UEFA European Championship: Must successful nations and winners by year
- UEFA European Championship sees teams around the continent battle for glory every four years
- Italy won the most recent Euros in 2021
- Germany and Spain are tied as the most successful teams in the tournament's history
By Euan Burns
There may not be quite the same level of excitement and anticipation ahead of the European Championship as there is for a World Cup, but they tend to deliver just as much drama and intrigue.
Euro 2024 is approaching quickly with Germany set to host a month of football between June 14 and July 14. The tournament will culminate at the Olympiastadion in Berlin and is sure to be a tremendous occasion.
With excitement building, here's a look at all the European Championship winners in the past.
Who has won the UEFA European Championship the most?
With the tournament starting in the 1950s and only happening every four years, there is not an extensive list of winners.
Spain and Germany currently share the crown for having won the Euros the most, with three triumphs each. The Spaniards were successful in 1964, 2008, and 2012 having also claimed the 2010 World Cup, showing the dominance La Roja held over international football at that time.
Two of Germany's victories came while they were under the name West Germany in 1972 and 1980. They then won it for the third time in 1990.
Italy and France have been triumphant twice respectively, while nations like Portugal, the Netherlands and Denmark have lifted the trophy once. And while Russia, Czechia and even Greece have won the Euros, England
Country | Tournaments won (year) |
|---|---|
Germany | 3 (1972, 1980, 1996) |
Spain | 3 (1964, 2008, 2012) |
Italy | 2 (1968, 2020) |
France | 2 (1984, 2000) |
Russia | 1 (1960) |
Czechia | 1 (1976) |
Portugal | 1 (2016) |
Netherlands | 1 (1988) |
Denmark | 1 (1992) |
Greece | 1 (2004) |
Full list of UEFA European Championship winners
There have been ten different winners of the Euros over the years which shows it has not been overly dominated by any country in particular.
Year | Host nation | Winner | Runner-up | Final score | Final venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | France | Soviet Union | Yugoslavia | 2-1 (AET) | Parc des Princes, Paris |
1964 | Spain | Spain | Soviet Union | 2-1 | Bernabeu, Madrid |
1968 | Italy | Italy | Yugoslavia | 1-1 AET, 2-0 in replay | Stadio Olimpico, Rome |
1972 | Belgium | West Germany | Soviet Union | 3-0 | Heysel Stadium, Brussels |
1976 | Yugoslavia | Czechoslovakia | West Germany | 2-2 (5-4p) | Red Star Stadium, Belgrade |
1980 | Italy | West Germany | Belgium | 2-1 | Stadio Olimpico, Rome |
1984 | France | France | Spain | 2-0 | Parc des Princes, Paris |
1988 | West Germany | Netherlands | Soviet Union | 2-0 | Olympiastadion, Berlin |
1992 | Sweden | Denmark | Germany | 2-0 | Ullevi, Gothenburg |
1996 | England | Germany | Czech Republic | 2-1 | Wembley, London |
2000 | Belgium and Netherlands | France | Italy | 2-1 | De Kuip, Rotterdam |
2004 | Portugal | Greece | Portugal | 1-0 | Estadio da Luz, Lisbon |
2008 | Austria and Switzerland | Spain | Germany | 1-0 | Ernst-Happel Stadion, Vienna |
2012 | Poland and Ukraine | Spain | Italy | 4-0 | Olympiyskiy, Kyiv |
2016 | France | Portugal | France | 1-0 (AET) | Stade de France, Paris |
2020 | Pan-European | Italy | England | 1-1 (4-3p) | Wembley, London |
Who has won the most games at UEFA European Championships?
No team can match Germany's appetite for victory throughout UEFA European Championship history. Having participated at 13 tournaments - the most of any team - the three-time winners have emerged victorious from 27 of their 53 games. Past successes at the 1972, 1980 and 1996 tournaments helped inflate their tally of wins, but long runs at the Euros have been difficult to come by in recent editions. Die Mannschaft's best recent performance came in 2008, when they four of their six games, suffering defeat to Spain in the final.
Three teams then share second place for total wins - Spain, Italy and France. La Roja have lifted the trophy on three occasions, including back-to-back in 2008 and 2012, while the Azzurri are the current defending champions after their triumph over England at Wembley Stadium back in 2021. Les Bleus could have won the tournament for a third time in 2016 and were favourites as hosts, but were instead downed in extra time by Portugal.
On the other end of the table, three teams have played at the Euros without winning a single game. Minnows Slovenia, Latvia and North Macedonia have qualified for one tournament apiece, registering six losses between them.
Rank | Team | Tournaments participated in | Matches played | Won | Drawn | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Germany* | 13 | 53 | 27 | 13 | 13 |
2. | Italy | 10 | 45 | 21 | 18 | 6 |
3. | Spain | 11 | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 |
4. | France | 10 | 43 | 21 | 12 | 10 |
5. | Netherlands | 10 | 39 | 20 | 8 | 11 |
6. | Portugal | 8 | 39 | 19 | 10 | 10 |
7. | England | 10 | 38 | 15 | 13 | 10 |
8. | Czechia** | 10 | 37 | 15 | 7 | 15 |
9. | Russia*** | 12 | 36 | 13 | 7 | 16 |
10. | Denmark | 9 | 33 | 10 | 6 | 17 |
* Includes results of West Germany (1972-1988)
** Includes results of Czechoslovakia (1960-1980)
*** Includes results of Soviet Union and CIS between (1960-1992)
Who has the scored the most UEFA European Championship goals?
It may not be a huge surprise to hear Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals than anyone else in European Championships and there is still a chance he could add to that tally in 2024. He was in Portugal's squad for the first set of qualifiers and the tournament is only just over a year away.
He has scored 14 times in the tournament itself. The breakdown was two in 2004, one in 2008, three in 2012, three in 2016 and five in 2020.
Michel Platini has managed to keep one record away from Ronaldo. The Frenchman scored the most goals in one tournament by netting nine times in the 1984 edition.
Player | Country | Goals |
|---|---|---|
Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 14 |
Michel Platini | France | 9 |
Antoine Griezmann | France | 7 |
Alan Shearer | England | 7 |
Thierry Henry | France | 6 |
Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Sweden | 6 |
Patrick Kluivert | Netherlands | 6 |
Romelu Lukaku | Belgium | 6 |
Alvaro Morata | Spain | 6 |
Nuno Gomes | Portugal | 6 |
When did the UEFA European Championship begin?
The tournament was founded way back in 1958, making it a younger tournament than the World Cup. There were a lot of regional tournaments in Europe featuring different countries such as the British Home Championship which England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland contested.
There was also the Central European International Cup which featured teams like Italy, Yugoslavia, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland and Czechoslovakia.
A pan-European tournament was proposed by Henri Delaunay in 1927 but he died three years before it actually happened. The trophy is named after him.
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