The UEFA European Championship (known also as the UEFA Euro) is one of the biggest football tournaments in the world. Spain is the current Euro winner as they reigned supreme in the recently concluded tournament earlier this year. The quadrennial football competition is one of the most prestigious sports events in Europe and dates back to 1960. In the first edition of the tournament, the Soviet Union edged past Yugoslavia in a narrow 2-1 victory to lift the Euro trophy.
Since then ten different nations have been the champions of Europe. In the 17th edition of the knockout tournament, Spain defeated England in the final to become Euro winners in 2024. As the sports event has delivered some eye-catching football matches in the finals throughout its history, let’s take a deep dive into the lists of winners and runners-up.
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UEFA Euro Championship Winners History: From 1960 to 2024
The inaugural UEFA European Championship was held in France in 1960. Under the name of the European Nations’ Cup, the football tournament welcomed only 17 teams in that edition. The Soviet Union went on to win the elite competition after beating Yugoslavia in the showdown. They were the first Euro winners. Since then, the tournament has witnessed 17 editions in total. In this period, 10 different nations made podium finishes.
The latest edition, which was organized by Germany in 2024, saw a powerful Spanish side cruising past all their rivals and winning the silverware by defeating England 2-1 in the final. 24 teams participated in the final stage of the event. However, 55 teams take part in the qualifying round of the Euros in the new format of this continental sporting event.
The Three Lions ended up being UEFA Euro runners-up for the second consecutive time as they failed to clinch victories in the 16th edition of the tournament as well, following a 2-3 loss against Italy on penalties in 2021. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal showed tremendous resilience in claiming a 1-0 final win against a formidable French side in 2016 to win the European Championship for the first time in their history.
Spain is the only team to retain the Euro trophy in the history of the competition after they emerged victorious in both the 2008 and 2012 European Championships. They are the only team to win it for a record four times so far, with their first one coming in the second edition of the Championship in 1964. The Spanish Armada handed a 1-2 loss to the then-defending champions, the Soviet Union.
In 2004, Greece played the role of the dark horses in the tournament, as they ran away with a surprising 1-0 victory against a high-flying Portuguese team. Germany lifted their first Euro trophy in 1972 by beating the Soviet Union 3-0 before winning their second title in 1996. The Czech Republic, despite showing promise throughout the tournament, suffered a big defeat at the hands of the Germans.
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France has touched the coveted trophy on two occasions so far. They convincingly defeated Spain in 1984 before winning their second title against Italy in a 2-1 thriller in the 2000 Euro final. Denmark, Czechoslovakia, West Germany and Netherlands have won the Championship once each to date. The winners of the European Championship were runners-up on multiple occasions.
For instance, Germany has featured in the final showdown of the tournament a record six times. Meanwhile, Spain, the four-time winner and the only team to score four goals in a Euro final, was the runner-up in 1984.
UEFA EURO Cup Winners: Complete List Up to Now
| Year | Winners | Runners-up | Scoreline |
| 2024 | Spain | England | 2-1 |
| 2021 | Italy | England | 3-2 (on penalties) |
| 2016 | Portugal | France | 1-0 |
| 2012 | Spain | Italy | 4-0 |
| 2008 | Spain | Germany | 1-0 |
| 2004 | Greece | Portugal | 1-0 |
| 2000 | France | Italy | 2-1 |
| 1996 | Germany | Czech Republic | 2-1 |
| 1992 | Denmark | Germany | 2-0 |
| 1988 | Netherlands | Soviet Union | 2-0 |
| 1984 | France | Spain | 2-0 |
| 1980 | West Germany | Belgium | 2-1 |
| 1976 | Czechoslovakia | West Germany | 5-3 (on penalties) |
| 1972 | Germany | Soviet Union | 3-0 |
| 1968 | Italy | Yugoslavia | 2-1 |
| 1964 | Spain | Soviet Union | 2-1 |
| 1960 | Soviet Union | Yugoslavia | 2-1 |
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FAQs
Q. Who has the most UEFA European Championships?
A. Spain won four Euro titles, the most by any team in the history of the tournament. They lifted the trophy in 1964, 2008, 2012 and 2024.
Q. What countries have won the Euro Cup?
A. Ten different countries have won the Euro Cup so far. The countries who have lifted the Championship trophy are – Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Denmark, the Soviet Union, Netherlands and Czechoslovakia.
Q. Who has won the first UEFA European Cup in history?
A. The Soviet Union won the first UEFA European Cup in history. They beat Yugoslavia 2-1 in Paris to become the champions in 1960.
Q. How many EURO Cups has England won?
A. England has not won any Euro Cup to date. However, they played in two consecutive finals (2021 and 2024). On both occasions, they suffered defeats against Italy and Spain respectively.
Q. Which nations have won the UEFA European Championship more than once?
A. Spain Germany, Italy & France have won the UEFA European Championship more than once
Q. Who were the runners-up in the most recent UEFA European Championship?
A. England were the runners-up in the most recent UEFA European Championship.
Q. Which player has scored the most goals in UEFA European Championship history?
A. Cristinao Ronaldo has scored the most goals in UEFA European Championship history with 14 goals across six editions starting from 2004.
Q. What countries have hosted the most UEFA European Championships?
A. France, Italy, Germany and Spain all have hosted the most UEFA European Championships.