The highlights of the first UEFA Euro Championship

The first UEFA Euro Championship, commonly known as the "Euros," was held in 1960 and hosted in France. Only four teams took part in this tournament with the U.S.S.R. winning the first cup. Over time the championship expanded to include eight teams, and then 16 teams.

The winners over time are:

Two surprise winners were Denmark in 1992 when they replaced Yugoslavia and beat heavy favourites Germany in the final. There was also the biggest shock of all when Greece, who are hardly a footballing power, beat Portugal in 2004. Both West Germany and Spain have been able to win the Euros as World Cup winners. West Germany won the Euros in 1976 after winning the World Cup in 1974. Spain repeated the trick in 2012 after they won the World Cup in South Africa 2010 (read more about this amazing World Cup here!). West Germany and Spain are also the only two countries who have successfully won back to back Euro titles.

The Euros are second in prestige to the World Cup when scoring them among international football tournaments. It is no surprise that even though the Euros only take place in Europe, international football communities worldwide tune in to the matches.

The Euro 2020, held in 2021 since it was postponed due to COVID-19, will be the 16th Edition of the tournament. It will be the first time in the championship’s history that the Euros will be hosted across Europe. The matches will take place in Wembley Stadium in London, Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Allianz Arena in Munich, Olympic Stadium in Baku, Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Pukas Arena in Budapest, La Cartuja in Seville, Arena Nationala in Bucharest, Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, Hampden Park in Glasgow, and Parken Stadium in Copenhagen. The tournament will last one month with first game kicking off in the famous Stadio Olympico on June 11th and the final will happen at Wembley Stadium on July 11th.

The Euro 2020 holds potential for making history with its pan-Europe hosting and for being the first major tournament after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world.

I don’t know about you readers, but I miss me some good football!

Written by Rodrigo

Rodrigo attended the 2016 Euro Championships and watched his home country lift the cup. Rodrigo is a major football fan and you will probably catch him at the Euro 2020 tournament as well as the World Cup 2022 championship.