Ball IQEvery UEFA European Championship Winner (1960-2024)
17 entries · verified 2026-07-20 · free · hand-checked by Ball IQ
The UEFA European Championship, universally known as the Euros, is the continent's premier national-team tournament, held every four years since 1960. Fewer nations have lifted it than you might expect: across 17 editions from 1960 to 2024, only 10 different countries have been crowned champions of Europe, making the trophy one of the hardest in football to win.
Think you know this? Five questions
Tap to answer — no sign-up. The full list is right below.
-
Greece's Euro 2004 semi-final win over the Czech Republic was decided by a rare rule — what type of goal did Traianos Dellas score in extra time?
The silver goal rule (a goal in the first half of extra time ends the match) was only used once in a major European Championship — Dellas headed in from a corner at 105+1 minute to send Greece to the final.
-
England and Spain drew 0-0 in their Euro 1996 quarter-final at Wembley — England won the shoot-out after David Seaman saved which Spain player's penalty?
Fernando Hierro hit the bar first, but Miguel Nadal's decisive miss — saved by Seaman — sent England through 4-2. Stuart Pearce converted to exorcise his 1990 demons.
-
Which Italian chipped an audacious Panenka penalty past Joe Hart in Italy's Euro 2012 quarter-final shootout win over England?
Pirlo's cheeky dink over the diving Joe Hart came right after Montolivo had missed, and is widely credited with turning the shootout Italy won 4-2 in Kyiv.
-
Which Yugoslav forward scored the first ever goal at a European Championship finals — in the 11th minute of the 1960 semi-final against hosts France?
Yugoslavia trailed France 4-2 in the second half before scoring three times in the closing minutes to win the semi-final 5-4 at the Parc des Princes.
-
In which year did Paul Scholes retire from England international football — at just 29, citing being played out of position?
Scholes retired from England duty in August 2004, just after Euro 2004, where he'd been played out of position on the left wing under Sven-Göran Eriksson.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Score | Host |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Soviet Union | Yugoslavia | 2-1 (a.e.t.) | France |
| 1964 | Spain | Soviet Union | 2-1 | Spain |
| 1968 | Italy | Yugoslavia | 2-0 (replay, after 1-1 a.e.t.) | Italy |
| 1972 | West Germany | Soviet Union | 3-0 | Belgium |
| 1976 | Czechoslovakia | West Germany | 2-2 (5-3 pens) | Yugoslavia |
| 1980 | West Germany | Belgium | 2-1 | Italy |
| 1984 | France | Spain | 2-0 | France |
| 1988 | Netherlands | Soviet Union | 2-0 | West Germany |
| 1992 | Denmark | Germany | 2-0 | Sweden |
| 1996 | Germany | Czech Republic | 2-1 (golden goal, a.e.t.) | England |
| 2000 | France | Italy | 2-1 (golden goal, a.e.t.) | Belgium & Netherlands |
| 2004 | Greece | Portugal | 1-0 | Portugal |
| 2008 | Spain | Germany | 1-0 | Austria & Switzerland |
| 2012 | Spain | Italy | 4-0 | Poland & Ukraine |
| 2016 | Portugal | France | 1-0 (a.e.t.) | France |
| 2020 | Italy | England | 1-1 (3-2 pens) | Europe (11 host cities; final at Wembley, England) |
| 2024 | Spain | England | 2-1 | Germany |
Spain now stands alone at the top. Their 2-1 win over England in Berlin in 2024 delivered a record fourth title, moving them clear of Germany, who have three. The competition has also produced some of football's greatest shocks, none bigger than Denmark's 1992 triumph after being called up as late replacements, and Greece's stunning 2004 run as rank outsiders.
This table lists every Euros winner in chronological order, along with the beaten finalist, the score in the final (noting extra time and penalty shootouts where relevant) and the host nation. Note that Euro 2020 was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic and actually played in the summer of 2021, though it kept its original name.
Think you know the Euros? Prove it in the app.
Streaks, live 1v1, a rating out of 99 — and every quiz in one app.
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play