When it comes to prestigious football tournaments, other than the World Cup, there isn’t really anything that gets close to the prestige of the European Championship.
England have been semi-regular participants over the years, and whilst the team has never been crowned champions, they have experienced their fair share of ups and downs along the way.
Euro 2024 saw England reach a second successive final, with Spain inflicting similar heartbreak to Italy three years prior.
But how does their overall record at the tournament shape up? Football FanCast has looked back at all of England’s past campaigns for you to reminisce about.
Year
Stage reached
1960
Did not enter
1964
Failed to qualify
1968
Third place
1972
Failed to qualify
1976
Failed to qualify
1980
Group stage
1984
Failed to qualify
1988
Group stage
1992
Group stage
1996
Semi-finals
2000
Group stage
2004
Quarter-finals
2008
Failed to qualify
2012
Quarter-finals
2016
Round of 16
2020
Runners-up
2024
Runners-up
Euro 2024 tournament guide: Teams, matches, dates, TV channels, odds & more
Football FanCast has put together a guide for all things Euro 2024, with venues, fixtures, tables, stadiums and more all covered here.
Euro 2024 Group C: Teams, players, fixtures and venues
Everything you need to know about Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia and England ahead of Euro 2024.
Next England manager: Who could replace Gareth Southgate?
It’s over for Gareth Southgate – here’s who England could turn to next following his resignation.
Every England penalty shootout at major tournaments
A chance to relive all of the Three Lions’ penalty shootouts at major tournaments.
Ranking the ten biggest upsets at the European Championships
With Euro 2024 fast approaching, Football FanCast has created a list of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history…
ByJack Salveson HolmesJun 14, 2024 Euro 2020 Football nearly comes home
The most recent edition of the European Championship is by far and away England’s most successful tournament.
The competition kicked off a year later than planned due to the pandemic and was played across multiple European nations, including England.
Gareth Southgate had just led his side to a World Cup semi-final three years prior, and so while the Three Lions weren’t favourites, there was an element of expectation among fans.
The team were placed in Group D alongside Croatia, the Czech Republic and Scotland. Things got off to a decent start as Southgate’s men played out a 1-0 win over Croatia, but the following 0-0 draw against Scotland tempered people’s expectations somewhat.
The final group game played out much like the first; Raheem Sterling scored England’s only goal as the side beat the Czechs 1-0. Two wins and a draw from the group was enough to qualify as winners, which meant a last-16 tie against Germany.
Goals from Sterling and Harry Kane saw the Three Lions finally get the better of Die Mannschaft in a knockout game for the first time since the World Cup final in 1966.
The quarter-finals saw the team put four past Ukraine to set up a nervy semi-final with Denmark. The game took place at Wembley Stadium, so there was an eerie silence when the Danes took the lead through Mikkel Damsgaard in the 30th minute.
Luckily for the home crowd, Simon Kjær put the ball in the back of his own net just nine minutes later to level the scores. It would take extra-time to find a winner, but England finally took the lead when Kane scored in the 104th minute. It was just Italy that now stood between England and footballing greatness.
Luke Shaw opened the scoring just two minutes in, creating bedlam at Wembley. However, once they were ahead, England seemed to shrink into their shells, and after defending for most of the game, Italy finally levelled the score through Leonardo Bonucci. Extra time came and went, and it was once again – as it always seems to be – a penalty shootout that stood before the English national team. Unfortunately, we all know what happened from here.
Kane and Harry Maguire scored their penalties, but Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka all had to endure the soul-crushing feeling of missing theirs. Jordan Pickford performed wonders between the sticks, but it just wasn’t to be, and Italy claimed the title on English soil.
Round
Opponent
Result
Goalscorers
Group stage
Croatia
W 1-0
Sterling
Group stage
Scotland
D 0-0
None
Group stage
Czech Republic
W 1-0
Sterling
Round of 16
Germany
W 2-0
Sterling, Kane
Quarter-final
Ukraine
W 4-0
Kane (2), Maguire, Jordan Henderson
Semi-final
Denmark
W 2-1 (aet)
Kjaer (og), Kane / Damsgaard
Final
Italy
D 1-1 (2-3 on pens)
Shaw / Bonucci