UEFA Euro Championship: Format, History and How Qualification Works
This is the main football tournament the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) organizes every four years for nations. Also referred to as the Euros, it is only behind the World Cup among international football tournaments in terms of rankings. The tournament is grouped into the Men's and UEFA Women's Euro. This article will cover the men’s competition.
UEFA European Championship: Men’s or Women's
The European Championship has two separate tournaments: the men's and the women's Euro. This article covers the men's tournament. The UEFA Women's Euro 2025 is a separate competition held in Switzerland in July 2025. The tournament is held every four years, and VivatBet will provide football betting opportunities for Estonians.
What Is the UEFA European Championship?
The UEFA European Championship is the chief international football competition organized for national teams. It is totally different from the club tournaments such as the Champions League or the Europa League, since it is for National Teams. It covers the Men's and women's competitions. This means that players represent their country, not their club, in the competition. The 2024 edition was hosted by Germany, and the 2028 edition is set to be hosted by 4 nations listed below.
Scotland
Wales
Engand
Republic of Ireland
The final tournament takes place every four years, consisting of 24 nations from the qualifying rounds a year before the competition. The table below has more details:
Competition Name | Governing Body | Frequency | First Edition | Current Format Size | Most Successful Nations |
UEFA European Championship (The Euros) | Union of European Football Associations | Every 4 years | 1960 (initially called the European Nations' Cup) | 24 national teams | Spain (4 titles) and Germany (3 titles) |
Brief History of the Competition
Here is a brief timeline of how the competition has developed since its foundation.
1960: The first iteration of the competition, then called the European Nations’ Cup, was held in France with four participating countries. The Soviet Union won the inaugural edition.
1980: Eight nations participated in the “Europa 80” in Italy, which saw the introduction of group stage games.
1996: The tournament expanded further to include 16 nations.
2016: 24 countries took part in Euro 2016 in France, and every edition of the tournament since.
The two most successful nations in this competition are Spain and Germany. They had won it 3 times before the UEFA Euro 2024 draw. The 2024 edition ended with Spain becoming the most decorated nation in the tournament as they claimed their fourth title. The Spanish side defeated the Three Lions of England by 2 goals to 1 in the final, which took place in Berlin on the 34th of July 2024. Goals scored by Nicolás Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal saw them become champions of the competition.
How the Format Works (24 Teams)
The Euros have used a 24-team format since UEFA Euro 2016. The competition starts with the qualification phase, where member nations play home and away matches across approximately 18 months. The top nations from each qualifying group earn automatic places; others enter play-offs, and the host country qualifies automatically. The countries that make it to the final tournament follow this procedure:
Group Stage: 6 groups of four countries. The top two nations from each group advance, along with the four best third-placed teams.
Round of 16: 16 teams compete in single-match knockout games.
Quarter-finals: Eight teams; four proceed to the semi-finals
Semi-finals: 4 teams compete for two slots in the final.
Final: The deciding match for who goes home with the trophy.
Extra time and penalties decide the match after 90 minutes. The FIFA World Cup guide also has a similar format to the Euros.
UEFA Euro 2028: The Next Tournament
The UEFA Euro 2028 version will be the first version to be jointly hosted by 4 nations. England, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales will stage the competition from 9 June to 9 July 2028. Games will be played across eight cities in nine reserved stadiums. This makes the tournament the largest conventional multi-nation hosting arrangement in European Championship history. Previously, the tournament had been hosted by two countries, while the Euro 2020 used an exceptional 11-city pan-European format. For Estonians following the competition, join VivatBet to get odds and updates on games for the upcoming matches.
National Teams Vs Club Football
In club football, a player represents their employer, like Chelsea in the Premier League, Manchester City in the Champions League, Barcelona in La Liga, or Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. For National teams, they represent a particular country they are eligible to represent. Unlike clubs, no transfers or signings occur; it is more like permanent employment. A player playing for England, for example, can not play for any other country till their career is over.
Players are selected based on their nationality; however, players with dual nationality must pick one they are to play with permanently. A player can play for a club in one country but represent a different country internationally. For example, FC Flora players have also represented the Estonian national team.
