Ranking the 7 Best Win Percentages at One Euros Tournament
The European Championships began back in 1960 and since then there have been 17 winners of the competition. Some of the best teams to compete in the tournament over the years include Spain in 2008 and 2012, as well as the French teams in 1984 and 2000. There are many records to look at when analysing the history of this competition, including who has won the Euros the most times and who has the longest winning run.
In this piece, we'll take a deeper dive into the best win percentages at a single Euros final tournament. Spain joined France as the only teams to bolster a 100% record following their 2-1 victory against England in the final on Sunday 14th July 2024.
As there might be some uncertainty around what constitutes a 'win' at a major tournament, we have used the following ranking factors to determine the order:
Best Win Percentages at One Euros Tournament |
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Rank |
Country |
Year |
Matches |
Wins |
Win Percentage |
1 |
Spain |
2024 |
7 |
7 |
100% |
T1 |
France |
1984 |
5 |
5 |
100% |
T2 |
France |
2000 |
6 |
5 |
83.3% |
T2 |
Spain |
2008 |
6 |
5 |
83.3 |
T3 |
England |
2020 |
7 |
5 |
71.4% |
T3 |
France |
2016 |
7 |
5 |
71.4% |
T3 |
Italy |
2020 |
7 |
5 |
71.4% |
Coming in at 71.4% are three teams, including the Euro 2020 champions Italy. They won all of their group stage matches at this tournament, beating Turkey, Switzerland and Wales. This set up a Round of 16 tie with Austria at Wembley, and they required extra-time to win the game 2-1 and advance to the quarter-final.
Belgium were the next opponents for the Italians, who at the time were the highest ranked team in the World Rankings. Lorenzo Insigne and Nicolo Barella scored for the Gli Azzuri and Romelu Lukaku's penalty on the stroke of half-time was not enough to deny another impressive victory. Roberto Mancini's side were then drawn against Spain, who proved to be the toughest opponent yet. After a tight match ended 1-1, the game eventually went to extra-time and penalties. Italy won the shootout 4-2, with Jorginho to secure their passage into the final.
Up next was England in the final, who had played five out of their six games at Euro 2020 on home soil. The concluding match was also played at Wembley Stadium, meaning the Three Lions had home advantage. They made this advantage count in the early stages, with Luke Shaw scoring after only two minutes. As the game wore on, though, Gareth Southgate's side sat back and invited Italian pressure. In the 67th minute, the Engand defence was then breached with Leonardo Bonucci sweeping home a loose ball from a corner. This meant Italy had gone to a penalty shootout for the second consecutive game. Misses from Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka meant Italy were crowned European champions for the second time.
Italy's Best Performances at the European Championship |
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---|---|---|---|
Year |
Round |
Scoreline |
Win/Loss |
1968 |
Final |
Italy 2-0 Yugoslavia |
Win |
1988 |
Semi-final |
Soviet Union 2-0 Italy |
Loss |
2000 |
Final |
France 2-1 Italy |
Loss |
2012 |
Final |
Spain 4-0 Italy |
Loss |
2021 |
Final |
Italy 1-1 (3-2p) England |
Win |
With the Champions League final set to be held at Wembley, is the iconic stadium ready to host another big event after the Euro 2020 debacle?
France were losing finalists at their home tournament in 2016. There were still some memorable moments along the way, though. Following a relatively comfortable group stage in which they amassed seven points against Romania, Albania and Switzerland, Didier Deschamps' side were drawn against the Republic of Ireland. Robbie Brady scored an early penalty, but an Antoine Griezmann brace secured their place in the quarter-finals.
Iceland were the opponents for the Blues in the last eight, after they had shocked the world with a 2-1 victory against England days before. France didn't encounter the same problems, demolishing Iceland 5-2 after being 4-0 up at half-time. This set up a semi-final match against Germany at the Stade Velodrome. Griezmann scored another two goals in this game, which tightened his grip on the golden boot race and ensured France would play in the final of Euro 2016.
The final against Portugal was largely uneventful with chances few and far between. In extra-time, the substitute Eder came on to strike the ball into the bottom corner and break French hearts on home soil. Deschamps' team were unable to respond and they left the tournament empty-handed.
France's Best Performances at the European Championship |
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---|---|---|---|
Year |
Round |
Scoreline |
Win/Loss |
1960 |
Semi-final |
France 4-5 Yugoslavia |
Loss |
1984 |
Final |
France 2-0 Spain |
Win |
1996 |
Semi-final |
France 0-0 (5-6) Czech Republic |
Loss |
2000 |
Final |
France 2-1 Italy |
Win |
2016 |
Final |
Portugal 1-0 France |
Loss |
England were also unsuccessful finalists in 2020, losing to Italy on penalties. They enjoyed a successful campaign before that, though, beating Croatia and Czech Republic in the group stage, mixed in with a turgid 0-0 draw against bitter rivals Germany. In the Round of 16, they faced Germany, who they had not beaten in a major tournament since the World Cup in 1966.
Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane scored second-half goals to send Wembley into raptures and secure their place in the quarter-finals. They were then drawn against Ukraine and had to play at the Stadio Olimipico in Rome, which was the Three Lions' only match away from Wembley during the whole tournament. Being away from home didn't matter to Southgate's side as they swept past Ukraine 4-0, thanks to goals from Kane, Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson.
The semi-final against Denmark didn't start as planned with Mikkel Damsgaard scoring a first-half free kick to put England on the backfoot. They responded nine minutes later thanks to a Simon Kjaer own goal, which led to a cagey second half that sent the game to extra-time. England were awarded a penalty in additional time, with Kane stepping up to slot the ball home. They survived some late Denmark attacks and booked their place in a major tournament final for the first time in 55 years.
