# UEFA European Championship qualifying

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/UEFA_European_Championship_qualifying
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/UEFA_European_Championship_qualifying.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_European_Championship_qualifying
> Source revision: 1349934947
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "UEFA European Championship qualifying" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: "UEFA European Championship qualifying" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Football tournament

UEFA European Championship qualifying Founded 1958 Region Europe (UEFA) Teams 55 (currently eligible) 56 (overall) Qualifier for UEFA European Championship Related competitions UEFA Nations League Website Official website

UEFA European Qualifiers FIFA World Cup 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026 UEFA European Championship 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 2028 v t e

The **UEFA European Championship qualifying**, branded as the **European Qualifiers**, is the process that [UEFA](/source/UEFA)-affiliated national [football](/source/Association_football) teams go through in order to qualify for the [UEFA European Championship](/source/UEFA_European_Championship). In this article, the years represent the final tournaments of the European Championship and are not meant to correspond to the actual dates when the qualification matches were played.

## Format evolution

Qualifying groups Year Groups Teams 1960 — — 1964 — — 1968 8 3–4 1972 8 4 1976 8 4 1980 7 4–5 1984 7 4–5 1988 7 4–5 1992 7 4–5 1996 8 5–6 2000 9 5–6 2004 10 5 2008 7 7–8 2012 9 5–6 2016 9 5–6 2020 10 5–6 2024 10 5–6 2028 12 4–5

### Pre-2000

The [1960](/source/1960_European_Nations'_Cup_qualifying) and [1964](/source/1964_European_Nations'_Cup_qualifying) qualifications were [knock-out tournaments](/source/Knockout). The four quarter-final-winning teams qualified for the final stages, and one of them was chosen to host the competition.

From 1968 onwards, a [group stage](/source/Tournament#Group_tournaments) began to be used as the main, or sole, component of qualification. In [1968](/source/UEFA_Euro_1968_qualifying), [1972](/source/UEFA_Euro_1972_qualifying) and [1976](/source/UEFA_Euro_1976_qualifying), the winners of the eight groups advanced to a quarter-final stage, which was still part of the qualifying. The four quarter-final winners progressed to the finals. Again, the host nation was selected among the four finalists.

From 1980, the hosting rights would be assigned in advance, and the host teams would be guaranteed automatic qualification. The format of the finals was expanded to feature eight teams. Winners of qualifying groups now proceeded to the finals directly. The [1980](/source/UEFA_Euro_1980_qualifying), [1984](/source/UEFA_Euro_1984_qualifying), [1988](/source/UEFA_Euro_1988_qualifying), and [1992](/source/UEFA_Euro_1992_qualifying) qualifications included seven groups – the winners of which would join the hosts in the finals. However, in 1992, one winner was eventually banned from appearing and replaced by the runner-up of its group.[A]

From 1996, a 16-team format was employed for the main tournament. Runners-up in qualifying groups now could also gain access to the finals. Play-off pairings were introduced as a second opportunity for teams that narrowly miss out on direct qualification. The [1996](/source/UEFA_Euro_1996_qualifying) qualifying consisted of eight groups: The group winners as well as the six best runners-up qualified, so did the winner of the play-off between the remaining two runners-up, joining the host country.

### 2000s

In [2000](/source/UEFA_Euro_2000_qualifying), the first-placed teams in the nine qualifying groups as well as the best runner-up progressed directly to the finals, while another four spots were taken by winners of play-offs contested by the remaining runners-up. For the first time, there were two host countries who both received automatic berths in the finals.

In [2004](/source/UEFA_Euro_2004_qualifying), along with the host team, the ten qualifying group winners advanced, as did the winners of the five play-off ties formed by the runners-up.

In [2008](/source/UEFA_Euro_2008_qualifying), the top two teams from each of the seven qualifying groups joined the two host teams to bring the number of finalists to 16. No play-off stage was held.

The [2012](/source/UEFA_Euro_2012_qualifying) qualification replicated the format of that of 2000: places were taken by nine group winners and the best runner-up, while the other runners-up determined four more finalists via play-offs, with the two host countries qualifying by default.

