The UEFA European Championship, also known as the Euro Cup, is a quadrennial football tournament for the best European national teams, played since 1960.
Initially known as the European Nations Cup, the tournament has grown in both scale and prestige over the years. The early finals were characterized by close matches, often decided by narrow margins or requiring replays in the event of a tie.
Over the years, the championship has seen many memorable moments, such as the impact of the Golden Goal rule in 1996 and 2000, and the switch to penalty shootouts to decide tied matches.
Notable surprises, such as Greece’s unexpected victory in 2004, have added drama and unpredictability to the tournament.
In total, 10 different countries have been crowned European champions, with Spain and Germany dominating the list. As excitement builds around Euro 2024, The Jugo Mobile takes a look at the most successful teams in the tournament’s history.
Which team has won the most Euro Cup titles?
Germany (previously also competing as West Germany) and Spain are the most successful teams in Euro Cup history, with three titles each. They are followed by France and Italy, with two each.
Other winners include the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Greece and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
In the first final in history, the Soviet Union defeated Yugoslavia in 1960, while Italy won the last edition in 2021 against England. That tournament was delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The next tournament will be the 17th edition.
| Winners | Year | Host country |
| Soviet Union | 1960 | France |
| Spain | 1964 | Spain |
| Italy | 1968 | Italy |
| West Germany | 1972 | Belgium |
| Czechoslovakia | 1976 | Yugoslavia |
| West Germany | 1980 | Italy |
| France | 1984 | France |
| Netherlands | 1988 | West Germany |
| Denmark | 1992 | Sweden |
| Germany | nineteen ninety six | England |
| France | 2000 | Netherlands and Belgium |
| Greece | 2004 | Portugal |
| Spain | 2008 | Austria and Switzerland |
| Spain | 2012 | Poland and Ukraine |
| Portugal | 2016 | France |
| Italy | 2021 | Multiple, final in England |
Which player has won the most Euro titles?
It is fascinating to note that of the 322 players who have been part of winning teams at the European Championship so far, only a select few have achieved the feat twice. Among them, Rainer Bonhof stands out as the only non-Spanish player.
As Germany and Spain have dominated the list of most titles won, the list of players with the most inpidual Euro medals is full of Spaniards from the country’s “golden generation.” La Roja won the tournament consecutively in 2008 and 2012.
| Name | Country | No. of Titles | Years earned |
| Raul Albiol | Spain | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
| Xabi Alonso | Spain | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
| Alvaro Arbeloa | Spain | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
| Rainer Bonhof | West Germany | 2 | 1972, 1980 |
| Iker Casillas | Spain | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
| Santi Cazorla | Spain | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
| Cesc Fabregas | Spain | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
| Andres Iniesta | Spain | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
| Sergio Ramos | Spain | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
| pepe queen | Spain | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
| David Silva | Spain | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
| Fernando Torres | Spain | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
| xavi | Spain | 2 | 2008, 2012 |
Which coach has won the most Euro Cup titles?
Notably, no coach has won the title more than once, and all winning coaches have led their home countries to victory, except Otto Rehhagel, the German who led Greece to a surprising triumph in 2004.
Helmut Schon and Berti Vogts are the only coaches to win and lose a European Championship final. Vogts is also unique in winning the championship as a player and as a coach.
José Villalonga (44) holds the record for the youngest winning coach, while Luis Aragonés (69) is the oldest. Joachim Löw (Germany) and Lars Lagerback (Sweden and Iceland) share the record for directing in the most European championships (4).
| Name | Country | No. of Titles | Years earned |
| Gavriil Kachalin | Soviet Union | 1 | 1960 |
| Jose Villalonga | Spain | 1 | 1964 |
| Ferruccio Valcareggi | Italy | 1 | 1968 |
| Helmut Schoen | West Germany | 1 | 1972 |
| Vaclav Jezek | Czechoslovakia | 1 | 1976 |
| Jupp Derwall | West Germany | 1 | 1980 |
| michel hidalgo | France | 1 | 1984 |
| Rinus Michels | Netherlands | 1 | 1988 |
| Richard Möller Nielsen | Denmark | 1 | 1992 |
| Berti Vogts | Germany | 1 | nineteen ninety six |
| Roger Lemerre | France | 1 | 2000 |
| Otto Rehhagel | Germany | 1 | 2004 |
| Luis Aragones | Spain | 1 | 2008 |
| Vicente del Bosque | Spain | 1 | 2012 |
| Fernando Santos | Portugal | 1 | 2016 |
| Roberto Mancini | Italy | 1 | 2020 |
When and where will Euro 2024 be held?
Euro 2024 will be the 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship. The tournament will run from June 14 to July 14, with Germany serving as the host country for the other 23 teams participating in the tournament.
