European ChampionshipArticle Free Pass European Championship,
formally UEFA European Championship, also called Euro, in
football (soccer), a quadrennial tournament held between the
member countries of the Union of European Football Associations
(UEFA). The European Championship is second in prestige to the
World Cup among international football tournaments. The first
final of the European Championship (then known as the European
Nations’ Cup) took place in 1960 after two years of preliminary
contests between 17 national football clubs. In 1960 the Euro
final tournament consisted of four teams, but it expanded to
eight teams in 1980 and 16 teams in 1996. Currently,
qualification for a European Championship begins two years
before the scheduled final when all members of UEFA begin
playing among themselves to earn a berth in the 16-team
tournament (the qualification process does not include the host
country or countries, which automatically qualify for the
final). Results of the European Championship are provide