Starting from 2016, the finals format was expanded again, now featuring 24 teams. It became possible for third-placed teams in qualifying groups to get to the Euros too. The [2016](/source/UEFA_Euro_2016_qualifying) qualifying included nine groups; the winners, the runners-up, and the best third-placed team advanced directly, while play-offs played by the other third-placed teams determined the last four finalists. The host nation still qualified automatically. The 2016 qualification tournament was the first one to be branded as the European Qualifiers, a trademark used from that point on for both the European Championship qualifications and the [FIFA World Cup qualification tournaments](/source/FIFA_World_Cup_qualification) in Europe.[2]

### 2020s–present

From 2020, qualification began to be linked with the newly created [UEFA Nations League](/source/UEFA_Nations_League): participation in the qualifying play-offs was now determined based on the teams' performances in that competition and not in qualification itself.[3] The play-offs themselves were restructured into four-team brackets consisting of semi-finals and a final. In the [UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying](/source/UEFA_Euro_2020_qualifying), the top two teams of the ten qualifying groups took twenty places in the main tournament. From each of the four divisions of the [2018–19 UEFA Nations League](/source/2018%E2%80%9319_UEFA_Nations_League), the four best-ranked teams that were already qualified for Euro 2020 filled in a play-off bracket for that division, and the winner of each bracket got a spot in the Euros as well. There were no automatic berths for Euro 2020 as it was hosted by multiple cities across the continent. However, the tournament was postponed until 2021 due to the [COVID-19 pandemic](/source/COVID-19_pandemic), but retained its original branding.

Much like the 2020 tournament, the [2024](/source/UEFA_Euro_2024_qualifying) qualifying granted spots to the winners and runners-up of the ten qualifying groups, while this time only the top three divisions of the [2022–23 Nations League](/source/2022%E2%80%9323_UEFA_Nations_League) formed play-off brackets to determine three more finalists, and the host country got an automatic spot.[3]

For [2028](/source/UEFA_Euro_2028_qualifying), the number of groups will be increased to twelve. The winners will advance to the finals, while the runners-up will either also advance directly or participate in play-offs. It is to be announced how many and which of the four host countries will qualify by default or will play qualification matches.[4][5][6]

### Number of teams entering

1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 2028 2032 Total valid entries[a] 17 29 31 32 32 31 32 32 34 47 49 50 50 51 53 55 53 Played at least one match[a] 28 33 Qualified through qualification 4 4 4 4 4 7 7 7 7 15 14 15 14 14 23 24 23 Qualified automatically 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 0 1 2 Total finalists 4 4 4 4 4 8 8 8 8 16 16 16 16 16 24 24 24 24

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-q_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-q_8-1) Data is about qualifications only (automatic qualifiers are not counted).

## Participating teams

National teams that are members of [UEFA](/source/UEFA) are eligible to enter the European Championship qualification. A total of 56 distinct entities have made attempts to qualify for the European Championship. Of those, 55 are still active in the competition as of 2024. Due to political changes, a few of the entities have appeared under multiple incarnations (see the footnotes to the below table). For instance, the [East Germany](/source/East_Germany_national_football_team) team has defunct since the [German reunification](/source/German_reunification) on 3 October 1990.

[Saarland](/source/Saarland_national_football_team), a former UEFA member, merged into [West Germany](/source/West_Germany) in 1957. As a result, they did not enter the qualifiers of any European Championships.

