History of the European Championship 1960-2004

The 2004 European Football Championship in Portugal, from June 12 to July 4, is the 12th edition of the event, which began in 1960 when it was known as the European Nations Cup.

Sixteen teams have qualified for the finals which are being held in Portugal for the first time. The Portuguese, who qualified automatically as hosts, saw off rival bids from Spain and a joint bid from Austria-Hungary to be awarded the tournament by UEFA in 1999.

Following is a brief history of the tournament:

• 1960, France
  
• 1964, Spain
  
• 1968, Italy
  
• 1972, Belgium
  
• 1976, Yugoslavia
  
• 1980, Italy
  
• 1984, France
  
• 1988, West Germany
  
• 1992, Sweden
  
• 1996, England
  
• 2000, Belgium and Holland