The History of European Football Championship.
French Football Federation's Henri Delaunay in 1927 proposed the idea for a pan-European football tournament. But it was not held until 1958 that the tournament was started. The trophy awarded to the champions is named after Delaunay to honour him.
UEFA Euro 1960
France met EURO tournament first in 1960.The championship had 4 teams competing in the finals, out of 17 that entered the competition. It was won by the Soviet Union, beating Yugoslavia 2-1 in a tense final in Paris. Spain withdrew from its quarter-final match against the USSR due to political protests. West Germany and Italy didn't take part in the qualifying tournament.
UEFA Euro 1964
Spain held the next tournament. In 1964 they were the host of European Football Championship which saw an increase in entries to the qualification tournament, with 29 entering. Greece withdrew after being drawn against Albania, whom they were still at war with. The Spain beat the holders the Soviet Union 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.
UEFA Euro 1968
The tournament format stayed the same for the 1968 edition but this year the tournament changed its name from European Nations Cup to European Championship. Italy were the hosts and champions in EURO 1968. The match against Yugoslavia Italy finished with 1-1. They won the replay 2-0. More teams entered this tournament (31), a testament to its burgeoning popularity.
UEFA Euro 1972
The winner of the Belgium EURO 1972 was West Germany, beating the USSR 3-0 in the final in Brussels. 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 tournament would be the last in which only four teams took part in the final tournament. EURO 1976 would be the last in which the hosts had to qualify themselves. Czechoslovakia beat Germany in the newly introduced penalty shootout, with Antonín Panenka's famous chipped shot. The Finals, in Belgium, drew the hosts against the favourites, West Germany, who duly won with two goals by the prolific Gerd Muller. The Soviet Union prevailed against Hungary in the other semi to reach their third Final in four tournaments.
UEFA Euro 1980
In 1980 eight teams went to Italy. This year the honour to be the hosts of the Championship occured to Italy. This year the rules had changed. It involved a group stage, with the winners of the groups going on to contest the final, and the runners-up playing in the third place play-off. West Germany won their second European title by beating Belgium 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
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. For the 1984 tournament UEFA developed the new format that would serve for all subsequent eight-team European Championships. The eight total teams were divided into two groups of 4. Teams had to play each other once.The top two teams of each group advanced to semi-finals and then the winners advanced to the final. The third-place game became unnecessary and was dropped. The point system was different from today.
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.
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. 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. Over 96% of tickets were sold. About half a million fans came to Portugal for Euro 2004.