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The European Football Championship: from the first edition to today

March 26, 2023 | 2 min of reading

The European soccer championships, officially called UEFA European Championships, are the highest continental soccer tournament that takes place every four years and which sees Europe's national soccer teams compete. The competition is organized by UEFA, the Union of European Football Federations, and is considered one of the most important sporting events on a continental level

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The history of European soccer began in 1960, when France hosted the first edition of the tournament. At the time, only 4 teams were participating in the competition with the Soviet team winning the tournament by beating Yugoslavia in the final played in Paris

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Over the years, European soccer has evolved into an increasingly important event, with an increasing number of participating teams and increasing media coverage. In 1996, the tournament expanded to 16 teams, while in 2016 the number of participants was increased to 24

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Throughout their history, the European soccer championship has seen the victory of many great teams. Germany is the most titled team, with 3 wins, followed by Italy, France, the Soviet Union (now Russia) and Spain with 2 wins each. The Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Denmark and Greece have won the tournament once each.

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In addition to the winning teams, the European soccer championships have seen the birth of many soccer legends. Among the most famous players who have participated in the European Championships are Michel Platini, Marco van Basten, Zinedine Zidane, Francesco Totti

and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Among the most iconic moments in European soccer history, there is Italy's victory in 1968, the first time the Italian team won the tournament. The final, played in Rome, saw Italy beat Yugoslavia 2-0 after extra

time.

Another memorable moment in the history of European soccer is Greece's victory in 2004. The Greek team, considered one of the surprises of the tournament, defeated France and Portugal in the final stages and then beat the favorite Germany in the final 1-0

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In recent years, European soccer has become an even more competitive event, with participants coming from countries across the continent. The 2020 European Championships, originally scheduled for 2020, have been postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament took place for the first time in 11 cities across Europe, with the final won by Italy at Wembley Stadium in London against the

favorite England.

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