Year Debuting teams Successor teams Renamed teams Teams No. CT 1960 Austria, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia,[S 1] Denmark, East Germany,[P 1] France, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Soviet Union,[S 2] Spain, Turkey, Yugoslavia[S 3] 17 17 1964 Albania, Belgium, England, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Wales 12 29 1968 Cyprus, Finland, Scotland, West Germany[S 4] 4 33 1972 0 33 1976 0 33 1980 0 33 1984 0 33 1988 0 33 1992 Faroe Islands, San Marino 2 35 Germany[S 4] 1996 Armenia,[P 2] Azerbaijan,[P 2] Belarus,[P 2] Croatia,[P 3] Estonia,[P 2] Georgia,[P 2] Israel, Latvia,[P 2] Liechtenstein, Lithuania,[P 2] Macedonia,[P 3][R 1] Moldova,[P 2] Slovenia,[P 3] Ukraine[P 2] 15[i] 50 Czech Republic,[S 1] Russia,[S 2] Slovakia[S 1] 2000 Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina[P 3] 2 52 FR Yugoslavia[S 3][R 2] 2004 0 52 Serbia and Montenegro[S 3][R 2] 2008 Kazakhstan[P 2] 1 53 Serbia[S 3] 2012 Montenegro[P 3] 1 54 2016 Gibraltar 1 55 2020 Kosovo[P 3] 1 56 North Macedonia[P 3][R 1] 2024 0 56

**Successor teams inheriting the records of former teams**

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-TCH_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-TCH_9-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-TCH_9-2) As recognised by UEFA, the [Czech Republic](/source/Czech_Republic_national_football_team) and [Slovakia](/source/Slovakia_national_football_team) are considered equal successors of [Czechoslovakia](/source/Czechoslovakia_national_football_team) from the 1996 qualification.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-URS_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-URS_11-1) The [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union_national_football_team) was succeeded and replaced for the [1992 finals](/source/UEFA_Euro_1992) by the provisional [Commonwealth of Independent States](/source/CIS_national_football_team) team, which also was succeeded by [Russia](/source/Russia_national_football_team) from the [1996 qualification](/source/UEFA_Euro_1996_qualifying).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-YUG_12-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-YUG_12-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-YUG_12-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-YUG_12-3) [Yugoslavia](/source/Yugoslavia_national_football_team) was succeeded from the 2000 qualification by [FR Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro](/source/Serbia_and_Montenegro_national_football_team), which also was succeeded by [Serbia](/source/Serbia_national_football_team) from the 2008 qualification.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-West_Germany_13-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-West_Germany_13-1) West Germany was succeeded by the reunified Germany from the 1992 qualification.

**Teams competing as parts of other teams**

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** East Germany has competed as part of the [reunited Germany](/source/Germany_national_football_team) since the 1992 qualification.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-URS_14-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-URS_14-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-URS_14-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-URS_14-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-URS_14-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-URS_14-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-URS_14-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-URS_14-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-URS_14-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-URS_14-9) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Ukraine competed as parts of the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union_national_football_team) from 1960 to 1992. All of them except Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania also competed in the [1992 finals](/source/UEFA_Euro_1992) as parts of the [Commonwealth of Independent States](/source/CIS_national_football_team).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-YUG_15-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-YUG_15-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-YUG_15-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-YUG_15-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-YUG_15-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-YUG_15-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-YUG_15-6) Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovenia competed as parts of [Yugoslavia](/source/Yugoslavia_national_football_team) from 1960 to 1992. Kosovo and Montenegro competed as parts of [FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro](/source/Serbia_and_Montenegro_national_football_team) from 2000 to 2004. Kosovo competed as part of [Serbia](/source/Serbia_national_football_team) in 2008, before breaking off from it and eventually being admitted to UEFA.

**Renamed teams**

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-MKD_16-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-MKD_16-1) Macedonia was renamed as North Macedonia from the 2020 qualification.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FRY_18-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FRY_18-1) FR Yugoslavia was renamed as Serbia and Montenegro during the 2004 qualification.

**Other notes**

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Given that UEFA recognises the Czech Republic and Slovakia as equal successors of Czechoslovakia, neither team is considered to have debuted outright under its current incarnation. However, they are separate entities and counted accordingly, bringing the cumulative total number of participants to 50 as of 1996 (and 56 as of 2024).

