France at the UEFA European Championship

Overview of France at the UEFA European Championship

The UEFA European Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations). Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current name in 1968. Starting with the 1996 tournament, specific championships are often referred to in the form "Euro 2008" or whichever year is appropriate. Prior to entering the tournament all teams other than the host nations (which qualify automatically) compete in a qualifying process.

France is one of the most successful nations at the European Championship, having won two titles in 1984 and 2000, and finishing as runners-up in 2016. The team is just below Spain and Germany, who have won three titles each. France hosted the inaugural competition in 1960 and have appeared in ten tournaments (with an upcoming eleventh appearance in 2024), tied for fourth-best. The team won their first title on home soil in 1984 and were led by Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini. In 2000, the team, led by FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, won its second title in Belgium and the Netherlands. The team's worst result in the competition was a first-round elimination in 1992 and 2008.[1]

Overall record

UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D* L GF GA Campaign
France 1960 Fourth place 4th 2 0 0 2 4 7 Squad 4 3 1 0 17 6 1960
Spain 1964 Did not qualify 6 2 1 3 11 10 1964
Italy 1968 8 4 2 2 16 12 1968
Belgium 1972 6 3 1 2 10 8 1972
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 6 1 3 2 7 6 1976
Italy 1980 6 4 1 1 13 7 1980
France 1984 Champions 1st 5 5 0 0 14 4 Squad Qualified as hosts 1984
West Germany 1988 Did not qualify 8 1 4 3 4 7 1988
Sweden 1992 Group stage 6th 3 0 2 1 2 3 Squad 8 8 0 0 20 6 1992
England 1996 Semi-finals 3rd 5 2 3 0 5 2 Squad 10 5 5 0 22 2 1996
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Champions 1st 6 5 0 1 13 7 Squad 10 6 3 1 17 10 2000
Portugal 2004 Quarter-finals 6th 4 2 1 1 7 5 Squad 8 8 0 0 29 2 2004
Austria Switzerland 2008 Group stage 15th 3 0 1 2 1 6 Squad 12 8 2 2 25 5 2008
Poland Ukraine 2012 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 1 2 3 5 Squad 10 6 3 1 15 4 2012
France 2016 Runners-up 2nd 7 5 1 1 13 5 Squad Qualified as hosts 2016
Europe 2020 Round of 16 11th 4 1 3 0 7 6 Squad 10 8 1 1 25 6 2020
Germany 2024 Qualified 8 7 1 0 29 3 2024
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028 To be determined To be determined 2028
Italy Turkey 2032 2032
Total 2 Titles 11/17 43 21 12 10 69 50 — 120 74 28 18 260 94 —
*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.
**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won.
***Red border colour indicates that the tournament was held on home soil.

Winning campaigns

Year Manager Captain Final goalscorer(s)
1984 Michel Hidalgo Michel Platini Michel Platini, Bruno Bellone
2000 Roger Lemerre Didier Deschamps Sylvain Wiltord, David Trezeguet

