UEFA European Championship facts for kids
The Henri Delaunay Trophy, awarded to the winner of the European Championship
|
|
| Organising body | UEFA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1958 |
| Region | Europe |
| Number of teams | 24 (finals) 55 (eligible to enter qualification) |
| Qualifier for | CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions |
| Current champions |  Spain (4th title) |
| Most successful team(s) | Spain (4 titles) |
The UEFA European Championship, often called the Euro or Euros, is a huge football tournament for men's national teams in Europe. It is organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). This competition helps decide which country has the best football team in Europe.
It is the second most-watched football tournament in the world, right after the FIFA World Cup. For example, about 600 million people watched the final match of Euro 2016! The tournament happens every four years since 1960. The only exception was in 2020, when it was moved to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. Even then, it kept its original name, Euro 2020.
Before the main tournament, teams have to play in a special qualifying process. Only the host nations get to play automatically. The winner of the Euro tournament gets to compete in the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions.
Ten different countries have won the European Championship. Spain has won four times, which is more than any other country. Germany has won three times. Italy and France have each won twice. Other winners include the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Greece, and Portugal. Spain is the only team to win two tournaments in a row, in 2008 and 2012.
The most recent championship was Euro 2024, held in Germany. Spain won their fourth title by beating England 2–1 in the final match in Berlin.
Contents
How the Euro Started
Before the Euro, there were smaller football tournaments for national teams in Europe. For example, the British Home Championship started in 1883. It was an annual competition between England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Another tournament, the Central European International Cup, was held six times between 1927 and 1960. It included teams like Austria, Hungary, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia.
The idea for a tournament that included all of Europe came from Henri Delaunay in 1927. He was the secretary-general of the French Football Federation. However, the tournament did not start until 1958, three years after Delaunay passed away. The trophy given to the winners is named the Henri Delaunay Trophy in his honor.
The first Euro tournament, called the 1960 European Nations' Cup, took place in France. Only four teams made it to the final stage out of 17 that entered. The Soviet Union won by beating Yugoslavia 2–1 in the final in Paris. Some big teams like England, the Netherlands, West Germany, and Italy did not enter the first tournament.
Spain hosted the next tournament in 1964. More teams joined the qualification rounds, with 29 entries. Spain won the tournament by beating the Soviet Union 2–1 in Madrid.
The tournament format stayed the same for the 1968 tournament, which Italy hosted and won. For the first and only time, a semi-final match was decided by a coin toss (between Italy and the Soviet Union). The final match against Yugoslavia even went to a replay after a 1–1 draw. Italy won the replay 2–0. More teams entered this year, showing how popular the tournament was becoming.
Belgium hosted the 1972 tournament. West Germany won by beating the Soviet Union 3–0 in the final. This German team had many players who would later win the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
The 1976 tournament in Yugoslavia was the last one with only four teams in the final stage. It was also the last time the host country had to qualify. Czechoslovakia beat West Germany in a penalty shootout. The winning penalty was a famous "chipped shot" by Antonín Panenka, which is still talked about today.
Growing Bigger: 8 Teams
The competition grew to eight teams for the 1980 tournament, hosted by Italy. This new format included a group stage. The winners of the groups played in the final, and the second-place teams played for third place. West Germany won their second European title by beating Belgium 2–1. Horst Hrubesch scored the winning goal with only two minutes left.
France won their first major title at home in the 1984 tournament. Their captain, Michel Platini, scored an amazing 9 goals in just 5 games. France beat Spain 2–0 in the final. The format changed again: the top two teams from each group went to a semi-final stage. The match for third place was also removed.
West Germany hosted UEFA Euro 1988. They lost 2–1 to their rivals, the Netherlands, in the semi-finals. This led to huge celebrations in the Netherlands. The Netherlands then won the tournament by beating the Soviet Union 2–0. Marco van Basten scored a spectacular goal, a volley from the right wing, which is often called one of the best goals ever.
UEFA Euro 1992 was held in Sweden. Surprisingly, Denmark won it! They were only invited to the tournament at the last minute because Yugoslavia could not participate due to political reasons. Denmark beat the Netherlands in a penalty shootout in the semi-finals. Then, they defeated the world champions Germany 2–0 in the final. This was the first Euro where a unified Germany played.
