The UEFA European Championship (known also as the UEFA Euro) is one of the biggest football tournaments in the world. Spain are the current Euro winners 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.
UEFA Euro winners history
The inaugural UEFA European Championship was held in France in 1960. Under the name of 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 final 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 times 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 2008 and 2012 European Championship. 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, 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.
France have 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.
Complete Euro winners list
| 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 |
FAQs
Q. Who won the most EURO titles?
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?
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, Soviet Union, Netherlands and Czechoslovakia.
Q. Who has won the first UEFA European Cup in history?
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?
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 country has the highest Euro?
Spain has won the highest number of Euros as they have won it four times.
Q. Who is the top scorer ever in Euros?
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is the top scorer ever in Euros. The decorated forward has scored 14 goals in the quadrennial football event. He has played in six editions since 2004.
Also read: Top 10 Best Strikers in UEFA Euro 2024