Spain looks to revive memories of past glories as it challenges the continent’s best at Euro 2024 in Germany. They certainly started positively, defeating Croatia 3-0 in their first Group B match.
La Roja withdrew from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the round of 16 and coach Luis Enrique subsequently left his position.
The Spanish Federation acted quickly to promote under-21 coach Luis de la Fuente as his replacement before the start of Euro 2024 qualifying.
De la Fuente is under less pressure than Spain’s previous coaches as his team lacks the established stars of previous years, but the two-time winners will still be hoping for a strong performance.
They finished top of qualifying Group A ahead of Scotland, winning seven of their eight matches, their only setback being a 2-0 defeat in Glasgow in March 2023. They failed to win any of their March 2024 friendlies against Colombia and Brazil, but scoring 10 goals in two Euro Cup warm-up games against Andorra and Northern Ireland gave them a boost of confidence ahead of their trip to Germany.
How did Spain qualify for Euro 2024?
Spain was caught in an unexpected battle with Scotland for first place in Group A during qualifying. After losing their first game in Glasgow, De la Fuente’s team needed to bounce back in the second half of 2023.
Seven consecutive victories allowed them to overtake Scotland, who finished second in the group, while Erling Haaland’s Norway missed out completely.
How many times has Spain won the Euro Cup?
Spain has won two European Championships throughout their international history: in 2008and 2012.
Italy has also won two, Germany and France accumulated three each, but Spain holds the proud record of being the only national team to defend a European title.
The double victory came either side of their first World Cup glory as La Roja lifted the 2010 FIFA trophy in South Africa thanks to Andres Iniesta’s extra-time goal over the Netherlands in the final.
Three consecutive major titles cemented Spain’s place as one of the greatest national teams in history, placing them alongside teams like Brazil’s iconic teams on the big stage.
Fernando Torres’ goal sealed the final victory over Germany in 2008, but the 2012 final was a showcase of Spain’s brilliance, when they thrashed Italy 4-0.
On this day in 2012, Spain beat Italy 4-0 to retain the Euro Cup.
Euro 2008 ?
World Cup 2010 ?
Euro 2012 ?A historic winning streak ? pic.twitter.com/WNAf432mXI
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 1, 2021
Spanish Euro Cup results
Spain sealed the 1964 European Championship title as hosts in their first appearance in the competition. Despite uneven performance in the following decades, they have qualified for the last seven European Championships, reaching the knockout stage in six of them.
| Year | Host | win | Giveaways* | Losses | Goals scored | Objectives granted |
| 1964 | Spain | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 1980 | Italy | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 1984 | France | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 1988 | West Germany | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| nineteen ninety six | England | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 2000 | Belgium/Netherlands | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| 2004 | Portugal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2008 | Austria Switzerland | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 |
| 2012 | Poland/Ukraine | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| 2016 | France | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| 2020 | Europe | 2 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 6 |
| 2024 | Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
*Draws include knockout stage matches decided by penalty shoot-outs after 90 minutes plus 30 minutes of extra time.
Spanish European Championship record
| Year | Host | Stage reached | removed by |
| 1960 | France | he retired | — |
| 1964 | Spain | Champions | — |
| 1968 | Italy | I do not qualify | — |
| 1972 | Belgium | I do not qualify | — |
| 1976 | Yugoslavia | I do not qualify | — |
| 1980 | Italy | Group stage | Belgium/Italy |
| 1984 | France | Runners-up | France |
| 1988 | West Germany | Group stage | West Germany/Italy |
| 1992 | Sweden | I do not qualify | — |
| nineteen ninety six | England | Quarter finals | England |
| 2000 | Belgium/Netherlands | Quarter finals | France |
| 2004 | Portugal | Group stage | Portugal/Greece |
| 2008 | Austria Switzerland | Champions | — |
| 2012 | Poland/Ukraine | Champions | — |
| 2016 | France | round of 16 | Italy |
| 2020 | Europe | Semifinal | Italy |
| 2024 | Germany | Group stage* | — |
*Tournament in progress
