UEFA European Championship “EURO” Founded1960 Region Europe (UEFA ) Number of teams 24 (fnals) 54 (eligible to enter qualifcation) Current champions Spain(r! title) Most successful team(s) "er#an$Spain (titles eac%) Website &'cial ebsite History & Format The UEFA European Championship, or simply, The Euros, is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), determining the continental champion of Europe. Held eery four years since !"#$, in the een%numbered year bet&een orld up tournaments, it &as originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current name in !"#. The idea for a pan%European football tournament &as first proposed by the French Football Federation's secretary%general Henri *elaunayin !"+, but it &as not until !"-that the tournament &as started, three years after *elaunay's death. n honor of *elaunay, the trophy a&arded to the champions is named after him. /rior to entering the tournament all teams other than the host nations ( &hich 0ualify automatically) compete in a 0ualifying process. 1efore !"$, only four teams 0ualified for the final tournament. From !"$, eight teams competed. n !""# the tournament e2panded to !# teams, since it &as easier for European nations to 0ualify for the orld up than their o&n continental championship. For +$!#, the competition &ill increase to +3 teams. n +$$, there &as much discussion about an e2pansion of the tournament to +3 teams, started by 4cotland and the 5epublic of reland, due to the increased number of football associations in Europe after the brea6ups of 7echosloa6ia, 8ugoslaia and the 4oiet Union, and the inclusion of srael and 9a7a6hstan. The competing teams are chosen by a series of 0ualifying games: in !"#$ and !"#3 through home and a&ay play%offs; from !"#through a combination of both 0ualifying groups and play%off games. The host country &as selected from the four finalists after they &ere determined through 0ualifying. 4ince the e2pansion of the final
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