The Greatest European Championship-Winning Teams of All Time

For more than six decades, these countries have stamped their names in the history books with dominant performances en route to continental glory. Since the start of the tournament in 1960,

, with the latest being Italy in 2021. All eyes will be on Germany from June 14 to July 14 as the world watches to see if another team will join this exclusive list of champions or if a past winner will emerge as Kings of Europe.

Both Germany and Spain are tied for the most trophies in the competition's history (3), with France and Italy claiming two titles each. But which individual championship teams can be considered the greatest ever? As we approach the start of another Euros tournament, here are the five greatest title-winning squads in European Championship history.

EURO 2012 Winners - Spain

As

for Euro 2024 continue to sell out, we look back at arguably the nation's greatest team ever. Truth be told, we may never see a more dominant run to a championship title like we did in 2012 when Spain became the first team to successfully defend their Euros crown. Vicente del Bosque coached a squad so good, that the likes of Fernando Torres, Pedro, and Juan Mata had to start from the bench.

Led by Xavi and Iniesta, arguably the greatest midfield duo of all time, La Roja's golden generation saw off their competition with ease and capped their successful campaign with a 4-0 masterclass against Italy in the finals.

Euro winners in 2008 and World Champions in 2010, Spain went into the tournament as outright favorites, with all the hype surrounding their possession-based playing style, and they did not disappoint. They finished the tournament unbeaten for the second consecutive time.

Starting XI in the Final:

Goalkeeper

: Iker Casillas (Captain)

Defenders

: Álvaro Arbeloa, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba

Midfielders

: Xavi, Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fàbregas

Forwards

: David Silva, Andrés Iniesta

Euro 2008 Winners - Spain

Yes, Spain again! Their four-year dominant run began in 2008 when Luis Aragonés led La Roja to their first major title since winning the Euros in 1964. It was a roster filled with talent and experience across the board.

The team started their campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over Russia in Group D, followed by 2-1 wins against Sweden and reigning champions Greece. Spain advanced to the semi-final with a penalty shootout win over Italy in the quarter-final and secured a spot in the final with another triumphant win over Russia.

The final saw La Roja face a stacked German team, who were considered the favorites to clinch the title. But a Fernando Torres strike in the 33rd minute was enough to seal the deal, making them the first team since Germany in 1996 to win the Euros unbeaten.

Starting XI in the Final:

Goalkeeper

: Iker Casillas (Captain)

Defenders

: Álvaro Arbeloa, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba

Midfielders

: Xavi, Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fàbregas, Andrés Iniesta

Forward

: David Silva

Euro 2000 Winners - France

France has been blessed in their history with incredible teams, but perhaps the greatest of them all is the Zinedine Zidane-led Les Bleus. France had already claimed the World Cup on home soil and was hoping to continue along that path in Euro 2000.

Roger Lemerre and his men won their first two fixtures against Denmark and Czech Republic but had to settle for the second spot after a thrilling 3-2 loss to the Netherlands. They defeated Spain in the quarter-final and Portugal in the semis for a showdown against Italy. Marco Delvecchio's 56th-minute goal left France's title hopes hanging by a thread. But the French would have the final say in a late dramatic finish via super substitutes Sylvain Wiltord, Robert Pires, and David Trezeguet. Wiltord found the back of the net in the dying seconds of the game to force extra time, and Trezeguet sealed the deal for France with the “golden goal,” thanks to an assist from Pires.

Starting XI in the Final:

Goalkeeper

: Fabien Barthez

Defenders

: Lilian Thuram, Marcel Desailly, Laurent Blanc, Bixente Lizarazu

Midfielders

: Patrick Vieira, Didier Deschamps (Captain), Youri Djorkaeff, Zinedine Zidane

Forwards

: Thierry Henry, Christophe Dugarry

Euro 1988 Winners - Netherlands

The Euro 1988 Dutch team is arguably the best squad in the nation's history, and that says a lot considering how great they were during the Johan Cruyff era. With an attack led by Marco van Basten, who is widely considered one of the best center forwards to ever play, and captain Ruud Gullit, Oranje clinched their first major tournament title at a packed Olympiastadion in Munich.

Rinus Michels’ men started their campaign with a 1-0 loss to the Soviet Union but bounced back by defeating England and the Republic of Ireland to clinch the second position in Group 2 and qualify for a semi-final showdown against hosts West Germany. Down 1-0 due to a 55th-minute goal from Matthäus, Ronald Koeman equalized from the spot in the 74th minute, and Van Basten completed the comeback with two minutes of stoppage time left. The triumph set the Dutch up for a rematch against the Soviet Union, and this time they took care of business, defeating the Red Army 2-0, with goals from their two center forwards.

Starting XI in the Final:

Goalkeeper

: Hans van Breukelen

Defenders

: Berry van Aerle, Frank Rijkaard, Ronald Koeman, Adri van Tiggelen

Midfielders

: Gerald Vanenburg, Jan Wouters, Arnold Mühren, Erwin Koeman

Forwards

: Ruud Gullit (Captain), Marco van Basten

Euro 1972 Winners - West Germany

West Germany could not have asked for a better way to wrap up their debut European Championship than with a win. Under head coach Helmut Schön, Die Mannschaft kicked off their campaign with a 2-1 win over Belgium, thanks to a brace from country legend Gerd Müller.

The final round was against the Soviet Union, a country that had made it to each of the last three previous competitions and won in 1960. But West Germany didn't seem to care, beating their opponents 3-0 via another Müller brace and a Herbert Wimmer strike in between. The same German team would go on to enjoy a successful decade, winning the World Cup against the Netherlands in 1974.

Starting XI in the Final:

Goalkeeper

: Sepp Maier

Defenders

Franz Beckenbauer (Captain), Horst-Dieter Höttges, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Paul Breitner

Midfielders

: Herbert Wimmer, Uli Hoeneß, Günter Netzer, Jupp Heynckes

Forwards

: Erwin Kremers, Gerd Müller