A Brief History of the Euros Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1920s

The idea of the competition began with Henri Delaunay in 1927. Delaunay was the Secretary-General of the French Football Federation. Delaunay was clearly before his time, as he was also a proponent of what would become the Champions League as early as the 1920s.

Delaunay unfortunately did not live to see his dreams come to life. He died in 1955, three years before it was officially announced that the European Championship would be created.

Answer: Yugoslavia

A total of 17 teams entered the qualification phase, which created administrative issues from the start. To even out the amount of teams to a more usable 16, the Republic of Ireland were randomly selected to face Czechoslovakia in a preliminary round, which was won by the latter side. The 16 remaining sides then took part in a two-legged knockout round in the Round of 16, with games being played in both 1958 and 1959. The eight winners from the Round of 16 then competed in another straight knockout, leaving four teams left for the finals that were held in France in July 1960.

The four remaining teams were the hosts France, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. In the semi-finals, the Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia 3-0 while France were stunned 5-4 by the Yugoslavs. The Soviets then sealed the title with a 2-1 win over Yugoslavia in the final.

Answer: The Soviet Union refused to defend their title

The 1964 competition ran in a similar way to the 1960 edition, albeit with more nations taking part in the qualification process (29 in 1964 compared to 17 in 1960). As the defending champions, the Soviet Union was given a bye in the first qualifying round, entering at the Round of 16. Victories over two legs against Italy and Sweden in the qualification stages saw the Soviets qualify for the tournament again. They would lose 2-1 to Spain in the 1964 final, in front of 79,000 people at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

However, Spain very nearly didn't participate at all. Spain, under the dictatorship of General Franco at the time, had refused to travel to the Soviet Union for a qualifier four years earlier for the 1960 tournament. However, Franco changed his mind eventually and allowed his Spain side to compete in 1964. Greece were drawn against Albania in the first qualifying round, but due to diplomatic issues and the complicated relationship between the two countries at the time, Greece pulled out.

Answer: First finals to feature eight teams

A total of 31 teams entered the qualification phase, divided into groups of four (with one group of three). Similar in nature to Champions League groups in the 21st century, the four teams in each group played each other home and away and the top teams from each of the eight groups went through to a two-legged playoff to decide the four teams that would play in the finals of the competition. England qualified for the finals for the first time for the 1968 tournament, winning their group before knocking out the defending champions Spain in the two-legged playoff.

Italy was chosen to host the tournament, with England featuring alongside the 1960 finalists in the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. The tournament was perhaps best known for the infamous coin toss that followed the semi-final between Italy and the Soviet Union -- this was an era before penalty shootouts were considered an acceptable way to settle draws after extra time. Italy won the toss and went on to the final, where they defeated Yugoslavia 2-0 in a replay on 10 June 1968. After Khrushchev's communist Soviet Union won in 1960, followed by fascist Spain's victory in 1964, Italy was the first democratic country to win the tournament.

Answer: Raoul Lambert (Belgium)

The 1972 competition featured Belgium (who hosted the tournament), Hungary, West Germany and the Soviet Union. The Soviets faced Hungary in the semi-finals, with Anatoliy Konkov's goal winning it for the Russians. Two goals from the great Gerd Muller saw West Germany best the hosts Belgium 2-1. Muller would score twice in the final too as the West Germans comfortably won the championship. Lambert scored in the third-placed playoff, helping Belgium to a 2-1 victory over the Hungarians.

Ku scored for Hungary in the third-placed playoff, while Riva was named in the 1968 Team of the Tournament after scoring in the final replay. Osim was also named in the 1968 team.

Answer: Every single match went to extra time

Euro 1976, like all the previous tournaments thus far, contained four teams in the main draw. This included defending champions West Germany, hosts Yugoslavia, 1974 World Cup finalists the Netherlands and the eventual champions of Euro 1976, Czechoslovakia. Both semi-finals, the third-placed playoff and the final itself went to extra time. Czechoslovakia defeated the Netherlands 3-1 and West Germany beat Yugoslavia 4-2 in the semis. Gerd Muller scored a hat-trick in Die Mannschaft's victory.

The final itself was a classic. Czechoslovakia took a 2-0 first half lead but were eventually pegged back to 2-2. The match ultimately went to penalties, with Czechoslovakia winning 5-3 in the shootout. The penalty shootout became one of the most iconic moments in the history of the competition, with midfielder Antonin Panenka scoring the winning penalty with a delicately chipped effort. The technique he used has since been referred to as the "panenka", and was given a rebirth by Andrea Pirlo during Euro 2012.

