Introduction
Not everyone is a football fan, but if you fall into that category, you’ve probably heard of the UEFA Euro. However, do you really know what it is and how it works? If not, no worries! We’ve got your back with this ultimate guide to the world’s most popular tournament after the World Cup.
UEFA is the governing body of European football
UEFA is a non-profit organization responsible for the organization of association football’s major European tournaments, and until 1954 it was also responsible for overseeing football in Europe as a whole. In particular, UEFA has been responsible for sanctioning European competitions involving national teams, except World Cup and qualifiers. UEFA organizes international club competitions including the Champions League and Europa League; international friendly matches; and intercontinental club competitions such as the FIFA Club World Cup.
It was founded in 1954 to replace the organization that used to organize international competitions among the national teams of Europe
The UEFA European Championship is an international football tournament for European national teams organized by UEFA. The history of the competition begins with the 1954 FIFA World Cup, when it was decided that a continental competition should be held once every four years. Since 1960, however, there have been two editions of the tournament each year: one in spring and one in summer.
Until now, only once has a team won back-to-back titles: France won both tournaments in 2000 and 2016 respectively.
The first edition of the current competition was held in 1960, but not all European teams took part
The first edition of the current competition was held in 1960, but not all European teams took part. The participants were France (hosts), Italy and West Germany, who had won their qualifying groups. It was only after this first competition that UEFA decided to include more countries from across Europe.
The inaugural final saw a two-legged tie between France and Soviet Union, with Les Bleus coming out on top 1–0 on aggregate thanks to a goal by René Bliard in Moscow.
The next two tournaments were also held as two-legged ties—and both were won by Spanish sides: Barcelona beat Benfica 4–3 on aggregate in 1961 while Real Madrid defeated Inter Milan 2–1 over 180 minutes one year later!
It wasn’t until 1980 that all UEFA countries could participate
The UEFA Euro started in 1960, but it wasn’t until 1980 that all UEFA member countries could participate. Before then, only a few teams had the chance to qualify for what is now one of Europe’s most prestigious tournaments.
In 1954, Europe was still recovering from World War II and came together to create its own football governing body—the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). At the time, this new organization replaced another one called The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), which had been founded in 1904 by seven European countries. FIFA focused mostly on organizing international competitions among clubs or national teams from outside Europe such as Argentina and Uruguay; however, there were no similar competitions for Europeans until UEFA got involved.
The first edition of the current competition was held in 1960 with just four participants: France won over Yugoslavia 2-1 at Heysel Stadium in Belgium after extra time thanks to goals by Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine (both players would go on to have successful careers). This was actually before UEFA existed—they started operating under their current name around 1970 before becoming an official body during 1984–85 season when they began organizing all major events relating to their sport within Europe including qualifying matches leading up towards championships like World Cup itself – something FIFA doesn’t do anymore due its own limitations regarding jurisdiction over other continents besides Asia Pacific where Japan & South Korea are located.”
Nowadays, 24 countries are represented in the tournament
Nowadays, 24 countries are represented in the tournament. There are 5 groups of 4 teams each. The top two teams from each group qualify for the knock-out stage. The group winners will play each other in the semi-finals, and then there will be a final match to determine who is crowned champion.
There is a qualifying round followed by a final stage (the Euro Finals)
The tournament is divided into two phases: the qualifying round and the final stage (the Euro Finals). During this second phase, nations will be competing in groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group advance to play-offs, where they will compete for a place in the semi-finals.
The 21 finalists will then play in six cities across Europe: London, Glasgow and Dublin (in Scotland), Baku (Azerbaijan), Bucharest (Romania), Saint Petersburg (Russia) and Amsterdam (Netherlands). The opening match will take place at Wembley Stadium on 12 June 2020; England has been awarded three stadiums for its matches.
Euro 2020 is one of the biggest sporting events on European soil since London 2012 – so don’t miss out!
The competition is held every four years and the last competition was won by Portugal
The UEFA Euro has been held every four years since 1960 and the last competition was won by Portugal. The first competition was won by France, but it wasn’t until 1968 when it became known as the UEFA European Championship.
The competition has been renamed several times since then, with its current name being used since 1996 (when it replaced the “UEEFA European Championship” name). The tournament has been hosted in various countries throughout its history, including England (1968), Italy (1980), Germany (1996) and Netherlands/Belgium (2000).
The next competition is planned for 2020 and will be held in several different cities across Europe, to celebrate eighteen editions of the event
The next competition is planned for 2020 and will be held in several different cities across Europe, to celebrate eighteen editions of the event.
Surely you’ve heard about UEFA Euro 2020 but what do you know about it? We’ve got all the details on this year’s tournament so you can be fully prepared for what’s coming up!
The history of the tournament and how it has been growing over time.
The UEFA Euro is a tournament that is held every four years. The first edition was held in 1960 and since then it has been growing over time. In the first edition, only eight teams participated, but now there are 24 teams participating in this tournament. This shows us how fast this tournament has grown over time and how many countries are now participating in the competition.
The first edition of the UEFA Euro was not held in all UEFA countries because not all UEFA countries had the infrastructure to host such an event at that time; therefore they decided not to send their national teams to compete for the title of champions.
Conclusion
The Euro 2020 is going to be a very special edition, because it will be played across many different European cities. This year, the tournament will have a truly continental feel. The official slogan of this UEFA European Championship is “Kick-off the summer” and it perfectly reflects what we can expect from these matches: passion, excitement and goals galore!