## Overview

Team 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 2028 2032 Albania — r16 3/3 4/4 — — 5/5 4/4 5/5 6/6 5/6 4/5 5/7 5/6 2/5 4/6 1/5 Andorra 6/6 5/5 7/7 6/6 6/6 5/6 6/6 Armenia 6/6 5/6 4/5 7/8 3/6 5/5 5/6 4/5 Austria QF r16 3/4 2/4 3/4 2/5 3/5 3/4 4/5 4/6 3/5 3/5 Qhost 4/6 1/6 2/6 2/5 Azerbaijan 6/6 5/6 5/5 8/8 5/6 5/6 5/5 4/5 Belarus 4/6 5/5 5/5 4/7 4/6 4/6 4/5+p 4/6 Belgium — pr 2/4 1/4QW 1/4QF 1/5 1/4 3/5 3/4 3/6 Qhost 3/5 5/8 3/6 1/6 1/6 1/5 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3/6 4/5 4/7 2/6+p 3/6+p 4/6+p 5/6+p Bulgaria r16 r16 1/4QF 2/4 3/4 4/5 3/4 2/5 4/5 2/6 4/5 1/5 3/7 5/5 4/6 4/5+p 5/5 Croatia 1/6 3/5 2/5+p 1/7 2/6+p 2/6 1/5 2/5 Cyprus — 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/6 4/5 4/5 6/7 5/5 5/6 4/6 5/5 Czech Republic (1996–) Czechoslovakia (1960–1992) QW pr 2/4 2/4 1/4QW 1/4 3/5 2/4 2/5 1/6 1/6 1/5 1/7 2/5+p 1/6 2/5 2/5 Denmark r16 QW 4/4 4/4 4/4 5/5 1/5 1/4 2/5inv 2/6 2/5+p 1/5 4/7 1/5 3/5+p 2/5 1/5 East Germany r16 r16 2/4 3/4 2/4 3/5 3/4 2/5 w England — pr 1/4QW 1/4QF 2/4 1/5 2/5 1/4 1/4 Qhost 2/5+p 1/5 3/7 1/5 1/6 1/5 1/5 Estonia 6/6 5/6 4/5 6/7 2/6+p 4/6 5/5 5/5+p Faroe Islands 5/5 5/6 6/6 5/5 7/7 6/6 5/6 5/6 5/5 Finland — — 4/4 4/4 4/4 3/4 4/4 4/4 4/5 4/6 3/5 4/5 4/8 4/6 4/6 2/6 3/6+p France QW QF 1/4QF 3/4 3/4 2/4 Qhost 3/5 1/5 2/6 1/6 1/5 2/7 1/6 Qhost 1/6 1/5 Georgia 3/6 6/6 5/5 6/7 5/6 5/6 4/5+p 3/5+p Germany (1992—) West Germany (1960–1988) — — 2/3 1/4QW 1/4QW 1/4 1/5 Qhost 1/4 1/6 1/5 1/5 2/7 1/6 1/6 1/5 Qhost Gibraltar 6/6 5/5 5/5 Greece r16 w 2/4 3/4 2/4 1/4 3/5 2/5 3/5 3/6 3/6 1/5 1/7 1/6 6/6 3/6 3/5+p Hungary r16 QW 1/4QF 1/4QW 2/4 2/4 4/5 3/5 4/5 4/5 4/6 4/5 6/7 3/6 3/6+p 4/5+p 1/5 Iceland — pr — — 4/4 5/5 4/5 4/5 4/5 5/5 4/6 3/5 6/7 4/5 2/6 3/6+p 4/6+p Israel 5/6 2/5+p 3/5 4/7 3/6 4/6 5/6+p 3/6+p Italy — r16 1/4QW 1/4QF 3/4 Qhost 4/5 1/5 2/5 2/6 1/5 1/5 1/7 1/6 1/6 1/6 2/5 Qhost Kazakhstan 6/8 6/6 5/6 5/6 4/6+p Kosovo 3/5+p 5/6 Latvia 5/6 4/6 2/5+p 5/7 4/6 6/6 6/6 5/5 Liechtenstein — — — — 6/6 6/6 5/5 7/7 5/5 5/6 6/6 6/6 Lithuania 3/6 4/6 