Even More Teams: 16 Nations Compete
England hosted UEFA Euro 1996. This was the first tournament to be called "Euro [year]". The number of teams doubled to 16. England lost to Germany in a penalty shootout in the semi-finals. The big surprise of the tournament was the Czech Republic, playing in their first international competition. They reached the final but lost to Germany 2–1. Germany won with the first "golden goal" ever in a major tournament, scored by Oliver Bierhoff in extra time. This was Germany's first title as a unified nation.
UEFA Euro 2000 was special because it was hosted by two countries: the Netherlands and Belgium. France, who were the reigning World Cup champions, were expected to win. They did, beating Italy 2–1 in extra time. Sylvain Wiltord scored a goal in the last minute of regular time to tie the game. Then, David Trezeguet scored the winning golden goal.
UEFA Euro 2004, like 1992, had a big upset. Greece, who had not done well in previous tournaments, won the whole thing! They beat the host country, Portugal, 1–0 in the final. They had also beaten Portugal in the opening game. Angelos Charisteas scored the winning goal. Greece was considered a huge underdog, making their win even more surprising.
The 2008 tournament was co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland. This was the second time two nations hosted. Spain defeated Germany 1–0 in the final, with a goal from Fernando Torres. This was Spain's first title since 1964. Spain scored the most goals in the tournament (12). David Villa was the top scorer with four goals.
The UEFA Euro 2012 tournament was co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. Spain made history by defeating Italy 4–0 in the final. This made them the first country to win the European Championship two times in a row. They were also the first European team to win three major tournaments in a row. Fernando Torres became the first player to score in two Euro finals.
The Euro Gets Even Bigger: 24 Teams
In 2007, there was a discussion about making the tournament even bigger, with 24 teams. This was because more countries in Europe had their own football associations after the break-ups of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union. In 2008, UEFA decided to expand the tournament to 24 teams, starting from UEFA Euro 2016.
On May 28, 2010, UEFA announced that UEFA Euro 2016 would be hosted by France. This was the first time 24 teams played in the finals. Portugal, even though they finished third in their group, went on to win the championship. They defeated the host team France 1–0 in the final, with a goal from Eder in extra time. Portugal's star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, had to leave the game early due to an injury. This was Portugal's first major tournament win.
For the 2020 tournament, UEFA decided to host it in several cities across Europe. The semi-finals and final were played in London. However, the tournament was delayed by a year to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. This helped reduce pressure on public services and allowed domestic leagues to finish their seasons. In the final, Italy beat England 3–2 in a penalty shootout after the game was tied 1–1 after extra time. Italy won their second European Championship.
The Trophy
.jpg)
The trophy given to the winner of the European Championship is called the Henri Delaunay Trophy. It is named after Henri Delaunay, who first thought of having a European championship. He passed away five years before the first tournament in 1960. His son, Pierre, was in charge of making the trophy. The winning team gets to keep the trophy for four years until the next tournament.
For the 2008 tournament, the Henri Delaunay Trophy was made bigger. The old trophy was smaller compared to other UEFA trophies. The new trophy is made of silver and weighs 8 kilograms (about 17.6 pounds). It is 60 centimeters (about 23.6 inches) tall. The names of the winning countries are now carved on the back of the trophy.
Players and coaches on the winning team receive gold medals. The runner-up team receives silver medals. Losing semi-finalists used to receive bronze medals in 2008 and 2012, but this practice stopped from 2016 onwards.
How the Tournament Works
Tournament Format Changes Over Time
Before 1980, only four teams played in the final tournament. In 1980, it expanded to eight teams. In 1996, the tournament grew to 16 teams. This expansion happened because it was becoming easier for European countries to qualify for the FIFA World Cup than for their own European Championship.
In 2007, there was a lot of talk about expanding the tournament to 24 teams. This was because many new football associations had formed in Europe. Michel Platini, the new president of UEFA, supported this idea. In September 2008, it was officially announced that the Euro would expand to 24 teams starting from 2016.
Teams qualify for the tournament through a series of games. In the first two tournaments (1960 and 1964), teams played home and away matches to qualify. From 1968 onwards, teams qualified through groups and play-off games. The host country was chosen from the four finalists back then.
