Years
Coach: Joachim Loew.
One of the strongest teams in European football. The Germans (from 1945 to 1990 - the German national team) won the world championship four times (1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014), became the strongest in Europe three times (1972, 1980, 1996) and won the same number of times silver medals European Championship - in 1976, 1992 and 2008. In the final tournaments they won 23 matches out of 43. The German national team only once failed to make it to the final stage European tournament, missing out on the 1968 European Championships.
The German national team took second place at the world championship four times (1966, 1982, 1986, 2002) and third on four occasions (1934, 1970, 2006, 2010). In the history of the World Cup, no other team has played more matches (106) than the German national team.
At the World Championships, the German national team never found itself left out of the playoffs, while the European Championship ended three times for it in the group stage - in 1984 and 2004, the Germans finished third, and in 2000 they took last place in their quartet.
Spain
European champion 1964, 2008, 2012.
Coach: Vicente del Bosque.
The European Championship was first won by the Spaniards in 1964. The USSR team was defeated with a score of 2:1 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid. After that and until 2008, the best result of the Spaniards was reaching the final of the 1984 European Championship. In 2008, Germany was defeated in the final match with a score of 1:0. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the Spanish team became the first European team to win the World Cup on a foreign continent.
In the Euro 2012 final, the Spaniards defeated Italy with a score of 4:0 in Kyiv (Ukraine) and also became the first to defend the title of European champions. They failed to defend the title of world champions in 2014.
France
European champions 1984, 2000
Coach: Didier Deschamps.
Coach: Danny Blind.
At their debut European Championship in 1976, the Dutch won bronze, losing to the Yugoslavs in the semi-finals in extra time.
The Orange's finest hour was the 1988 European Championship in Germany. Having defeated the USSR team in the final, the Dutch became European champions.
Since then, the Dutch team has been a regular participant in the European Championship finals, reaching the semi-finals in 1992, 2000 and 2004. In 2008, the Dutch team lost to Russia in the quarterfinals in extra time, and did not make it out of the group at Euro 2012. In 2016, the Dutch team did not make it to the finals of the European Championship.
Coach: Aage Hareide.
The Danish national team has extensive experience in participating in European championships. The Danes left the group on their debut final tournament in 1964, when they took fourth place, and in 1984 they again reached the semi-finals. Since then, the Danish national team has not played in only one continental championship - in 2008. The team's finest hour was the 1992 tournament. The triumph in Sweden was notable for the fact that the Danes entered the championship at the very last moment instead of the canceled Yugoslavia. England and France were defeated in the group stage, and the defending champions, the Dutch, were defeated on penalties in the semi-finals. In the championship final, the Danes defeated the Germans with a score of 2:0.
In 2004, the Danish team reached the quarter finals, but conceded three goals early in the second half and recognized the superiority of the Czech Republic. The Danes did not qualify for the 2008 European Championship, and did not make it out of the group at Euro 2012, although they beat the Netherlands in the first round.
Since then, the Danes have competed at the World Cup three more times (1998, 2002, 2010), reaching the quarterfinals in France in 1998.
Coach: Michael Skibbe.
The Greek national team first played at the European Championships in 1980 and scored only one point in three matches. The next time the Greeks played in the final tournament was 24 years later. Under the leadership German coach Otto Rehhagel, the Greeks exceeded their wildest expectations and won gold at Euro 2004. As champions at Euro 2008, the Greeks lost all three matches group stage, and at Euro 2012 they lost to the Germans in the quarterfinals.
In 2016, the Greek team did not make it to the finals of the continental championship.
The Greeks made it to the FIFA World Cup three times - in 1994, 2010 and 2014.
Prepared based on open source materials
(English: UEFA European Championship) is the main competition of national teams, held under the auspices of UEFA. The competition has been held every 4 years since 1960.
