Euro 2024, Germany favourites? 1 out of 4 times the host country won the championship
European football is buzzing with the 17th edition of the UEFA Football Championshipwhich this year will be played in Germany, host for the third time after the 1988 editions (in West Germany) and 2020, in Munich.
Kick-off will be on June 14th at 9pm at the Football Arena in Munich, with the Germany – Scotland match, but the top European football competition will continue until the final on 14 July at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, when it will be known to which team the current reigning champion, the Italian national team (which won the edition postponed due to the pandemic in 2021).
Host country won the championship 1 out of 4 times
But how many times the nations chosen as hosts of the UEFA Championship reached the top places, the podium and the semi-finalsi.e. among the top 4 teams?
To answer this question, the editorial staff of Affidabile.org recounted the data on all 17 previous editions, focusing in particular on the teams that reached at least the semi-final stage.
The ability to play in front of the own audience of fansthe organizational machine, knowledge of the stages and the territory, the absence of long and tiring trips, familiarity with climatic conditions, are certainly variations that have a major impact on the performance of the teams on the field. What counts, however, first of all, is the emotional factor and parochial pride, which is why the results of the Championship, over time, have clearly rewarded the countries hosting the tournament.
Below are all the teams that reached at least the semi-final stage at home:
Ranking positionBeforeSecondSemifinalSquadtoSpain, 1964Portugal, 2004Germany, 1988SquadtoItaly, 1968France, 2016Sweden, 1992SquadtoFrance, 1984England, 1996Percentage25%16.6%25%
All 12 times the Championship has been hosted by a single nation, the hosts achieved at least a semi-final position and 1 out of 4 times they won the championship.
In fact, in 25% of cases, the host team came in first place: Spain in 1964, which defeated the defending champions the Soviet Union, Italy in 1968, which beat Yugoslavia, and France in 1984, with a 2-0 win against Spain won at the Parc des Princes in Paris .
In 16.6% of cases, however, the home team placed second on the podium: in 2004 Portugal was beaten in the final by Greece – its first victory at the European Championships -, while in 2016 France saw the top position in the rankings taken away by Portugal.
The English national team also reached this milestone, on the occasion of EURO 2020. The final was played at Wembley Stadium, in an edition of the traveling tournament, i.e. hosted not by a single country, but by several nations, following a decision by UEFA: however, the title of European champion went to the Italian national team.
Finally, in 25% of cases, the host nation of the European Championships still played in the semi-finals: West Germany in 1988, beaten 2-1 by the Netherlands, Sweden in 1992, defeated by the German national team and England in 1996, won on penalties by Germany.
Germany has a 66.6% chance of reaching at least the semi-finals
This year, the 24 teams that have passed the qualifying rounds will compete for the title in the group preliminaries, divided into six groups of four: Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland; Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania; Group C: Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England; Group D: Poland, Netherlands, Austria, France; Group E: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine; Group F: Türkiye, Georgia, Portugal, Czech Republic.
The first two teams classified in each group will automatically advance to the round of 16, together with the 4 best third teams.
Germany, despite being the main winners in the medal table together with Spain, has never achieved a victory at home: the first podium at the European Championships arrived in 1972, with a 3-0 win over the Soviet Union national team, which was reported in Brussels. In 1980 the Teutonic team won in Italy against the Belgian national team, while in 1996 at the English European Championships against the Cea Republic.
This time, according to statistics, the chances of Germany reaching at least the semi-finals are 66.6%. The club’s motivation is quite strong, at least equal to that of Spain, because both teams aim to reach the poker of victories at the European Championships.
The first match of the Championship will be held on Friday against Steve Clark’s Scotland, a team that surprised with its excellent performances in the qualifying phase. The German team, however, is noteworthy, especially for the presence of some prominent names in international football, from Neuer to Toni Kroos, especially after the victory of the Champions League among the ranks of Real Madrid.
17 years of the UEFA European Championship: the results obtained by the host countries
As mentioned, the UEFA European Championship has inflamed the hearts of international football fans for 17 editions.
Born in 1960, it debuted in France, with only 4 participants, then increased over time to the current 24, with the choice of the host country which, since 1980, has been nominated by UEFA itself, with secret ballot voting on a shortlist of teams that independently present their candidacy.
The roll of honor of the 10 winners
Since the first edition, the roll of honor of winners is in the hands of 10 national teams: three victories for the Germanyincluding two at the time of the Berlin Wall, three victories for the Spaintwo victories for theItalyin 1968 and 2020, and for the Francea title won by the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Greece and Portugal.
Italy and Spain, in 1964 and 1968 respectively, were the teams that raised the iconic Henry Delanauy Cup in their first role as host country, while France obtained the trophy in 1984, the second time as a country host.
So here it is the list of results obtained by the host countries during the editions of the European Championships, from 1960 to today
EditionHost countryRanking position1960FranceFourth1964SpainFirst1968ItalyFirst1972BelgiumThird1976YugoslaviaFourth1980ItalyFourth1984FranceFirst1988West GermanySemifinal1992SwedenSemifinal1996EnglandSemifinal2000HollandSemifinal2004PortugalSecond2008Austria and SwitzerlandPhase group stage2012Poland and UkraineGroup stage2016FranceSecond2020ItalyFirst
European podium: Germany is the team that has played in the final the most times
Germany and Spain are the national teams that have won three trophies respectively, including two consecutively for the Iberian team. Germany is the team that has reached the finals the most times, a total of 6 times and for 3 consecutive years: in 1972 it won as West Germany, in 1976 it was runner-up, and in 1980 again champion. Finally, the Teutonic team placed themselves among the semi-finalists 3 times, namely in 1988, 2012 and 2016.
