UEFA European Football Championship

Category: The Beautiful Game

The UEFA European Football Championship, also known as the Euro Cup, is a soccer tournament between men’s national teams. These national teams must be from Europe. Beginning in 1960, the Euro Cup has been held every four years (the even numbered year between World Cup tournaments).

Not all European teams make it however. In order to compete, teams must qualify, meaning teams must be winners or runners-up in one of the seven qualifying groups. The host country automatically qualifies for the tournament. In the end, only 16 teams actually make it to the final tournament.

The winner of the Euro Cup is given the Henri Delaunay Trophy. This trophy is named in honor of Henri Delaunay, the first General Secretary of UEFA. He came up with the idea of having a European championship. The winning team gets to keep the trophy for four years, until the next tournament.