The idea of holding a tournament for European national teams was first put forward by the former Secretary General of the French Football Federation, Henri Delaunay, at one of the meetings of the International Football Federation (FIFA). But the idea did not find support due to problems in organizing the World Championships and the lack of a European regional federation.
The turning point in the history of the creation of the European Championship occurred on May 27, 1952. At a meeting in Zurich, the heads of the football federations of France, Italy and Belgium discussed the creation of the European Football Union. A year later in Paris, at a meeting of 20 representatives of football federations, a committee was formed to prepare the founding conference of the European Football Union, which took place on June 15, 1954 in Basel. It was attended by representatives of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, East Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Northern Ireland, USSR, Finland, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Sweden and Yugoslavia. This council decided to create the European Union of Football Associations (UEFA). The first president of UEFA was the chairman of the Danish Football Association, Ebbe Schwartz.
At a meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee on March 27, 1957 in Cologne, a project called the “European Nations Cup” was put forward. On June 6, 1958, the draw for the first round of the Cup took place in the Travelers Club hall of the Forest Hotel in Stockholm.
In 2016, the European Championship, which will be played from June 10 to July 10, will be held in France for a record third time. Before this, only Belgium and Italy hosted the final stage of the European Championship more than once. The fifteenth European Championship will be the first tournament in which 24 teams will play in the final stage. 53 teams will play in the qualifying stage. The Euro 2016 final matches will be held at 10 stadiums: Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Saint-Denis, Saint-Etienne and Toulouse.
Tournament format
The qualifying round begins after the end of the World Championship and lasts two years until the final part of the European Championship. The groups are formed by a draw by the UEFA committee using the seeding of the teams. Sowing is carried out on the basis qualifying round for the World Championship and for the previous European Championship.
53 teams will play in the Euro 2016 qualification, which is a tournament record. They will be divided into groups of five or six teams, which will play each other a home and away match. The nine group winners, nine second place winners and the best third place winner will advance directly to the final stage. Eight other third place holders will decide the fate of the remaining four spots in the play-offs.
Participants in the final tournament will be divided into groups of four teams; six winners, six second-place teams and four best teams who came third.
Cup
The main symbol of the European Championship is the Henri Delaunay Cup. The original Cup was created in 1960 by Arthus Bertrand and named after the former president of the French Football Federation, Henri Delaunay, who served as UEFA's first general secretary since the creation of the union. The cup was a stylized silver amphora with a bas-relief depicting a young man playing ball.
For the 2008 European Championship a new cup was created. Pierre Delaunay, the son of Henri Delaunay, was responsible for the creation of the new prize. The cup weighs eight kilograms and its height is 60 centimeters. It is 18 centimeters taller and two kilograms heavier than the original.
The trophy is almost identical to the original Henri Delaunay Cup, but there are a number of differences. For example, the silver base has undergone changes, becoming larger to make the cup more stable. The names of the European Championship winners, which were previously inscribed on the plinth, are now on the back of the trophy. The original was made by Chobillon goldsmith and later bought by Yann Arthus-Bertrand in Paris, and the new cup was made by Asprey London.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Years
Coach: Joachim Loew.
One of the strongest teams in European football. The Germans (from 1945 to 1990 - the German national team) won the world championship four times (1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014), became the strongest in Europe three times (1972, 1980, 1996) and won silver medals at the European Championship the same number of times - in 1976, 1992 and 2008. In the final tournaments they won 23 matches out of 43. The German national team only once failed to make it to the final stage of the European tournament, missing the 1968 European Championship.
The German national team took second place at the world championship four times (1966, 1982, 1986, 2002) and third on four occasions (1934, 1970, 2006, 2010). In the history of the World Cup, no other team has played more matches (106) than the German national team.
At the World Championships, the German national team never found itself left out of the playoffs, while the European Championship ended three times for it in the group stage - in 1984 and 2004, the Germans finished third, and in 2000 they took last place in their quartet.
Spain
European champion 1964, 2008, 2012.
Coach: Vicente del Bosque.