List of matches

Year Round Opponent Score Result Venue France scorer(s)
France 1960 Semi-finals  Yugoslavia 4–5 L Paris Vincent, Heutte (2), Wisnieski
Third place match  Czechoslovakia 0–2 L Marseille —
France 1984 Group stage  Denmark 1–0 W Paris Platini
 Belgium 5–0 W Nantes Platini (3), Giresse, Fernández
 Yugoslavia 3–2 W Saint-Étienne Platini (3)
Semi-finals  Portugal 3–2 (a.e.t.) W Marseille Domergue (2), Platini
Final  Spain 2–0 W Paris Platini, Bellone
Sweden 1992 Group stage  Sweden 1–1 D Solna Papin
 England 0–0 D Malmö —
 Denmark 1–2 L Malmö Papin
England 1996 Group stage  Romania 1–0 W Newcastle Dugarry
 Spain 1–1 D Leeds Djorkaeff
 Bulgaria 3–1 W Newcastle Blanc, Penev (o.g.), Loko
Quarter-finals  Netherlands 0–0 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) D Liverpool —
Semi-finals  Czech Republic 0–0 (a.e.t.) (5–6 p) D Manchester —
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Group stage  Denmark 3–0 W Bruges Blanc, Henry, Wiltord
 Czech Republic 2–1 W Bruges Henry, Djorkaeff
 Netherlands 2–3 L Amsterdam Dugarry, Trezeguet
Quarter-finals  Spain 2–1 W Bruges Zidane, Djorkaeff
Semi-finals  Portugal 2–1 (a.s.d.e.t.) W Brussels Henry, Zidane
Final  Italy 2–1 (a.s.d.e.t.) W Rotterdam Wiltord, Trezeguet
Portugal 2004 Group stage  England 2–1 W Lisbon Zidane (2)
 Croatia 2–2 D Leiria Tudor (o.g.), Trezeguet
  Switzerland 3–1 W Coimbra Zidane, Henry (2)
Quarter-finals  Greece 0–1 L Lisbon —
Austria Switzerland 2008 Group stage  Romania 0–0 D Zürich —
 Netherlands 1–4 L Bern Henry
 Italy 0–2 L Zürich —
Poland Ukraine 2012 Group stage  England 1–1 D Donetsk Nasri
 Ukraine 2–0 W Donetsk Ménez, Cabaye
 Sweden 0–2 L Kyiv —
Quarter-finals  Spain 0–2 L Donetsk —
France 2016 Group stage  Romania 2–1 W Saint-Denis Giroud, Payet
 Albania 2–0 W Marseille Griezmann, Payet
  Switzerland 0–0 D Lille —
Round of 16  Republic of Ireland 2–1 W Lyon Griezmann (2)
Quarter-finals  Iceland 5–2 W Saint-Denis Giroud (2), Pogba, Payet, Griezmann
Semi-finals  Germany 2–0 W Marseille Griezmann (2)
Final  Portugal 0–1 (a.e.t.) L Saint-Denis —
Europe 2020 Group stage  Germany 1–0 W Munich Hummels (o.g.)
 Hungary 1–1 D Budapest Griezmann
 Portugal 2–2 D Budapest Benzema (2)
Round of 16   Switzerland 3–3 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) D Bucharest Benzema (2), Pogba
Germany 2024 Group stage  Austria – Düsseldorf
 Netherlands – Budapest
 Poland – Dortmund

1960 European Nations' Cup

  • v
  • t
  • e
France squad – 1960 European Nations' Cup fourth place
France

Final tournament

Semi-finals
France 4–5 Yugoslavia
 Report
Attendance: 26,370
Third place play-off
Czechoslovakia 2–0 France
Report
Attendance: 9,438
Referee: Cesare Jonni (Italy)

Euro 1984

  • v
  • t
  • e
France squad – UEFA Euro 1984 winners (1st title)
France

Group stage

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  France (H) 3 3 0 0 9 2 +7 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Denmark 3 2 0 1 8 3 +5 4
3  Belgium 3 1 0 2 4 8 −4 2
4  Yugoslavia 3 0 0 3 2 10 −8 0
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
France 1–0 Denmark
 Report
Attendance: 47,570
France 5–0 Belgium
 Report
Attendance: 51,359
Referee: Bob Valentine (Scotland)
France 3–2 Yugoslavia
 Report

Knockout stage

Semi-finals
France 3–2 (a.e.t.) Portugal
 Report
Attendance: 54,848
Referee: Paolo Bergamo (Italy)
Final
France 2–0 Spain
 Report

Euro 1992

  • v
  • t
  • e
France squad – UEFA Euro 1992
France

Group stage

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Sweden (H) 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  Denmark 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 3
3  France 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
4  England 3 0 2 1 1 2 −1 2
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Sweden 1–1 France
  • J. Eriksson 24'
 Report
Attendance: 29,860
Referee: Alexey Spirin (CIS)
France 0–0 England
Report
Attendance: 26,535
France 1–2 Denmark
 Report
Attendance: 25,763

