European Championships History

First held in 1960 under the guise of the European Nations Cup, it's been held every four years since then but has been known as the European Football Championships since changing it's name in 1968.

The idea for a European nations tournament was first raised over 30 years earlier by Frenchman Henri Delaunay back in 1927. When UEFA was formed in 1954 Delaunay became it's first General Secretary and set in motion the idea for the first tournament, although he died before the first tournament was held. His son took over from him and the Championship trophy was subsequently named after his father.

The format for the first five tournaments, from 1960 to 1976, was quite simple - an initial qualifying campaign followed by a final tournament featuring just four teams. Strangely, the host nation was only chosen once the four final qualifiers had been decided.

The 1980 tournament in Italy was the first to feature more than four teams, as eight of Europe's finest met in two groups, with the winner of each, Belgium and West Germany, meeting in the final. However, the tournament was blighted by some terrible games, serious crowd trouble from travelling English fans and incredibly small attendances (less than 5,000 were at Rome's Stadio Olimpico to watch holders Czechoslovakia beat Greece). However, a fantastic tournament four years later in France seemed to really kick start the Championships, as Michel Platini inspired a nation and large crowds flocked to a number of sensational matches. Another great tournament in West Germany in 1988 cemented the appeal of the Championships, and it's now become big business, with hosting of the Championships becoming a prestigious event, second only to the World Cup.