History of the European Championship

This will probably come as a surprise to many (at least it was to me) - the European Championship was not the first continental championship and in fact is one of the youngest. The Copa America, African Nations Cup, Asian Cup all were started earlier and even CONCACAF's Gold Cup has its origins in a regional tournament dating back to the 1940s. Despite its relative youth the tournament has become the gold standard of continental championships, probably an inevitable development when you consider the overwhelming concentration of fans, money and attention to the game on the European continent. It has become almost a mini-World Cup with hordes of traveling fans, massive outdoor viewings and workdays grinding to a halt during matches. But it was not always so. In fact it wasn't until 1980 that there was a true final tournament at all, previously only the semifinals and finals were played together at one location. That year marked the start of an 8-team finals tournament, expanded to 16 teams in 1996.

Unlike the World Cup it seems to have a little more space for upset winners, with the 2004 Greece and 1992 Denmark teams the great examples. Denmark were an especially incredible story, being called back from various vacation spots after Yugoslavia's last-minute expulsion and then going on to win the tournament. It also produced the first (and so far last) major honor for Spain and remains a trophy too far for England, their best finish being a pair of semifinal appearances. And as we all know they won't be breaking through that barrier this time around either.

Here's a quick rundown of the tournament over the years.

Total European Championship Titles:
3 Germany
2 France
1 Czechoslovakia
1 Denmark
1 Greece
1 Italy
1 Netherlands
1 Soviet Union
1 Spain