Who are the most successful teams in the history of the European Championships?
The European Championships pit the best national teams on the continent against each other, with some of the world’s biggest players competing head-to-head.
With Euro2024 on the horizon, in this article, we will look at the most successful teams in the history of the competition.
Germany (3-time winners in 1972, 1980 and 1996)
The joint-most successful team in the tournament’s history is Germany, who have won the competition on three occasions in 1972, 1980 and 1996.
Their first two titles came during the time when the country was split into West and East Germany. It was the former who claimed the first of those two victories before a unified Germany lifted the trophy at Euro96 in England.
Bayern Munich legend Gerd Muller inspired the 1972 victory. Not only did he score a brace in a 3-0 final win over the Soviet Union, but he also picked up the competition Golden Boot for scoring four times in the tournament.
Eight years later, they claimed their second European Championship crown in Italy. The tournament wasn’t considered the best, but Germany shone, with several players emerging onto the international scene, including Bernd Schuster, Horst Hrubesch, and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
One of those stars, Hrubesch, played a crucial role in securing Germany’s second title. The Hamburg forward scored a brace in a 2-1 final win over a highly-rated Belgium team.
However, Hrubesch was not the only German player to make his mark on the competition, as Koln’s Klaus Allofs finished as the competition’s top goalscorer, having scored three goals.
Germany’s last European Championship title came at Euro96 in England. They famously eliminated the hosts in a semi-final penalty shootout before dispatching the Czech Republic 2-1 in extra-time, courtesy of a golden goal by Oliver Bierhoff.
Spain (3-time winners in 1964, 2008 and 2012)
La Roja is the only team that can match Germany in terms of European Championships titles, having won the competition three times.
Spain’s first title in the competition came in 1964 on home soil, in just the second edition of the competition when it was called ‘The European Nations’ Cup’.
A 2-1 victory over the Soviet Union in the competition final courtesy of Chus Peneda and Marcelino goals was enough to clinch La Roja’s first major international title.
Spain had to wait 44 years before their next European Championships triumph, and then they won the competition back-to-back in 2008 and 2012, which no other team has ever achieved in the competition’s history.
In Euro2008, La Roja won 1-0 against Germany in the final of the competition, thanks to a solitary Fernando Torres goal. Striker David Villa picked up the competition Golden Boot for his four goals, while Xavi was awarded the Player of the Tournament.
Spain returned four years later to make history with a somewhat more comprehensive final win than their previous triumph, recording a 4-0 victory over Italy in Kiev.
Torres was once again on the scoresheet in the final and won the Golden Boot for his three tournament goals.
The forward was tied with five other players but claimed the award as he had played fewer minutes than his rivals. Unsurprisingly, another Spanish player, Xavi’s Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta, won Player of the Tournament.
France (2-time winners in 1984 and 2000)
Les Bleus first claimed the European Championships crowned in 1984. The victory was inspired by brilliant playmaker Michel Platini, who scored nine goals in the competition to win the Golden Boot. His goal tally is still a record in a single European Championships.
They won the title on home soil, as Les Bleus recorded a 2-0 win over Spain in Paris courtesy of goals from Platini and Bruno Bellone.
France claimed their second and last European Championships title in 2000 when a golden goal by David Trezeguet in the competition final saw Les Bleus claim a 2-1 extra-time win over Italy.
Like Platini in 84’, fellow attacking midfielder Zinedine Zidane was the inspiration behind his team’s triumph, claiming the Player of the Tournament award.
Italy (2-time winners in 1968 and 2020)
The Azzurri claimed their first European Championships title in 1968 on home soil. They won the competition by recording a 2-0 final victory over Yugoslavia in Rome, though first-half goals from Gigi Riva and Pietro Anastasi.
Italy’s second European Championships triumph came at Euro 2020, as the Azzurri recorded a penalty kick win over England at Wembley after the pair drew 1-1 in normal and extra-time.
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma won the Best Player of the Tournament award. His contribution during the penalty kick-off victory over England was crucial.
Countries who have won the European Championships on one occasion:
- The Netherlands
- Portugal
- The Soviet Union
- Greece
- Denmark