As we are just days away from the start of Euro 2024, England has announced its 26-man squad for the Championships. Gareth Southgate has excluded some big names like James Maddison, Jack Grealish, and Harry Maguire from the squad.
The Three Lions came within touching distance from lifting the Euros in 2021 (Euro 2020) but lost to Italy on penalties at the Wembley Stadium. This time they would look to go one better.
Let’s have a look at England’s European Championships record over the years:
1960
The inaugural European Championships took place in France in 1960. The Three Lions declined to enter the tournament.
1964
England’s first attempt to qualify for the Euros came in 1964 in Spain. However, they failed to do so.
1968
England first qualified for the Euros in 1968. They were one of the four teams to qualify for the final tournament. They lost to Yugoslavia 1-0 in the semi-finals. In the third-place match against SSSR, they won 2-0.
1972
England failed to qualify for the 1972 Euros held in Belgium.
1976
England yet again failed to qualify for the Euros held in Yugoslavia.
1980
England were knocked out in the group stage of 1980 Euros. They were drawn into Group 2 alongside Belgium, Spain and Italy. They drew their first game against Belgium 1-1. In their second game, they lost to Italy 1-0 and won their final game against Spain 2-1. Their three points from three games were only good enough for a third-place finish.
1984
England failed to qualify for the Euros for the fourth time held in France.
1988
England finished bottom of Group 2 in 1988 Euros. They lost all of their group-stage matches against the USSR, Netherlands, and the Republic of Ireland.
1992
England finished bottom of Group 1 in 1992 Euros. They drew two of their three group games against Denmark (0-0) and France (0-0) and lost to Sweden (2-1).
1996
England reached the semi-finals in their home Euros in 1996. They won Group A drawing against Switzerland in their first game 1-1 and won the next two against Scotland (2-0) and Netherlands (4-1). They then defeated Spain on penalties in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals against Germany, they lost on penalties (6-5) after the game had finished 1-1 after extra time.
2000
England were knocked out in the group stage of 2000 Euros. They were drawn alongside Germany, Portugal, and Romania in Group A. They lost 3-2 against Portugal in their first game. They then beat Germany 1-0 in their second match and lost to Romania 3-2 in the last match to finish third in the group.
2004
England reached the quarter-final stage in the 2004 Euros. They were placed in group B alongside France, Croatia, and Switzerland finishing in second position. They lost to France in their opening match by 2-1. In their second match, they beat Switzerland 3-0 and defeated Croatia 4-2 in the third match to finish second in the group. In the quarter-final against Portugal, they lost on penalties after the game had finished 2-2 at the end of extra time.
2008
England did not qualify for the 2008 Euros held in Austria and Switzerland which led to the sacking of manager Steve Mclaren.
2012
England reached the quarter-final stage in the 2012 Euros. They were drawn in Group D alongside France, Ukraine and Sweden. In their first match, they drew against France 1-1. They beat Sweden 3-2 in their second match and Ukraine 1-0 in their final group match. In the quarter-finals, they lost to Italy on penalties by 4-2 after the match had ended 0-0 after extra time.
2016
England reached the Round of 16 stage in the 2016 Euros. They came second in Group B drawing 1-1 against Russia in their first match. They beat Wales 2-1 in their second match and drew against Slovakia 0-0 in their final group game. In the Round of 16 game against Iceland, they lost 2-1 to exit the tournament which led to the sacking of manager Roy Hodgson.
2020
England’s best-ever run in Euros came last time out in Euro 2020 where they reached the final. They won Group D beating Croatia in their opening game by 1-0. They drew against Scotland 0-0 in the second game and defeated Czechia in their final game by 1-0. In the Round of 16, they defeated arch-rivals Germany 2-0 and then beat Ukraine 4-0 in the quarter-finals.
In the semi-finals, they beat Denmark 2-1 before losing to Italy in the finals on penalties at the Wembley Stadium.
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