4/5 5/7 4/5 5/6 5/5 4/5 Luxembourg — QF 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 5/5 5/5 4/4 5/6 5/5 5/5 7/7 6/6 5/6 4/5 3/6+p Malta pr — 4/4 4/4 4/4 5/5 5/5 5/5 6/6 5/5 5/5 7/7 6/6 6/6 6/6 5/5 Moldova 4/6 5/5 4/5 5/7 5/6 6/6 6/6 4/5 Montenegro 2/5+p 4/6 5/5 3/5 Netherlands — r16 3/4 2/4 1/4QW 1/5 2/5 1/5 1/5 2/6+p Qhost 2/5+p 2/7 1/6 4/6 2/5 2/5 North Macedonia (2020–) Macedonia (1996–2016) 4/6 4/5 4/5 5/7 5/6 6/6 3/6+p 4/5 Northern Ireland — r16 4/4 3/4 2/4 2/5 2/5 3/4 3/5 3/6 4/5 5/5 3/7 5/6 1/6 3/5+p 5/6 Norway r16 pr 4/4 4/4 4/4 5/5 4/4 5/5 3/5 3/6 1/6 2/5+p 3/7 3/5 3/6+p 3/6+p 3/5 Poland r16 pr 3/4 2/4 2/4 2/5 3/4 4/5 3/4 4/6 3/5 3/5 1/8 Qhost 2/6 1/6 3/5+p Portugal QF pr 2/4 2/4 3/4 3/5 1/4 3/5 2/5 1/6 2/6 Qhost 2/8 2/5+p 1/5 2/5 1/6 Republic of Ireland pr QF 3/4 4/4 2/4 3/5 3/5 1/5 2/4 2/6+p 2/5+p 3/5 3/7 2/6+p 3/6+p 3/5+p 4/5 Romania QF pr 2/4 1/4QF 2/4 3/4 1/5 2/4 3/5 1/6 1/6 3/5 1/7 3/6 2/6 4/6+p 1/6 Russia (1996–) Soviet Union (1960–1992) QW QW 1/4QW 1/4QW 1/4QF 4/4 2/4 1/5 1/5 1/6 3/6 2/5+p 2/7 1/6 2/6 2/6 s San Marino 5/5 6/6 5/5 5/5 7/7 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 Scotland — — 2/4 3/4 3/4 4/5 4/4 4/5 1/5 2/6 2/6+p 2/5+p 3/7 3/5 4/6 3/6+p 2/5 Serbia (2008–) Serbia and Montenegro (2004) FR Yugoslavia (1996–2004) Yugoslavia (1960–1992) QW r16 1/3QW 1/4QF 1/4QW 2/4 1/4 2/4 1/5dsq s 1/5 3/5 3/8 3/6 4/5 3/5+p 2/5 Slovakia (1996–) Czechoslovakia (1960–1992) QW pr 2/4 2/4 1/4QW 1/4 3/5 2/4 2/5 3/6 3/6 3/5 4/7 4/6 2/6 3/5+p 2/5 Slovenia 5/6 2/6+p 2/5+p 6/7 4/6 3/6+p 4/6 2/5 Spain QF QW 1/4QF 2/4 1/4QF 1/4 1/5 1/4 3/5 1/6 1/5 2/5+p 1/7 1/5 1/6 1/6 1/5 Sweden — QF 3/4 3/4 3/4 3/4 2/5 2/5 Qhost 3/5 1/5 1/5 2/7 2/6 3/6+p 2/6 3/5 Switzerland — pr 3/4 2/4 4/4 4/5 2/4 4/5 2/5 1/5 3/5 1/5 Qhost 3/5 2/6 1/5 2/5 Turkey r16 pr 4/4 3/4 3/4 2/4 4/5 4/4 4/4 2/5 2/5+p 2/5+p 2/7 2/6+p 3/6 2/6 1/5 Qhost Ukraine 4/6 2/6+p 3/5 4/7 Qhost 3/6+p 1/5 3/5+p Wales — pr 3/4 3/4 1/4QF 3/4 2/4 3/4 2/4 5/6 4/5 2/5+p 5/7 4/5 2/6 2/5 3/5+p Team 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 2028 2032