Answer: Netherlands

All of Allofs' goals came in West Germany's second group game, a 3-2 victory over the Netherlands. In Die Mannschaft's other games, they defeated Czechoslovakia 1-0 thanks to a goal from Karl-Heinz Rummenigge while they were held to a draw in their final group game against Greece. In the final, it was Allofs' strike partner Horst Hrubesch who grabbed the headlines with two goals that won the tournament. Interestingly, Allofs was not voted in the UEFA Team of the Tournament despite scoring more goals than anyone else.

Czechoslovakia and England were eliminated in the group stage, with the former ending up as the third placed team at the tournament. France did not qualify for the tournament.

Answer: Jean-Francois Domergue

Platini's nine goals was the highest goal tally ever at a European Championship. This included hat-tricks in the group stage against Belgium and Yugoslavia as well as the 119th minute winner in the semi-finals against Portugal and the opening goal in the final, a 2-0 victory over Spain. For his performances, as well as his superb efforts for Italian giants Juventus, he was awarded with the Ballon d'Or, which he also won in 1983 and 1985.

Still, other players had to chip in as well. Domergue scored twice in the tournament, both critical goals in the Portugal victory. Giresse scored in the 5-0 destruction of Belgium in Les Blues' second group game. Papin, a future Ballon d'Or winner in his own right, did not make his debut for France until 1986.

Answer: Arnold Muhren

The goal has to be seen to be believed, but can best be described as a looping cross into the box from Muhren that was met with a sensational volley that somehow curved accurately enough back towards the goal and over the goal-keeper to go into the net. The goal is widely regarded as one of the best goals in European Championship history.

The Dutch won the final against the Soviet Union by a 2-0 score, with van Basten's volley adding to a first half lead provided by his strike partner Ruud Gullit. It was the first time that the Netherlands had won a major tournament.

Answer: 10 days

Denmark originally failed to qualify for the European Championships in 1992, finishing second in their qualification group to Yugoslavia. However, the breakout of Civil War in Yugoslavia in May 1992 led to the nation being placed under sanctions by the United Nations, with FIFA and UEFA formally suspending Yugoslavia from participation in the upcoming competition. Denmark officially took their place on 31 May 1992, with the competition beginning ten days later on 10 June.

A draw with England and a win over France was enough to see the Danes reach the semi-finals, where they faced the defending champions in the Netherlands. There, a penalty miss from 1988 hero Marco van Basten saw Denmark reach an improbable final where they incredibly defeated the world champions Germany 2-0 to win the tournament.

Answer: The backpass rule

The backpass rule was first used on 24 July 1992, during the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. After the trial use, the rule was then used throughout the world of professional football and became enshrined in the Laws of the Game. The Premier League began in August 1992. The first recorded use of the Golden Goal, which would become particularly important at future European Championships, was in 1993.

While three points for a win had existed in English football since 1981, FIFA and UEFA only translated it to their tournaments from 1994.

Answer: The Czech manager in 1996 was in the 1976 team as a player

Germany and the Czech Republic had previously met in the 1976 final, although both were playing under different names two decades earlier. (West Germany vs Czechoslovakia) The Germans would avenge their 1976 defeat by winning 2-1 in extra-time, thanks to an Oliver Bierhoff brace after Patrik Berger scored from the penalty spot for the Czechs. Czech midfielder Karel Poborsky, who had impressed so much at Euro 1996 that he was named in the Team of the Tournament and moved to Manchester United that same summer, was named Man of the Match in the final. Indeed, the Czech captain in both finals was a sweeper, in the mould of Anton Ondrus (1976) and Miroslav Kadlec (1996).

Dusan Uhrin, who was the runner-up as coach of the Czech side in 1996, never played for the national team.

Answer: Norway and Slovenia

Norway had a fair bit of international pedigree before 2000, having qualified for three World Cups (1938, 1994, 1998). However, this was the first time they had qualified for the Euros. Slovenia had been a part of Yugoslavia until achieving independence in 1991, and reached their first major tournament finals as a separate country in 2000.

Switzerland, Croatia, Bulgaria and Turkey all qualified for their first Euros during the expanded 1996 tournament, the first to feature 16 teams rather than 8. Of those four, only Turkey would repeat their achievement in qualifying for Euro 2000. Romania and Portugal did qualify in 2000, but both countries had already previously competed at the 1984 and 1996 tournaments.