Since the tournament expanded in 1980, the host country (or countries) are chosen beforehand and automatically qualify to play.
Most tournaments have a group stage where teams play each other once. After that, the best teams move on to a knockout stage. In the knockout stage, teams play one match, and the loser is out of the tournament.
| Year | Teams | Matches | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min. | Act. | |||
| 1960 | 4 | 4 | semi-finals, 3rd-place match, final | |
| 1964 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1968 | 4 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1972 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1976 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1980 | 8 | 14 | 2 groups of 4, 3rd-place match, final | |
| 1984 | 8 | 15 | 2 groups of 4, semi-finals, final | |
| 1988 | 8 | 15 | ||
| 1992 | 8 | 15 | ||
| 1996 | 16 | 31 | 4 groups of 4, quarter-finals, semi-finals, final | |
| 2000 | 16 | 31 | ||
| 2004 | 16 | 31 | ||
| 2008 | 16 | 31 | ||
| 2012 | 16 | 31 | ||
| 2016 | 24 | 51 | 6 groups of 4, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, final | |
| 2020 | 24 | 51 | ||
| 2024 | 24 | 51 | ||
| 2028 | 24 | 51 | ||
| 2032 | 24 | 51 | ||
Qualifying for the Euro
To get into the main tournament, a team must either finish high enough in their qualifying group or win a play-off match. The host country automatically qualifies.
UEFA uses a "seeding" system to draw the qualifying groups. Stronger teams are placed in different groups to make them fair. This ranking is based on how well teams did in previous tournaments.
The qualifying phase is played in a group format. Teams in each group play each other twice, once at home and once away. Teams get three points for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss. The top teams from these groups then qualify for the final tournament.
Playing in the Final Tournament
For the 2012 tournament, 16 teams made it to the finals. These included the two host countries, Poland and Ukraine. The teams were divided into four groups (A, B, C, and D) with four teams in each.
For the 2016 tournament and onwards, with 24 teams, there are six groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group, plus the four best third-placed teams, move on to the "round of 16". This is where the knockout stage begins.
In the group stage, teams play each opponent once. The same points system is used (3 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss). The winner and runner-up of each group move to the next round. In the knockout rounds, if scores are tied after normal playing time, extra time is played. If it's still a draw, a penalty shootout decides the winner. Unlike the FIFA World Cup, there is no match for third place in the Euro tournament anymore.
Euro Champions: Who Won?
Who Has Won the Most?
This table shows how many times each country has won or been a runner-up in the UEFA European Championship.
| Team | Title(s) | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain |
4 | 1 | 1964, 2008, 2012, 2024 | 1984 |
 Germany |
3 | 3 | 1972, 1980, 1996 | 1976, 1992, 2008 |
 Italy |
2 | 2 | 1968, 2020 | 2000, 2012 |
 France |
2 | 1 | 1984, 2000 | 2016 |
 Russia |
1 | 3 | 1960 | 1964, 1972, 1988 |
 Czech Republic |
1 | 1 | 1976 | 1996 |
 Portugal |
1 | 1 | 2016 | 2004 |
 Netherlands |
1 | — | 1988 | — |
 Denmark |
1 | — | 1992 | — |
 Greece |
1 | — | 2004 | — |
 England |
— | 2 | — | 2020, 2024 |
 Serbia |
— | 2 | — | 1960, 1968 |
 Belgium |
— | 1 | — | 1980 |
Awards and Honors
There are several special awards given out during and after the Euro tournament:
- Player of the Tournament: This award goes to the best player in the entire tournament. It was first given in 1996.
- Top Scorer: This award is for the player who scores the most goals.
- Young Player of the Tournament: This award is for the best player under 21 years old. It started in 2016.
- Man of the Match: This award is given to the player who performs best in each individual game. It also started in 1996.
- Team of the Tournament: This is a special team made up of the best players from all the teams in the tournament.
See also
In Spanish: Eurocopa para niños
- British Home Championship
- Central European International Cup
- UEFA European Championship mascot
- UEFA European Championship records and statistics
- UEFA European Championship top goalscorers
- UEFA European Championship Teams of the Tournament
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship
- UEFA Women's Championship
