UEFA Euro winners list: every European Championship champion since 1960
Spain lead the UEFA Euro winners list with four titles. The full list of champions since 1960, the records, and how Euro 2028 qualifying works for the four host nations.
Jul 15, 2024 · Updated Aug 7, 2026
Spain are the most successful team in the history of the UEFA European Championship, with four titles. Ten different countries have won it across the 17 tournaments played since 1960, and the trophy has changed hands more often than at any comparable competition.
This is the complete winners list, the countries with the most titles, the records that go with them, and what happens next — because Euro 2028 has a host arrangement and a qualifying system unlike anything the tournament has used before.
UEFA Euro winners list: every champion since 1960
| Year | Winners | Runners-up |
| 2024 | Spain | England |
| 2020 | Italy | England |
| 2016 | Portugal | France |
| 2012 | Spain | Italy |
| 2008 | Spain | Germany |
| 2004 | Greece | Portugal |
| 2000 | France | Italy |
| 1996 | Germany | Czech Republic |
| 1992 | Denmark | Germany |
| 1988 | Netherlands | Soviet Union |
| 1984 | France | Spain |
| 1980 | West Germany | Belgium |
| 1976 | Czechoslovakia | West Germany |
| 1972 | West Germany | Soviet Union |
| 1968 | Italy | Yugoslavia |
| 1964 | Spain | Soviet Union |
| 1960 | Soviet Union | Yugoslavia |
The first tournament, in 1960, was called the European Nations’ Cup and was hosted by France with 17 entrants. The Soviet Union beat Yugoslavia 2-1 in the final in Paris.
Which country has won the most Euros?
| Country | Titles | Years |
| Spain | 4 | 1964, 2008, 2012, 2024 |
| Germany / West Germany | 3 | 1972, 1980, 1996 |
| France | 2 | 1984, 2000 |
| Italy | 2 | 1968, 2020 |
| Soviet Union | 1 | 1960 |
| Czechoslovakia | 1 | 1976 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 1988 |
| Denmark | 1 | 1992 |
| Greece | 1 | 2004 |
| Portugal | 1 | 2016 |
Those ten totals add up to 17, which is every tournament played. Two of the winners no longer exist as football nations: the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia.
Euro records worth knowing
Germany have reached six finals, more than any other country — three wins and three defeats, in 1976, 1992 and 2008. Spain are next on five.
Spain are the only country to have retained the title, winning in 2008 and again in 2012. No one else has won back-to-back tournaments.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the competition’s all-time leading scorer with 14 goals, and he played at a record six European Championships between 2004 and 2024.
The 2012 final is the most one-sided, Spain beating Italy 4-0, the biggest winning margin in any Euro final.
No host nation has won it since France in 1984. Only three hosts have ever managed it — Spain in 1964, Italy in 1968 and France in 1984 — which is a long-standing curse for anyone planning a home tournament.
England have lost both finals they have reached, in 2020 and 2024, and are the only country to have been beaten in consecutive Euro finals.
The two great upsets
Two winners on that list had no business being there, and they are the reason the Euros have a reputation the World Cup does not.
Denmark in 1992 did not qualify. They were called up at short notice after Yugoslavia were excluded from the tournament amid the war, and went on to beat holders the Netherlands on penalties and then Germany 2-0 in the final.
Greece in 2004 arrived as rank outsiders, beat hosts Portugal in the opening match, beat them again in the final, and won the tournament having scored seven goals in six games, winning all three of their knockout matches 1-0.
Euro 2028: who hosts it, and the qualifying system nobody has used before
The next European Championship is in 2028, and two things about it are commonly reported wrong.
The hosts are England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland — four nations, not five. The original bid included Northern Ireland, but it was dropped as a host after the plan to redevelop Casement Park in Belfast in time for the finals was halted in September 2024.
And the hosts do not qualify automatically. That breaks with every recent tournament, where the host has always been handed a place. All four go into the qualifying draw like everyone else, in separate groups.
The 24 places break down like this:
| Route | Places |
| Winners of the 12 qualifying groups | 12 |
| The eight best runners-up | 8 |
| Reserved for the best-ranked host nations not already through | Up to 2 |
| Play-offs | The remainder |
The safety net is the clever part. UEFA holds back up to two places for the best-ranked host nations that fail to qualify on merit, and the play-off structure then flexes to fill whatever is left. If both reserved places are used, eight teams contest two play-off paths for the last two spots. If one is used, twelve teams contest three paths. If all four hosts qualify on their own, no places are reserved and eight teams play four ties. Every version adds up to 24.
The play-offs draw on the remaining group runners-up and the best-ranked winners from the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League who have not already qualified.
Euro 2032
The tournament after that goes to Italy and Turkey, who won the hosting rights as a joint bid. Turkey had originally bid for 2028 alone before withdrawing to partner Italy for 2032, which is how the UK and Ireland bid ended up running unopposed.
UEFA Euro winners: quick answers
Who has won the most European Championships?
Spain, with four — 1964, 2008, 2012 and 2024.
How many countries have won the Euros?
Ten, across 17 tournaments. Two of them, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia, no longer exist.
Who won Euro 2024?
Spain, beating England 2-1 in the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
Who is hosting Euro 2028?
England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland was part of the original bid but is no longer a host.
Do the Euro 2028 hosts qualify automatically?
No. All four must go through qualifying, though up to two places are held back for the best-ranked hosts who miss out.
Who has scored the most goals at the Euros?
Cristiano Ronaldo, with 14.
Photo credit: Imago