Answer: The first match featured the same two teams as the final match

Incredibly, both the first and last matches of Euro 2004 saw the hosts Portugal clash with rank outsiders Greece. Greece won both meetings, earning a 2-1 victory on the opening night and defeating Portugal 1-0 in the final three weeks later. Latvia was the only first-time participant, having sensationally defeated 2002 World Cup semi-finalists Turkey in a two-legged playoff to reach the finals of the tournament.

There were four 0-0 draws in the tournament, including group games between Switzerland and Croatia (13th June), Denmark and Italy (14th June) and Latvia and Germany (19th June). The quarter-final between Sweden and the Netherlands was the only match in the knockout phase to end 0-0. The Netherlands won on penalties.

Greece were outsiders, but were 150/1 odds rather than 500/1.

Answer: 7

Historically, European Championship finals have a tendency to be tight affairs. The first two finals, 1960 and 1964, saw the USSR defeat Yugoslavia 2-1 in extra time and Spain defeat the USSR 2-1 in normal time respectively. 1980 was the third occurrence of this, when West Germany defeated Belgium 2-1.

Every Euro final between 1996 and 2008 was decided by one goal. First of all, Germany defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in extra time in 1996 while France defeated Italy by the same scoreline in 2000. (Both via golden goal as well) 2004 and 2008 saw 1-0 affairs, with Greece besting Portugal and Spain defeating Germany in the respective finals.

The 2016 tournament saw the eighth final to be decided by one goal, when Portugal defeated France 1-0 in extra time.

Answer: Mario

The three Marios in question are Croatia's Mario Mandzukic, Germany's Mario Gomez and Italy's Mario Balotelli. Of the three, Balotelli was the only one to score a goal past the group stage when he scored both of Italy's goals in their 2-1 semi-final win over Germany. The other three players to be joint-top scorer were Russia's Alan Dzagoev, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Spain's Fernando Torres.

Spain thrashed Italy 4-0 in the final to win their joint-record third European Championship. Their 2012 win was their second consecutive European title and their third straight major tournament win. (alongside the 2010 World Cup)

Answer: 1

Incredibly, Portugal finished third in their group during Euro 2016, which would have eliminated them in previous tournaments. They drew all three of their group games, tying with Iceland (1-1), Austria (0-0) and Hungary (3-3).

In the knockouts, Portugal won their Round of 16 clash with Croatia thanks to a Ricardo Quaresma goal in extra-time, while penalties were needed to separate them from Poland in the quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw. Their sole 90 minute victory came in the semi-finals against Wales, when goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani saw them advance to the final. In the final, an Eder goal in extra-time sealed the victory and the championship for Portugal.

Answer: 14

The 11 host cities were London, Rome, Munich, Baku, Seville, Glasgow, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Bucharest, Budapest and Saint Petersburg.

Munich is home to Bayern Munich, who had won six European Cups (1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013, 2020). Amsterdam is home to Ajax, champions in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1995. London is home to Chelsea, who won the European Cup in 2012 and 2021. It is also home to runners-up Arsenal (2006) and Tottenham Hotspur (2019). Steaua Bucharest won the competition in 1986 while Glasgow Celtic won in 1967. Italian club Roma were runners-up in 1984 while both Celtic and Steaua were runners-up in the immediate years following their European glory.

Sevilla have established themselves as a dominant force in the UEFA Cup/Europa League with six tournament wins in the 21st Century (2006, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020). Zenit Saint Petersburg won the UEFA Cup in 2008.

Answer: Nuno Gomes

Gomes featured at three European Championships for Portugal between 2000 and 2008, scoring six times in 14 appearances. He was particularly prominent at Euro 2000, where he scored four times including a brace in the quarter-finals against Turkey. Milosevic netted five times at Euro 2000, and was the joint top scorer at the tournament.

He did not feature at another Euros. Trezeguet was not a prolific goalscorer at the Euros, though he did score the winner in the Euro 2000 final. Klose is a legendary scorer at the World Cup, though he never translated this to Euros tournaments.

Answer: The Secretary-General of the French Football Federation

Delaunay was the Secretary-General of the French Football Federation as well as the first Secretary-General of UEFA. He lasted only 17 months in his UEFA role due to his death in November 1955, though his impact on the game had already become clear. Delaunay had proposed the idea of a European tournament for clubs and national teams in the 1920s, and his dedication to the idea has led to the trophy being named in his honour.

He did not live to see the first tournament in 1960.