How Many Times Have Italy Won the Euro Championship?

Jenny Lee July 10, 2021 | 14:41

Italy have been a part of three UEFA European Championship final matches so far and have won once.

How many times have Italy won the Euros?

Revisiting Italy’s 1968 UEFA European Championship

Italy advanced to their fourth final at the Euros with a penalty shootout win over Spain in the first semi final of Euro 2020.

Italy will be looking to add the Euro 2020 trophy to their cabinet when they take on England at Wembley on Sunday 11 July (8pm kick off).

How many times have Italy won the Euro Cup?

Prior to this, the Italy national football team had reached the European Championship final in 1968, 2000 and 2012.

And Italy's only title win in the UEFA Euros came in 1968, when the Blues had beaten Yugoslavia over two matches.

UEFA Euros 1968 followed a different qualification format altogether. While the group stages of that edition were held across two years, from 1966 to 1968, the quarter-final group stage was played in the tournament year (1968) with a home and away match basis for the teams divided into four groups.

Amidst the many rules of Euro 1968, which would seem obscure today, the coin toss is one that stands out. As per the rules, every tied match of that tournament, barring the final match, was to be decided with extra time followed by a coin toss.

The provision for a rematch, in case of a drawn match, was reserved only for the final and Italy’s Euro win saw both these rules being put into action.

After drawing 0-0 with the Soviet Union in Naples in one of the semi-finals, the Italian football team was handed a place in the final by virtue of a coin toss.

Footballing giants Yugoslavia had beaten England in the other semi-final to reach the summit clash. However, underdogs Italy managed to play out a 1-1 draw with them in the first game to force a rematch. The second game was played two days later and the hosts emerged 2-0 winners in Rome.

Italy Euro 2000: Italy's next chance at lifting the coveted European title came 32 years later in the final of UEFA Euro 2000. However, in one of the most heart-breaking football defeats ever, France had stolen the trophy with a 94th minute equalizer and a 102nd minute Golden Goal.

Italy Euro 2012: The UEFA Euro 2012 final was pretty straightforward. A World Cup-winning Spanish side delivered a 4-0 rout against Italy in the summit clash, with David Silva, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata getting on the scoresheet.

Italy’s record in UEFA Euro final matches:

How Many Times Have Italy Won the Euro Championship?

Italy’s record in UEFA Euro final matches

The Full List of Euro Cup Winners in the Past

The UEFA European Championship (the 'Euros') is a national men's football competition between Europpan countries, held every four years.

Germany - 3 (1972, 1980, 1996)

Spain - 3 (1964, 2008, 2012)

France - 2 (1984, 2000)

Netherlands - 1 (1988)

Italy - 1 (1968)

Greece - 1 (2004)

Denmark - 1 (1992)

Portugal - 1 (2016)

There have been nine countries that have won the tournament: Germany and Spain with three titles, France with two titles while Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Greece have one title each. Spain is the only country to win consecutive titles, in 2008 and 2012.

How many times have Italy won the World Cup?

Italy's World Cup record is impressive.

They have won the World Cup four times in their history, with wins at their first two appearances in 1934 and 1938 followed by wins in 1982 and more recently in 2006.

Italy were runners up in 1970 and 1994, came third in 1990 and fourth in 1978. They have fallen at the quarter final stage once, in 1998, and the Round of 16 twice, in 1986 and 2002.

Italy didn't even qualify for the 2018 World Cup.