1996 UEFA Euro Championship
The 1996 UEFA European Championship, commonly known as Euro 1996, was hosted by England from June 8 to June 30. It was the tenth edition of the tournament and the first to feature 16 teams, expanded from the previous format of 8.
The tournament's group stage saw the 16 teams divided into four groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the quarter-finals. Group A included England, the Netherlands, Scotland, and Switzerland, while Group B had France, Spain, Romania, and Bulgaria. Group C consisted of Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Russia, and Group D featured Portugal, Croatia, Denmark, and Turkey.
England, as the host nation, had a strong performance, reaching the semi-finals where they were narrowly defeated by Germany in a penalty shootout, 6-5, after a 1-1 draw.
Germany emerged victorious, winning their third European Championship title by defeating the Czech Republic 2-1 in the final held at Wembley Stadium in London.
The match was decided by a golden goal in extra time, scored by Oliver Bierhoff, which was the first-ever golden goal in a major tournament. Bierhoff's winning goal, following his equalizer in regular time, made him the top scorer for Germany with three goals throughout the tournament.
Trivia
- In 1996, Germany won the Final 2–1 against Czechia thanks to the first golden goal ever in a major tournament.
Related Pages
- UEFA Euro Home
- UEFA Euro Host Countries List
- UEFA Euro Winners List
- UEFA Euro Trivia
- The Year in Sport: 1996
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