Spain – every European Championship campaign

Spain are one of Europe’s strongest sides, and are now perennial tournament favourites following decades in the international wilderness.

It was at the European Championship that they truly announced themselves as a global powerhouse, with their triumph in 2008 ending 44 years of underachievement.

But how does their overall record stand? Here is a list of every European Championship campaign for La Roja, with a detailed look at the tournaments they qualified for.

Euro 1964

Spain win first major honour on home soil

Then known as the European Nations’ Cup, the tournament was a shadow of the beast we know and love today. The final tournament featured just four teams, with nations having to navigate through three two-legged ties to qualify for the finals.

Spain saw off Romania, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to book their place in the final four, and were selected as hosts to take on Denmark, Hungary and the Soviet Union – the reigning European champions.

La Roja needed extra time to defeat Hungary, while a late header from Real Zaragoza’s Marcelino secured the title against the Soviet Union in the final. It would be a while until Spain experienced such highs again…

Euro 1980

First Euros outside of Spain ends in disappointment

The only time Spain had failed to win a game at a major tournament, Euro 1980 was a massive disappointment. Having not qualified for the Euros since their triumph in ’64, they squeezed past Yugoslavia in qualifying thanks to a win over Cyprus.

Unfortunately, Spain – featuring future manager Vicente del Bosque – were beaten by Belgium and England in the group stages as they were sent packing with a whimper. Defeat in the second match against Belgium meant their game against England was a dead rubber – as only the group winners advanced to the final, with the runners-up heading into a third-place play-off.

All in all, a rather forgettable campaign for the Spaniards.

Euro 1984

Spain improve but lose final to hosts France

Now we’re talking. Two years after hosting the World Cup, Spain qualified for successive European Championships for the first time. Once again consisting of eight teams, there weren’t too many games involved in this tournament.

The format had been changed from the previous version, with the top two in each group now advancing to the semi-finals. Spain would top their group on goals scored in the end, beating European champions West Germany with a last-minute winner from Antonio Maceda to go through.

Maceda scored once more in the semis as Spain beat Denmark on penalties. Unfortunately, this competition was all about hosts France and Michel Platini – where his nine tournament goals (including one in the final) saw Spain fall at the final hurdle.

Euro 1988

La Roja exit tough group in West Germany

Spain suffered group stage heartache once again as they fell in a tricky-looking group containing Italy, as well as World Cup finalists and hosts, West Germany.

They beat Denmark in their first match, but that was as good as it got, with goals from Gianluca Vialli and Rudi Voller inflicting back-to-back defeats against Italy and West Germany respectively. Both teams would then lose in the semi-finals.

Luis de la Fuente’s current side will be hoping for better as they return for the first Euros staged solely on German soil since then.

Euro 1996

Three Lions deny Spain semi-final spot

While Euro 1992 ended early after a disastrous qualifying campaign, Spain returned in 1996 – and have appeared in every European Championship since.

1996’s tournament in England was more like the format we are familiar with; four groups of four, with the top two qualifying. There was also three points for a win for the first time at the Euros, as well as the absence of the backpass rule.

Spain needed a late winner against Romania to sneak through the group, where they met England in the quarter-finals. They then suffered the ignominy of becoming the first side to lose a penalty shootout against the Three Lions, following a tense 0-0 draw and the subsequent golden goal extra-time period.

Remarkably, defeat on penalties meant Spain had gone through the entire qualifying process and the final tournament without losing, yet came away empty-handed.

Euro 2000

Spain fall flat once more despite crazy group conclusion

Spain’s knack for underachievement was common knowledge by this point, and they would once again exit the Euros at the last eight following a crazy conclusion to the group stage.

Spain needed to avoid defeat and match Norway’s result to secure their place in the quarters. But heading into stoppage time in the final group game against FR Yugoslavia, all looked lost as they trailed 3-2.

But a Gaizka Mendieta penalty and a last-gasp strike from Alfonso miraculously saw Spain top the group as the only side with two wins to their name.

However, the quarter-finals spelled out a familiar story, with eventual winners France coming out on top in the Belgian city of Bruges.

Euro 2004

Goal-shy Spain bow out early again

The 2004 championships in Portugal really cemented Spain’s status as also-rans. Things started well enough with victory over Russia, but failure to beat surprise package Greece and then the tournament hosts saw Spain out on goals scored, with the Greeks netting four to the Spaniards’ two.

It was Nuno Gomes’ strike that sent Spain on the short trip home with a superb 20-yard finish into the bottom corner.

While Greece and Portugal would go on to contest the final, Spain were left licking their wounds as another star-studded side was left unable to impress on the international stage.

Euro 2008

Football finally comes home as Fernando Torres kickstarts era of dominance

Euro 2008 is when Spain came of age at long, long last. Winning all but one match in the final tournament and getting through the knockout stages without conceding, there was little arguing that Spain were anything other than deserved winners.

Fernando Torres may have got the winning goal in the final against Germany, but it was a team full of superstars – as many as nine players got into the Team of the Tournament – as Spain began a golden era of success.

Xavi was later named as the competition’s best player, while David Villa had the honour of being La Roja’s top scorer despite missing the final through injury; he notched four for Luis Aragones’ side.

Euro 2012

Spain secure back-to-back titles in style

Although Spain entered the 2012 European Championship in Poland and Ukraine as heavy favourites, the ease at which they strolled to successive triumphs showed just how dominant they had become.

The reigning world and European champions were bidding to become the first UEFA team to win three major international tournaments on the trot, and after an opening 1-1 draw against Italy, went on to proceed through the rest of the competition without conceding.

While they needed penalties to see off Portugal in the semis, they followed that with one of the most one-sided finals in Euros history, hammering Italy in their rematch in Kyiv.

Euro 2016

Italy get their revenge as Spain knocked out for first time in 12 years

The golden generation may have passed, but Spain were still one of the favourites as they went for a Euros hat-trick in 2016.

A dismal World Cup showing in Brazil two years prior showed they were no longer invincible, and La Roja ended up relinquishing top spot in their final group game after losing to Croatia, which led to them meeting Italy in the last 16.

Goals from Giorgio Chiellini and Graziano Pelle sent them packing and saw the Azzurri avenge their defeat from the previous tournament, ending Spain’s 12-year grip on the Henri Delaunay trophy in the process.

Euro 2020

Spain suffer penalty heartache against familiar foes

Spain were clearly a shadow of their former selves, but managed to hurl their way into another major semi-final nonetheless.

An underwhelming group stage performance on the backdrop of a tournament staged across the continent amid a global pandemic didn’t see Spain click until game three, when they finally made home advantage count in Seville by defeating Slovakia 5-0 to qualify in second behind Sweden.

They would advance to the semis in London via Copenhagen and Saint Petersburg, where they saw off Croatia and Switzerland respectively – the latter on penalties.

Unfortunately, they could not repeat the trick when they faced Italy once again at Wembley Stadium, losing on spot kicks after a 1-1 draw as Dani Olmo and Alvaro Morata were left to rue missing from 12 yards.

Euro 2024

Italians on the horizon once more as Spain drawn into tough group

At the time of writing, Spain are one of the favourites to go all the way at Euro 2024 behind England, France and hosts Germany.

To do that, they must see off a familiar foe in reigning champions Italy, who they face in a fifth straight Euros tournament.

Croatia and Albania are their other opponents in Group B, while their path to glory puts them on a collision course with the likes of Germany and Portugal in the knockout stages, should the tournament seeds win their matches.