The final loss to Italy was heartbreaking, especially the abhorrent racial abuse aimed at Saka, Sancho and Rashford following their missed penalties in the shootout. Arsenal's star winger Saka bounced back in 2024, scoring a penalty against Switzerland in the quarter-final and helping the Three Lions end 58 years of hurt with a victory over Spain in the final.
England record against Germany in major tournament knockout ties |
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---|---|---|---|
Date |
Competition |
Match |
Score |
June 29, 2021 |
2020 European Championship |
England vs Germany |
2-0 |
June 27, 2010 |
2010 World Cup |
Germany vs England |
4-1 |
June 26, 1996 |
1996 European Championship |
Germany vs England |
1-1 (6-5 on pens) |
July 4, 1996 |
1990 World Cup |
West Germany vs England |
1-1 (4-3 on pens) |
June 16, 1970 |
1970 World Cup |
West Germany vs England |
3-2 (a.e.t) |
July 30, 1966 |
1966 World Cup |
England vs West Germany |
4-2 (a.e.t) |
Spain's Euro 2008 victory kickstarted an unprecedented run of dominance in major tournament football. Following the win in 2008, they were crowned World Cup champions in 2010 and retained their European Championship title in 2012.
La Roja won every group stage match, beating Russia, Sweden and Greece. They scored eight goals in those three matches, conceding only three and securing their place in the quarter-finals. Italy were next up and proved to be a tough opponent with limited chances for both teams. As a result, the game went to extra-time and penalties where they saw off Italy 4-2. This set up a semi-final tie against Russia, who they had already met in the group stages.
Spain cruised past Russia, beating them 3-0 to reach their first European Championship final since 1984. The final put them up against Germany in Vienna, where a Fernando Torres goal in the 33rd minute secured the trophy for the Spaniards. This was the first time they had won the competition since 1964, when they beat the Soviet Union.
France started their Euro 2000 campaign with wins against Denmark and Czech Republic. They lost their final group stage match against the Netherlands, but they had already secured their place in the quarter-finals. At this stage, they faced Spain at the Jan Breydel Stadium where goals from Zinedine Zidane and Youri Djorkaeff were enough to book France's spot in the semi-final with a 2-1 victory.
They were then drawn against Portugal in Brussels, and they went 1-0 behind in the first-half thanks to a strike from Nuno Gomes. Thierry Henry equalised in the 51st minute, which sent the game to extra-time. With the game looking increasingly likely to go to penalties, Zidane scored a penalty with only three minutes to play, sending France to another European final.
Italy were the opponents for France in the final and a 55th minute goal from Marco Delvecchio looked to be enough for the Italians to lift the trophy. However, Sylvain Wiltord equalised in the fourth minute of additional time to send the game to extra-time again. With golden goal in place, both teams were reluctant to push too many men forward, but in the 103rd minute, David Trezeguet was the hero, smashing a left-footed strike past the Italian goalkeeper to secure France's second European Championship victory.
France became the first nation to win every match at a Euros tournament. In 1984, they won all five of their games, including against Denmark, Belgium and Yugoslavia in the group stage. Michel Platini scored seven goals in these matches, with hat-tricks against Belgium and Yugoslavia. He scored nine goals and registered one assist at this tournament, which remains the highest number for a golden boot at the European Championships.
After their dominant group stage performances, France were drawn against Portugal. The match went to extra-time as the teams finished the 90 minutes at 1-1. Rui Jordao's 98th minute then looked like being a killer blow for the French, but Jean-Francois Domergue and Platini scored within five minutes of each other to send them through to the final on home soil.
The final saw France up against Spain at the Parc des Princes. After a tense first-half, Platini opened the scoring in the 57th minute to give the home team the advantage. Bruno Bellone then scored the second in the 90th minute to ensure that France were European champions with a 100% record for the first time ever.
Spain won all seven of their Euro 2024 matches to secure a record-breaking fourth Euros title. They came into the tournament as fifth favourites, behind the likes of France, Germany and England. La Roja breezed through the group stage, beating Croatia, Italy and Albania, without conceding a goal. This set up a Round of 16 tie against underdogs Georgia in Cologne. The European minnows opened the scoring after 18 minutes, but Spain responded emphatically with four goals to book their place in the quarter-finals.
They then faced the hosts Germany in Stuttgart in what was billed as the most exciting game of the competition so far. After a tightly contested 1-1 draw in normal time, the game looked like it was heading for penalties, but a 119th minute header from Mikel Merino broke German hearts. The 2018 World Cup champions France were in the way of a first Euros final since 2012 for Spain. Les Blues went 1-0 up after only nine minutes, but Spain responded with two goals in four minutes, including a strike from Lamine Yamal to become the youngest ever scorer in the history of the European Championships at the age of 16.
Luis de la Fuente's side survived late French pressure to qualify for the final, where they faced England. Chances were limited in the first half of the final, with the Three Lions playing defensively to nullify the attacking threats of their opponents. Nico Williams scored two minutes after the break, though, which forced Gareth Southgate's side to come out of their shell. This led to some positive substitutions, including Cole Palmer, who scored the leveller with 17 minutes to play. It looked like the match was heading for extra-time, but Mikel Oyarzabal scored an 86th minute winner to secure Spain's fourth Euros title, which is more than any other nation.
Spain Win 7 out of 7 at Euro 2024 |
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---|---|---|
Stage of Competition |
Match |
Score |
Group Stage |
Spain vs Croatia |
3-0 |
Group Stage |
Spain vs Italy |
1-0 |
Group Stage |
Albania vs Spain |
0-1 |
Round of 16 |
Spain vs Georgia |
4-1 |
Quarter-Final |
Spain vs Germany |
2-1 (aet) |
Semi-Final |
Spain vs France |
2-1 |
Final |
Spain vs England |