UEFA European Championship

This article is about the men's tournament. For the women's tournament, see UEFA Women's Championship. For other uses, see European Championship in football.
"Euro Cup" redirects here. For other uses, see EuroCup.

UEFA European Championship
The Henri Delaunay Trophy, awarded to the winner of the European Championship
Organising bodyUEFA
Founded1958; 66 years ago (1958)
RegionEurope
Number of teams24 (finals)
55 (eligible to enter qualification)
Qualifier forCONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
Current champions Spain (4th title)
Most successful team(s)Spain Spain (4 titles)
Websiteuefa.com/uefaeuro
A UEFA Euro 2016 match between France and Romania
Tournaments

The UEFA European Football Championship,[1] less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro or Euros,[2][3] is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contested by UEFA members' senior men's national teams, determining the continental champion of Europe.[4][5] It is the second-most watched football tournament in the world after the FIFA World Cup; the Euro 2016 final was watched by a global audience of around 600 million.[6] The competition has been held every four years since 1960,[7][8][9] except for 2020, when it was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, but kept the name Euro 2020. Scheduled to be in the even-numbered year between FIFA World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the European Nations' Cup before changing to its current name in 1968. Since 1996, the individual events have been branded as "UEFA Euro [year]".

Before entering the tournament, all teams other than the host nations (which qualify automatically) compete in a qualifying process. Until 2016, the championship winners could compete in the following year's FIFA Confederations Cup, but were not obliged to do so.[10] From the 2020 edition onwards, the winner competes in the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions.[11]

The seventeen European Championship tournaments have been won by ten national teams: Spain have won four titles, Germany have won three titles, Italy and France have won two titles, and the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Greece and Portugal have won one title each. To date, Spain is the only team to have won consecutive titles, doing so in 2008 and 2012.

The most recent championship, held in Germany in 2024, was won by Spain, who lifted a record fourth European title after beating England 2–1 in the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.[12]

  1. ^ "Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship 2018–20". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 March 2018. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  2. ^ Horn, Nicolas (3 June 2024). "Euro 2024 team guides part one: Germany". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  3. ^ Ostlere, Lawrence (4 June 2024). "England's Euro 2024 squad: Who's on the plane, who's in contention and who will miss out?". The Independent. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  4. ^ Pandit, Rupa (23 February 2022). Physical Education: Textbook for ICSE Class 10. Oswal Publishers. ISBN 978-93-90278-47-3.
  5. ^ Authors, Panel of. Arun Deep's 10 Years Solved Papers For ICSE Class 10 Exam 2023 - Comprehensive Handbook Of 15 Subjects - Year-Wise Board Solved Question Papers, Revised Syllabus 2023. Ravinder Singh and sons. p. 1558.
  6. ^ "Euro 2016 seen by 2 billion on TV; 600m watch final". ESPN. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  7. ^ "UEFA EURO 24 – The biggest European football tournament is here again after four years! | EXIsport Eshop EU". www.exisport.eu. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  8. ^ Pyta, W.; Havemann, N. (25 March 2015). European Football and Collective Memory. Springer. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-137-45015-9.
  9. ^ Dunmore, Tom (16 September 2011). Historical Dictionary of Soccer. Scarecrow Press. p. 250. ISBN 978-0-8108-7188-5.
  10. ^ "2005/2006 season: final worldwide matchday to be 14 May 2006". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 19 December 2004. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  11. ^ "UEFA and CONMEBOL renew and extend Memorandum of Understanding". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  12. ^ Morse, Ben (14 July 2024). "Spain wins Euro 2024, defeating England 2–1 in a dramatic final to win record fourth European Championship". CNN. Retrieved 14 July 2024.