**Key**

- golden background = successful qualifying campaign

- grey background = did not take part in qualifying

- **bold red typeface** = participated in the final tournament

X/Y Came X-th in a group of Y teams. X/Y+p Came X-th in a group of Y teams, then qualified through a play-off round. QW Qualified as quarter-final winner X/YQW Came X-th in a group of Y teams, then qualified as quarter-final winner. X/Ydsq Qualified as X-th in a group of Y teams, but was banned from participating in the finals (Yugoslavia in 1992)[A] X/Y Came X-th in a group of Y teams X/Y+p Came X-th in a group of Y teams, then was eliminated in a play-off round X/Yinv Failed to qualify coming X-th in a group of Y teams, but was invited to the finals as a replacement (Denmark in 1992)[A] QF Was eliminated in the quarter-finals X/YQF Came X-th in a group of Y teams, then was eliminated in the quarter-finals. r16 Was eliminated in the round of 16 pr Was eliminated in the preliminary round Qhost Qualified automatically as host w Entered but withdrew before playing any matches (Greece in 1964 and East Germany in 1992) s Was suspended from taking part (Yugoslavia in 1996 and Russia in 2024) — Did not enter despite being a UEFA member Was not a UEFA member

## Team records

The below table compares the overall records of all teams that have participated in qualification. Teams are ordered by points using the [three points for a win](/source/Three_points_for_a_win) system, then by goal difference, and then by goals scored. Note that this order does not represent any official rankings, and qualification tournaments are not direct competitions between all teams.

The "Qualifying attempts" column only counts qualifying campaigns where the team played at least one match, while the "Appearances in the finals" also include automatic qualifiers.

As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in [extra time](/source/Overtime_(sports)) are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by [penalty shoot-outs](/source/Penalty_shoot-out_(association_football)) are counted as draws.

Legend Team has qualified for the main tournament Team has not qualified for the main tournament Team is defunct (and never qualified for the main tournament)

Notes on the table:

- The [1992 qualifying attempt](/source/UEFA_Euro_1992_qualifying) is treated as successful for Yugoslavia and unsuccessful for Denmark for the purposes of the table[A]

- The [Austria vs Greece match (1968 qualifying)](/source/UEFA_Euro_1968_qualifying_Group_3), which was declared void,[7] is not taken into account.

- For the following matches, which were annulled and then replayed, only the replays are counted: [Netherlands vs Cyprus (1988 qualifying)](/source/UEFA_Euro_1988_qualifying_Group_5) and [Georgia vs Russia (2004 qualifying)](/source/UEFA_Euro_2004_qualifying_Group_10).

- For the following matches, where the scorelines were awarded, the awarded scorelines, rather than the original ones, are taken into account: [Denmark vs Sweden (2008 qualifying)](/source/UEFA_Euro_2008_qualifying_Group_F), [Italy vs Serbia (2012 qualifying)](/source/UEFA_Euro_2012_qualifying_Group_C), [Serbia vs Albania (2016 qualifying)](/source/UEFA_Euro_2016_qualifying_Group_I), and [Montenegro vs Russia (2016 qualifying)](/source/UEFA_Euro_2016_qualifying_Group_G).

- In the [2016 qualifying](/source/UEFA_Euro_2016_qualifying), Serbia was deducted 3 points and Croatia was deducted 1 point, which is reflected in the table.

The table is updated to the [2024 qualifying](/source/UEFA_Euro_2024_qualifying).

