It’s that time again. Another international tournament is on the horizon and the English population is beginning to dream.
To get fans in the mood for the Euros, we’ve decided to take a look at the long history of the tournament.
For all the latest Euro 2024 odds, head to NetBet Sport. New customers can enjoy a £10 Free Bet when they sign up and place a £5 Bet Builder.
How the European Championships Started
The European Championships as a concept began in 1927 when French football chief Henry Delaunay floated the idea of a pan-European tournament.
But the idea didn’t come to fruition until more than three decades later, when years after Delaunay’s death the tournament, initially named the European Nations’ Cup, was finally launched in 1958, with a start date set for 1960.
The trophy, which ended up being won by the Soviet Union, was named after the Frenchman, and the tournament final was played in his home nation at the Parc des Princes.
Since then, the tournament has gone from strength to strength. Ten teams have won over the course of the tournaments, with Germany (including two wins for West Germany in 1972 and 1980) and Spain the joint most successful having taken home three wins each.
Changes to the Format of the Euros
Initially, the competition was capped at only four teams, which stayed until the 1976 edition in Yugoslavia.
Following that tournament, which was won by the Czechoslovakian national team in a newly-introduced penalty shootout against West Germany, the tournament was expanded to eight teams.
Starting in 1980, the host nation would no longer have to qualify, and group stages would be introduced. Ultimately, West Germany won their second title by beating Belgium at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.
France hosted and won the 1984 tournament, which was famous for the stunning goal scoring exploits of captain Michel Platini. The future UEFA president played in an attacking midfield position, and scored nine goals in just five games, one of which was the opener in the final where they defeated Spain 2-0.
The format was changed again slightly with now a semi-final being introduced where the winner of one group would face the second place team in the other and the winner of those games would face each other.
English Heartbreak
The first tournament to see the use of the now-famous ‘Euro’ name was the 1996 edition. Euro 96 was held in England and was also notable for the doubling of the amount of teams competing.
Germany ended up knocking out their old rivals England on their own turf before defeating the newly formed Czech Republic in a final that saw Golden Goal used successfully for the first time in extra-time.
After Euro 96, the concept of multiple countries hosting a tournament together became a reality, with the Netherlands and Belgium launching a successful bid to host the games in the first tournament of the new millennium.
Eventually, Italy ended up giving World champions France a good run for their money, but there was no stopping the top team on the planet after extra-time.
England suffered even more heartbreak in Euro 2020. Reaching the final on home soil, England took an early lead against Italy.
But Gli Azzurri fought back and eventually won their second Euros title on penalties.
The Biggest Euros Shock of All Time
Over the years, there have been some truly memorable tournaments, but perhaps none more so than 2004.
Against all odds, underdogs Greece managed to get through a group that included hosts Portugal, Russia and Spain, where most experts would have tipped them to finish bottom.
They then pulled off an upset to beat France in the quarter-finals, before beating the Czech Republic to set up an opening day rematch with Portugal in the final.
Angelos Charisteas hit the net in the 57th minute to send Greece on the way to a historic victory – likely the biggest upset ever in the tournament.
The second biggest upset was definitely the 1992 edition. Greece had huge odds on winning the tournament, but you couldn’t even get a price on Denmark at one point as they weren’t in the competition!
After failing to qualify through the standard process, Denmark entered the tournament through the back door when Yugoslavia were banned due to a war between some of the states constituting the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
In the end, even a unified Germany team playing together for the first time wasn’t enough to stop the underdogs from picking up a gigantic upset victory.
Spain’s Dominance
From 2004, Spain won both the 2008 and 2012 tournaments, before yet another restructure saw 24 teams allowed into the tournament for the iteration in 2016.
France hosted the new-look tournament, which saw as many as three teams get through the group stages, and allowed for giant-killers like Iceland, Northern Ireland and Wales to launch some fantastic efforts at the trophy.
Unfortunately for any of the underdogs, Cristiano Ronaldo and co. from Portugal were just too much to handle.
Despite losing the best player in Europe early in the final due to injury, the Portuguese were able to secure their first major tournament trophy after extra-time against the heavily favoured hosts.
When you choose NetBet Sport, you can enjoy a whole range of top quality sports and markets. Whatever you choose, always remember to bet responsibly. Here at NetBet, player wellbeing is our number one priority – check out our Responsible Gambling tips and tools page for more information.
