| 1996 UEFA European Football Championship England 96 | |
|---|---|
 Football Comes Home | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | England |
| Dates | 8–30 June |
| Teams | 16 |
| Venue(s) | 8 (in 8 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Germany (3rd title) |
| Runners-up |  Czech Republic |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 31 |
| Goals scored | 64 (2.06 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,275,857 (41,157 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Alan Shearer (5 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Matthias Sammer |
← 1992 2000 → | |
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 June 1996. It was the first European Championship to feature 16 finalists, following UEFA's decision to expand the tournament from eight teams.
Matches were staged in eight cities and, although not all games were sold out, the tournament holds the European Championship's second-highest aggregate attendance (1,276,000) and average per game (41,158) for the 16-team format,[1] surpassed only in 2012.[2]
The tournament was the first European Championship where three points were awarded for a win during the qualification and finals group stages, as opposed to the old system of two points for a win, reflecting the growing use of this system in domestic leagues throughout the world during the previous decade.
Germany won the tournament, beating the Czech Republic 2–1 in the final with a golden goal from Oliver Bierhoff during extra time; this was the first major competition to be decided using this method. This was also Germany's first major title won as a unified nation, adding to the two European Championship titles won by West Germany prior to reunification.
- ^ Bevan, Chris (17 May 2012). "Euro 1996: When football came home". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^ "Euro 2012 Shatters Attendance Record". Sports Business Daily. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2014.