Rank (unoff.) Team Qualifying attempts Appearances in the finals Overall qualification record Points Total Successful Pld W D L GF GA GD Total Avg 1 Spain 17 12 12 133 96 18 19 339 96 +243 306 2.301 2 Czech Republic Czechoslovakia 17 11 11 132 85 24 23 263 108 +155 279 2.114 3 Russia Soviet Union 16 12 12 130 81 29 20 268 94 +174 272 2.092 4 Italy 15 10 11 126 78 32 16 240 85 +155 266 2.111 5 Netherlands 15 10 11 125 83 16 26 291 99 +192 265 2.120 6 England 15 10 11 116 79 26 11 280 68 +212 263 2.267 7 Portugal 16 8 9 125 76 26 23 252 109 +143 254 2.032 8 France 15 9 11 120 74 28 18 260 94 +166 250 2.083 9 Germany West Germany 13 12 14 106 76 20 10 267 68 +199 248 2.340 10 Romania 17 6 6 136 69 41 26 242 123 +119 248 1.824 11 Slovakia Czechoslovakia 17 6 6 136 71 26 39 233 145 +88 239 1.757 12 Belgium 15 6 7 122 65 28 29 232 119 +113 223 1.828 13 Denmark 17 9 10 133 64 31 38 227 155 +72 223 1.677 14 Sweden 15 6 7 122 64 27 31 211 123 +88 219 1.795 15 Serbia Serbia and Montenegro FR Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 16 7 6 122 64 30 28 221 137 +84 219 1.795 16 Hungary 17 5 5 139 63 29 47 226 181 +45 218 1.568 17 Scotland 15 4 4 130 62 30 38 200 147 +53 216 1.662 18 Republic of Ireland 17 3 3 138 55 41 42 199 151 +48 206 1.493 19 Greece 16 4 4 127 60 25 42 184 144 +40 205 1.614 20 Turkey 17 6 6 128 56 31 41 166 159 +7 199 1.555 21 Poland 16 3 4 118 55 30 33 192 125 +67 195 1.653 22 Austria 16 3 4 117 57 18 42 219 162 +57 189 1.615 23 Bulgaria 17 2 2 130 50 33 47 171 154 +17 183 1.408 24 Norway 17 1 1 133 50 27 56 181 183 −2 177 1.331 25 Switzerland 15 5 6 110 48 29 33 194 133 +61 173 1.573 26 Wales 16 2 2 120 48 26 46 145 149 −4 170 1.417 27 Northern Ireland 16 1 1 130 47 27 56 140 167 −27 168 1.292 28 Croatia 8 7 7 78 50 17 11 148 50 +98 166 2.128 29 Finland 15 1 1 124 39 24 61 143 182 −39 141 1.137 30 Slovenia 8 2 2 86 36 17 33 119 100 +19 125 1.453 31 Iceland 14 1 1 118 34 19 65 115 176 −61 121 1.025 32 Ukraine 7 2 3 70 33 19 18 101 65 +36 118 1.686 33 Israel 8 0 0 81 32 17 32 123 107 +16 113 1.395 34 Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 0 0 75 29 12 34 104 114 −10 99 1.320 35 Albania 14 2 2 109 24 26 59 100 177 −77 98 0.899 36 Latvia 8 1 1 80 22 13 45 75 135 −60 79 0.988 37 Georgia 8 1 1 78 21 12 45 83 119 −36 75 0.962 38 North Macedonia Macedonia 8 1 1 78 19 18 41 84 124 −40 75 0.962 39 Lithuania 8 0 0 74 21 12 41 63 122 −59 75 1.014 40 East Germany 8 0 0 46 20 12 14 76 57 +19 72 1.565 41 Cyprus 15 0 0 122 19 15 88 101 316 −215 72 0.590 42 Belarus 8 0 0 77 18 16 43 62 118 −56 70 0.909 43 Armenia 8 0 0 76 17 15 44 74 121 −47 66 0.868 44 Moldova 8 0 0 76 14 13 49 62 150 −88 55 0.724 45 Estonia 8 0 0 78 15 10 53 51 151 −100 55 0.705 46 Luxembourg 16 0 0 127 13 13 101 64 338 −274 52 0.409 47 Kazakhstan 5 0 0 54 13 8 33 53 92 −39 47 0.870 48 Montenegro 4 0 0 36 9 10 17 29 56 −27 37 1.028 49 Azerbaijan 8 0 0 76 8 11 57 48 182 −134 35 0.461 50 Faroe Islands 9 0 0 86 7 8 71 46 225 −179 29 0.337 51 Malta 15 0 0 120 4 14 102 54 335 −281 26 0.217 52 Liechtenstein 8 0 0 78 5 9 64 22 235 −213 24 0.308 53 Kosovo 2 0 0 19 5 7 7 24 28 −4 22 1.158 54 Andorra 7 0 0 70 1 3 66 17 189 −172 6 0.086 55 San Marino 9 0 0 86 0 1 85 11 371 −360 1 0.012 56 Gibraltar 3 0 0 26 0 0 26 5 128 −123 0 0.000