The European Championship was first won by the Spaniards in 1964. The USSR team was defeated with a score of 2:1 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid. After that and until 2008, the best result of the Spaniards was reaching the final of the 1984 European Championship. In 2008, Germany was defeated in the final match with a score of 1:0. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the Spanish team became the first European team to win the World Cup on a foreign continent.
In the Euro 2012 final, the Spaniards defeated Italy with a score of 4:0 in Kyiv (Ukraine) and also became the first to defend the title of European champions. They failed to defend the title of world champions in 2014.
France
European champions 1984, 2000
Coach: Didier Deschamps.
Coach: Danny Blind.
At their debut European Championship in 1976, the Dutch won bronze, losing to the Yugoslavs in the semi-finals in extra time.
The Orange's finest hour was the 1988 European Championship in Germany. Having defeated the USSR team in the final, the Dutch became European champions.
Since then, the Dutch team has been a regular participant in the European Championship finals, reaching the semi-finals in 1992, 2000 and 2004. In 2008, the Dutch team lost to Russia in the quarterfinals in extra time, and did not make it out of the group at Euro 2012. In 2016, the Dutch team did not make it to the finals of the European Championship.
Coach: Aage Hareide.
The Danish national team has extensive experience in participating in European championships. The Danes qualified from the group at their debut final tournament in 1964, when they took fourth place, and again reached the semi-finals in 1984. Since then, the Danish national team has not played in only one continental championship - in 2008. The team's finest hour was the 1992 tournament. The triumph in Sweden was notable for the fact that the Danes entered the championship at the very last moment instead of the canceled Yugoslavia. England and France were defeated in the group stage, and the defending champions, the Dutch, were defeated on penalties in the semi-finals. In the championship final, the Danes defeated the Germans with a score of 2:0.
In 2004, the Danish team reached the quarter finals, but conceded three goals early in the second half and recognized the superiority of the Czech Republic. The Danes did not qualify for the 2008 European Championship, and did not make it out of the group at Euro 2012, although they beat the Netherlands in the first round.
Since then, the Danes have competed at the World Cup three more times (1998, 2002, 2010), reaching the quarterfinals in France in 1998.
Coach: Michael Skibbe.
The Greek national team first played at the European Championships in 1980 and scored only one point in three matches. The next time the Greeks played in the final tournament was 24 years later. Under the leadership of German coach Otto Rehhagel, the Greeks exceeded their wildest expectations and won gold at Euro 2004. As champions at Euro 2008, the Greeks lost all three group stage matches, and at Euro 2012 they lost to the Germans in the quarterfinals.
In 2016, the Greek team did not make it to the finals of the continental championship.
The Greeks made it to the FIFA World Cup three times - in 1994, 2010 and 2014.
Prepared based on open source materials
European Football Championship(EURO, or simply European Championship) is the main competition of national teams of European countries, held under the auspices of UEFA. The competition is held every 4 years, since 1960, and takes place between world championships. Initially the tournament was called the “European Nations Cup”, in 1968 the name was changed to the “European Football Championship”.
What’s interesting is that the first two finals were hosted by our then USSR national team. The first final took place in Paris between the USSR and Yugoslavia. The USSR team celebrated the victory by scoring the winning goal in extra time. In 1964, the competition was spoiled by political activity: the Greek team refused to play against the Albanian team. Final part The tournament was held in Spain, where the Spanish team won its first championship, beating the USSR 2-1 in the final. Further, the situation for our team was less successful.
Winners
1960 - USSR
1964 - Spain
1968 - Italy
1972 - Germany
1976 - Czechoslovakia
1980 - Germany
1984 - France
1988 - Netherlands
1992 - Denmark
1996 - Germany
2000 - France
2004 - Greece
2008 - Spain
As you can see, the Germans most often became champions. The Spanish and France won the cup twice.
European Championship 2012
On April 18, 2007, UEFA decided to hold Euro 2012 in two countries: Ukraine and Poland. Croatia/Hungary and Italy were also contenders.
