972
The 1972 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 72) final tournament was held in Belgium. The European Football Championship, didn't change traditions. Endorsed by UEFA Belgium met the fourth competition. The final tournament took place between June 14 and June 18, 1972.
From the previous EURO Championship the rules stayed the same - only four countries could play the final tournament which meant that there were only the semi-finals, the final and the third place match.
UEFA Euro 1976
The 1976 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 76) final tournament was held in Yugoslavia. This was the fifth European Football Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. The final tournament took place between June 16 and June 20, 1976. At the time, only four countries could play the final tournament which meant that there were only the semi-finals, the final and the third place match. This was the last edition to have this format, as the tournament was expanded to include eight teams four years later. It was the first and only time that all three matches in the final tournament were decided after extra time, either on penalties or by goals scored.
UEFA Euro 1980
The 1980 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 80) final tournament was held in Italy. Between June 11 and June 22, 1980 the final tournament took place. This was the sixth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. Italy staged Euro a second time in 1980, marking the modern era of the tournament. There was a slight change to the 1980 European Championship Finals - UEFA decided that eight rather than four teams would qualify. Seven of these countries had to qualify for the final stage. Also for the first time, the hosts, in this case Italy, qualified automatically for the finals. 350,000 passionate supporters viewed matches in Rome, Milan, Naples and Turin. The tournament also had two firsts. The first mascot called „Pinocchio was unveiled dressed in the colours of the Italian flag. The 1980 finals were also the first to include eight teams in two groups of four.
UEFA Euro 1984
The 1984 UEFA European Football Championship ( Euro 84 ) was one the finest European Championships of all time. The seventh Euro 84 was prominent for two weeks of scintillating football. It was hosted by France and took place from 12 June to 27 June 1984. Peno, a rooster which represent the symbolic of the host nation, France, as a cockerel was the official mascot of Euro 1984. It has number 84 on the left side chest and its outfit is the same as the French national team, blue shirt, white short and red socks. In this UEFA European Football Championship, a total of 8 teams participated, seven of which had to come through the qualifying stage, joining the French team which qualified automatically for hosting the tournament:
UEFA Euro 1988
The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship ( Euro 88 ) was the eight final European Football Championship tournament supported by UEFA. It took place in West Germany between 10 June and 25 June 1988. Euro 88 was a major football tournament being completed without a single player being sent off, any knockout matches going into extra time or penalties and having at least one goal scored in every match. Eight teams competed in the competition, including West Germany, guaranteed qualification for hosting the tournament. The holders, France, failed to qualify and it was Ireland's first appearance in European Championships.
UEFA Euro 1992
The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship ( Euro 92 ) was the ninth European Football Championship. The competition took place over two weeks in June, from the 10 th to the 26 th. Euro 1992 was hosted by Sweden and supported by UEFA. It was the first major football competition in which the players had their names printed on their backs. The official anthem of the tournament was More Than a Game. The competition continued the use of the two group format.
UEFA Euro 1996
1996 UEFA European Football Championship ( Euro 96 ) was the tenth European Football Championship and endorsed by UEFA. The slogan of the tournament was "Football Comes Home". UEFA 1966 took place in England, the mother country of football, with an enlarged competition and altered regulations. Euro 96 saw England host their first major tournament since the World Cup in 1966. The tournament's final stages took place between 8 June and 30 June 1996. This was the first European Championship to introduce the current format of 16 countries competing in the final tournament.
UEFA Euro 2000
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2000), was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship. The 2000 tournament was co-hosted by two countries for the first time in the history. The official mascot of this Euro Cup was Benelucky, a lion-devil with its hair color being a combination of the flag colors of both host nations. Euro 2000 consisted of 23 football (soccer) matches which took place during June 2000. The finals of Euro were held between 10 June and 2 July 2000 and organized by UEFA, football's governing body in Europe. It was considered by many to be the best major tournament of all time. UEFA Euro 2000 was contested by 16 nations.
UEFA Euro 2004
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2004) was the twelfth UEFA European Football Championship. It took place in Portugal (for the first time) between 12 June and 4 July 2004. For the first time organization of Euro tournament was divided between UEFA, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) and Portuguese government. A special company, Euro 2004 S.A., was set up to implement efficient organization of the event. To host Euro 2004, Portugal constructed 10 new stadiums.
UEFA Euro 2008
2008 UEFA European Football Championship , Euro 2008 , was the 13th UEFA European Football Championship. Austria and Switzerland hosted the tournament, which began on 7 June 2008 and concluded with the final at Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on 29 June 2008. It was the second successful joint bid in the competition's history. Spain won the tournament by defeating Germany 1–0 in the final. This was only the second time in the history of the tournament that the winning team won all their matches in the group stage; the other team to do so was France in 1984.