Euro 1996

  • v
  • t
  • e
France squad – UEFA Euro 1996 semi-finalists
France

Group stage

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  France 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Spain 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5
3  Bulgaria 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4
4  Romania 3 0 0 3 1 4 −3 0
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Romania 0–1 France
Report
Attendance: 26,323
France 1–1 Spain
Report
Attendance: 35,626
Referee: Vadim Zhuk (Belarus)
France 3–1 Bulgaria
 Report

Knockout stage

Quarter-finals
France 0–0 (a.e.t.) Netherlands
Report
Penalties
5–4
Attendance: 37,465[3]
Semi-finals
France 0–0 (a.e.t.) Czech Republic
Report
Penalties
5–6
Attendance: 43,877[4]

Euro 2000

  • v
  • t
  • e
France squad – UEFA Euro 2000 winners (2nd title)
France

Group stage

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Netherlands (H) 3 3 0 0 7 2 +5 9 Advance to knockout stage
2  France 3 2 0 1 7 4 +3 6
3  Czech Republic 3 1 0 2 3 3 0 3
4  Denmark 3 0 0 3 0 8 −8 0
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
France 3–0 Denmark
 Report
Attendance: 28,100
Czech Republic 1–2 France
 Report
Attendance: 27,243
Referee: Graham Poll (England)
France 2–3 Netherlands
Report
Attendance: 50,000
Referee: Anders Frisk (Sweden)

Knockout stage

Quarter-finals
Spain 1–2 France
 Report
Attendance: 26,614
Semi-finals
France 2–1 (a.e.t.) Portugal
 Report
Final
France 2–1 (a.e.t./g.g.) Italy
 Report
Attendance: 48,100[5]
Referee: Anders Frisk (Sweden)

Euro 2004

  • v
  • t
  • e
France squad – UEFA Euro 2004
France

Group stage

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  France 3 2 1 0 7 4 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  England 3 2 0 1 8 4 +4 6
3  Croatia 3 0 2 1 4 6 −2 2
4   Switzerland 3 0 1 2 1 6 −5 1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
France 2–1 England
 Report
Attendance: 62,487
Referee: Markus Merk (Germany)
Croatia 2–2 France
 Report
Switzerland 1–3 France
Report

Knockout phase

Quarter-finals
France 0–1 Greece
Report
Attendance: 45,390
Referee: Anders Frisk (Sweden)

Euro 2008

  • v
  • t
  • e
France squad – UEFA Euro 2008
France

Group stage

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Netherlands 3 3 0 0 9 1 +8 9 Advance to knockout phase
2  Italy 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4
3  Romania 3 0 2 1 1 3 −2 2
4  France 3 0 1 2 1 6 −5 1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Romania 0–0 France
Report
Attendance: 30,585[6]
Netherlands 4–1 France
 Report
Attendance: 30,777[7]
France 0–2 Italy
Report
Attendance: 30,585[8]

Euro 2012

  • v
  • t
  • e
France squad – UEFA Euro 2012
France

Group stage

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  England 3 2 1 0 5 3 +2 7 Advance to knockout phase
2  France 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
3  Ukraine (H) 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 3[a]
4  Sweden 3 1 0 2 5 5 0 3[a]
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head result: Ukraine 2–1 Sweden.
France 1–1 England
 Report
Attendance: 47,400[9]
Ukraine 0–2 France
Report
Sweden 2–0 France
Report
Attendance: 63,010[11]

Knockout phase

Quarter-finals
Spain 2–0 France
 Report
Attendance: 47,000[12]

Euro 2016

  • v
  • t
  • e
France squad – UEFA Euro 2016 runners-up
France

Group stage

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  France (H) 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 7 Advance to knockout phase
2   Switzerland 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5
3  Albania 3 1 0 2 1 3 −2 3
4  Romania 3 0 1 2 2 4 −2 1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
France 2–1 Romania
 Report
France 2–0 Albania
 Report
Switzerland 0–0 France
Report

Knockout phase

Round of 16
France 2–1 Republic of Ireland
 Report
Quarter-finals
France 5–2 Iceland
 Report
Semi-finals
Germany 0–2 France
Report
Attendance: 64,078[18]
Final
Portugal 1–0 (a.e.t.) France
  • Eder 109'
 Report

