UEFA European Football Championship

UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men’s national football teams governed by UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations).

It was originally called the European Nations Cup, changing to the current name in 1968, held every four years since 1960.

The 1960 Tournament, held in France, 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 quarterfinal match against the USSR due to political protests.

The tournament format stayed the same for the 1968 cup, hosted and won by Italy. For the first and only time a match was decided on a coin toss (the semi-final against the Soviet Union) and the final went to a replay, after the match against Yugoslavia finished 1-1. Italy won the replay 2-0.

Belgium hosted the 1972 cup, which West Germany won, beating the USSR 3-0 in the final in Brussels.

The 1976 tournament in Yugoslavia would be the last in which only four teams took part in the final tournament, and the last in which the hosts had to qualify, Czechoslovakia beat West Germany in the newly introduced penalty shootout, with Antonín Panenka’s famous chipped shot.

France won their first major title at home in the 1984 tournament, with their captain Michel Platini scoring 9 goals in just 5 games, including the opening goal in the final, in which they beat Spain 2-0. The format also changed, with the top two teams in each group going through to a semi-final stage, instead of the winners of each group going straight into the final. The third place play-off was also abolished.

West Germany hosted UEFA Euro 1988, and the Netherlands beat the hosts—and traditional rivals—2-1 in the semi-finals, which sparked vigorous celebrations in the Netherlands. The Netherlands went on to win the tournament, beating the USSR 2-0 at the Olympia Stadion in Munich, a match in which Marco van Basten scored one of the most memorable goals in football history, a spectacular volley over the keeper from the right wing.

UEFA Euro 1992 was held in Sweden, and was won by Denmark—a very surprising outcome as Denmark were only in the tournament because of the withdrawal of Yugoslavia due its internal wars.

England hosted UEFA Euro 1996 and would see the number of teams taking part double to 16. Germany won the title with 2-1 against the newly formed Czech Republic.

UEFA Euro 2000 was the first tournament to be held by two countries, the Netherlands and Belgium. Reigning world champion France was favored to win, and they lived up to expectations when they beat Italy 2-1 after extra time.

UEFA Euro 2004, like 1992, produced an upset: Greece, who had only qualified for one World Cup (1994) and one European championship (1980) before, beat host Portugal 1-0 in a dramatic final.

The 2008 edition, hosted by Austria and Switzerland marked the second time that two nations co-hosted.

Trophy

The Henri Delaunay Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the European Football Championship, is named in honor of Henri Delaunay, the first General Secretary of UEFA, who came up with the idea of a European championship but died five years prior to the first tournament in 1960.

For the 2008 tournament, the trophy was slightly remodelled, making it larger. The trophy, which is made of sterling silver, now weighs 8 kilograms and is 60 centimeters tall. A small figure juggling a ball on the back of the original was removed, as was the marble plinth. The silver base of the trophy had to be enlarged to make it stable. The names of the winning countries that had appeared on the plinth have now been engraved on the back of the trophy.

Final Statistics

Out of the twelve tournments held earlier,

Germany won 3 times and stood Runner’s for 2 times.

France won 2 times and stood Runner’s for 1 time.

Spain won 1 time.

USSR won 1 time.

Italy won 1 time.

Netherlands won 1 time.

Greece won 1 time.

Denmark won 1 time.

Czechoslovakia won 1 time.

Finally Spectators are awaiting for the final of UEFA 13th Tournament final which is going to held on Sunday, June 29.