## Notes

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-1992q_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-1992q_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-1992q_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-1992q_2-3) As group winner, [Yugoslavia](/source/Yugoslavia_national_football_team) qualified for [Euro 1992](/source/UEFA_Euro_1992) (where it was going to compete as [FR Yugoslavia](/source/Serbia_and_Montenegro_national_football_team)), but was banned from participating as the country was placed under international sanctions because of the [Yugoslav Wars](/source/Yugoslav_Wars).[1] The spot was offered to [Denmark](/source/Denmark_national_football_team), which as group runner-up had originally failed to qualify. In this article, the 1992 tournament was treated as successful for Yugoslavia and unsuccessful for Denmark.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["United Nations Security Council Resolution 757 (Implementing Trade Embargo on Yugoslavia)"](http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/peace/docs/scres757.html). University of Minnesota Human Rights Center. Retrieved 27 July 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["European qualifiers branding launched"](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/0253-0d7eee22421f-4a955bc9af8e-1000--european-qualifiers-branding-launched/). *[UEFA](/source/UEFA)*. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_4-1) ["What is the UEFA Nations League?"](https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/025a-0eaf277e9351-1546edd0606c-1000--what-is-the-uefa-nations-league/). *[UEFA](/source/UEFA)*. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["New formats for UEFA men's national team competitions approved"](https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/027d-1727b3b1e199-61019185e2c8-1000--new-formats-for-uefa-men-s-national-team-competitions-app/). *[UEFA](/source/UEFA)*. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Dunbar, Graham (25 March 2023). ["UEFA to have smaller groups for World Cup, Euros qualifying"](https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-sports-mexico-gianni-infantino-canada-89ae5754a7e2cee4ae075603f18a1f7d). Retrieved 14 February 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Gardner, Jamie (25 January 2023). ["UEFA to introduce quarter-final stage and play-offs to men's Nations League"](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/uefa-nations-league-gianni-infantino-more-ireland-b2269186.html). *[The Independent](/source/The_Independent)*. Retrieved 14 February 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** Terzic, Darko. ["European Championship 1968"](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/68e.html). *[RSSSF](/source/RSSSF)*. Retrieved 26 May 2016.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Qualification for the UEFA European Championship](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Qualification_for_the_UEFA_European_Championship).

- [European Championship](https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/eurochamp.html) at [RSSSF](/source/RSSSF)

## See also

- [UEFA European Championship records and statistics](/source/UEFA_European_Championship_records_and_statistics)

- [FIFA World Cup qualification](/source/FIFA_World_Cup_qualification)

- [AFC Asian Cup qualification](/source/AFC_Asian_Cup_qualification)

- [CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification](/source/CONCACAF_Gold_Cup_qualification)

v t e UEFA European Championship Tournaments France 1960 Spain 1964 Italy 1968 Belgium 1972 Yugoslavia 1976 Italy 1980 France 1984 West Germany 1988 Sweden 1992 England 1996 Belgium / Netherlands 2000 Portugal 2004 Austria / Switzerland 2008 Poland / Ukraine 2012 France 2016 Pan-European 2020† Germany 2024 United Kingdom / Ireland 2028 Italy / Turkey 2032 Qualifying 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 2028 Finals 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Squads 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Bids 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 2028 2032 Statistics 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Broadcasting rights 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Other records Overall records and statistics Player appearances Goalscorers Hat-tricks Own goals Penalty shoot-outs Red cards Winning players Winning managers Miscellaneous Awards Music Mascots Balls Video games † Postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic Category Commons

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [UEFA European Championship qualifying](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_European_Championship_qualifying) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_European_Championship_qualifying?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.