Euro 2020

  • v
  • t
  • e
France squad – UEFA Euro 2020
France

Group stage

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  France 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5 Advance to knockout phase
2  Germany (H) 3 1 1 1 6 5 +1 4[a]
3  Portugal 3 1 1 1 7 6 +1 4[a]
4  Hungary (H) 3 0 2 1 3 6 −3 2
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head result: Portugal 2–4 Germany.
France 1–0 Germany
 Report
Hungary 1–1 France
 Report
Attendance: 55,998[21]
Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
Portugal 2–2 France
 Report

Knockout phase

Round of 16
France 3–3 (a.e.t.)  Switzerland
 Report
Penalties
4–5

Euro 2024

Group stage

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Poland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2  Netherlands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Austria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible knockout stage based on ranking
4  France 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 16 June 2024. Source: UEFA
Austria Match 8 France
Report
Netherlands Match 20 France
Report
Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig
France Match 32 Poland
Report

Goalscorers

Player Goals 1960 1984 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Michel Platini 9 9
Antoine Griezmann 7 6 1
Thierry Henry 6 3 2 1
Zinedine Zidane 5 2 3
Karim Benzema 4 4
Youri Djorkaeff 3 1 2
Olivier Giroud 3 3
David Trezeguet 3 2 1
Dimitri Payet 3 3
Laurent Blanc 2 1 1
Jean-Pierre Papin 2 2
Paul Pogba 2 1 1
Jean-François Domergue 2 2
Christophe Dugarry 2 1 1
François Heutte 2 2
Sylvain Wiltord 2 2
Bruno Bellone 1 1
Yohan Cabaye 1 1
Luis Fernandez 1 1
Alain Giresse 1 1
Patrice Loko 1 1
Jérémy Ménez 1 1
Samir Nasri 1 1
Jean Vincent 1 1
Maryan Wisnieski 1 1
Own goals 3 1 1 1
Total 69 4 14 2 5 13 7 1 3 13 7 0

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Gallagher suffered an injury in the 28th minute and was replaced by fourth official Paul Durkin (England).

References

  1. ^ "Football in France". UEFA.com. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  2. ^ "European Football Championship 1984 FINAL". euro2000.org. Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  3. ^ Turnbull, Simon (24 June 1996). "Fitful France advance". The Independent. Independent Print. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  4. ^ Shaw, Phil (27 June 1996). "France are sent home by Kadlec". The Independent. Independent Print. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  5. ^ "The Final – and the Man of the Match". Euro 2000 Technical Report and Statistics (PDF). UEFA. 2000. p. 107. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Full-time report Romania-France" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 9 June 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  7. ^ "Full-time Netherlands-France" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 13 June 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  8. ^ "Full-time report France-Italy" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  9. ^ "Full-time report France-England" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  10. ^ "Full-time report Ukraine-France" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  11. ^ "Full-time report Sweden-France" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
  12. ^ "Full-time report Spain-France" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 23 June 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  13. ^ "Full Time Summary – France v Romania" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  14. ^ "Full Time Summary – France v Albania" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  15. ^ "Full Time Summary – Switzerland v France" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 19 June 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  16. ^ "Full Time Summary – France v Republic of Ireland" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 26 June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  17. ^ "Full Time Summary – France v Iceland" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 3 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  18. ^ "Full Time Summary – Germany v France" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  19. ^ "Full Time Summary – Portugal v France" (PDF). UEFA. 10 July 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  20. ^ "Full Time Summary – France v Germany" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  21. ^ "Full Time Summary – Hungary v France" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 19 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  22. ^ "Full Time Summary – Portugal v France" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Full Time Summary – France v Switzerland" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.

External links

  • France at UEFA
  • v
  • t
  • e
France national football team
General topics
Results
  • 1904–20
  • 1921–59
  • 1960–79
  • 1980–99
  • 2000–19
  • 2020–present
  • Unofficial matches
Venues
Statistics
Players
Goals
FIFA World Cup tournaments
UEFA Euro tournaments
UEFA Nations League finals
FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments
Other tournaments
Rivalries
Culture
Other FFF teams