The 2012 European Football Championship will be the 14th championship. The tournament will begin on June 8, 2012 and end on July 1, 2012. This will be the third tournament in the history of European national football championships, the hosts of which are two countries. The first was the 2000 European Championship, held in Belgium and the Netherlands, the second was the 2008 European Championship, held in Austria and Switzerland.
EURO 2012 — last championship Europe, in the final round of which 16 teams will take part. Starting in 2016, this number will increase to 24.
You can read more about the history of the championship and its winners on the pages of Wikipedia (source).
The FIFA World Cup is international sports tournament, held under the auspices of FIFA, in which the best national teams on the planet compete. , and since then the competition has been held every 4 years (in 1942 and 1946 the tournament was not held due to the events of World War II).
The winner of the first World Cup was Uruguay, who defeated final game at Estadio Centenario (Centenario) the Argentina national team with a score of 4:2. A total of 13 teams took part in the debut World Cup: 7 from South America, 4 from Europe and two from Northern and Central America. Since then, another 20 World Cups have taken place.
Table of all world football champions by year
| Year | Tournament host | Winner | Check | Runners-up |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Uruguay | 4-2 | Argentina |
| 1934 | Italy | Italy | 2-1 (extra time) | Czechoslovakia |
| 1938 | France | Italy | 4-2 | Hungary |
| 1950 | Brazil | Uruguay | 2-1 | Brazil |
| 1954 | Switzerland | West Germany | 3-2 | Hungary |
| 1958 | Sweden | Brazil | 5-2 | Sweden |
| 1962 | Chile | Brazil | 3-1 | Czechoslovakia |
| 1966 | England | England | 4-2 (extra time) | West Germany |
| 1970 | Mexico | Brazil | 4-1 | Italy |
| 1974 | West Germany | West Germany | 2-1 | Netherlands |
| 1978 | Argentina | Argentina | 3-1 (extra time) | Netherlands |
| 1982 | Spain | Italy | 3-1 | West Germany |
| 1986 | Mexico | Argentina | 3-2 | West Germany |
| 1990 | Italy | West Germany | 1-0 | Argentina |
| 1994 | USA | Brazil | 0-0 (3-2 penalty shootout) | Italy |
| 1998 | France | France | 3-0 | Brazil |
| 2002 | Japan and South Korea | Brazil | 2-0 | Germany |
| 2006 | Germany | Italy | 1-1 (5-3 penalty shootout) | France |
| 2010 | South Africa | Spain | 1-0 (extra time) | Netherlands |
| 2014 | Brazil | Germany | 1-0 (extra time) | Argentina |
| 2018 | Russia | France | 4:2 | Croatia |
In the entire history, only 8 teams have won the World Cup. The most titled country in the World Cup is Brazil, which has won the world football championship 5 times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002). The current world champion is the French team, which defeated the Croats with a score of 4:2 in the final match of the 2018 World Cup.
Below is a table of winners by country:
Note: Germany has been world champion three times as West Germany (1954, 1974 and 1990).
Some interesting data about the World Cup
According to the current format, 32 national teams are participating in the final part of the World Cup. As mentioned above, 13 teams competed at the first World Cup. From 1934 to 1978 - 16. In 1982, the number of participants was increased to 24 teams.
The current format consists of 32 teams. It was first introduced at the 1998 World Cup in France. In 2026, 48 teams will take part in the World Cup finals.
The best scorer in the history of the World Cup is Germany striker Miroslav Klose. He has 16 goals scored. Brazilian Ronaldo is in second place with 15 goals. Full list You can watch the best goalscorers of the World Cup.
The record holder for the number of matches played at the World Cup is the German national team midfielder Lothar Matthäus (25 games). Behind Matthäus is his compatriot Miroslav Klose (24 games). The top three is completed by Italian national team legend Paulo Maldini (23 games).
