Top 10 Teams To Not Win The Euros

jonjoward1998
Jun 26, 2025
6 min read

Many great teams have won the Euros over its long history including the Spain teams from 2008 and 2012, the France team from 2000, and the Dutch team from 1988.

There have also been some good teams who haven't won it as well, but no one remembers them because the teams that don't win any tournament never get remembered.

For this kind of top 10, I would normally included teams that were beaten in the final but for this one, I've mixed it with teams who went out at the Quarter Finals and Semi Finals as well as teams who were beaten in the final.

The England team who were beaten in the final last year are not on the list because they were uninspiring all tournament and were lucky to reach the final. And I also didn't think of them when doing the list.

And without further ordo, here is the list:

England - 1996

France - 2016

Italy - 2012

Portugal - 2004

Germany - 2008

Holland - 2008

England - 2020

England - 2004

West Germany - 1988

Germany - 1992

Germany - 1992

This Germany team were beaten in the final by a Denmark team who didn't even qualify to begin with, but were soon drafted in following the fall of Yugoslavia.

They were massive favourites heading into the final when you look at their team which included the likes of Jurgen Klinsmann, Karl-Heinz Riedle, Matthias Sammer, and Andreas Brehme.

But they couldn't beat Peter Schmeichel in the Denmark goal despite having a number of decent chances on the day.

I've got them down in 10th because they weren't exactly brilliant all tournament as they just made out of the group before just edging Sweden in the semi finals.

Portugal - 2004

Just like Germany were in 1992, Portugal were also beaten by an underdog in Greece who were a horrible team to play against.

They were undoubtedly the clear favourites heading into the final because they were the better team on paper with players like Luis Figo, Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, and a young Cristiano Ronaldo, and were also the host nation.

But they weren't able to find a way past Greece's strong defence in the final where they had a lot of possession and chances, but were limited to very few shots on target.

England - 2020

I wish this team could be higher as it came in possibly my favourite tournament when watching England.

They beat Germany in a knockout game for the first time for many years and went all the way to the final, where they made a bright start after Luke Shaw gave them an early lead.

But it wasn't to be as they took their foot off the gas and allowed Italy back in the game before going on to lose on penalties.

There was a real togetherness with this England team who had a good bond with the fans as well as they were behind them throughout their journey to the final.

Had they not dropped off after going ahead in the final and Gareth Southgate made the changes at the right time, maybe the result might've been different.

England - 2004

Out of all the tournaments England's golden generation were involved with, this was probably the one they could've won.

Euro 2004 was the first tournament where everyone saw the core members of the golden generation for the first time in Beckham, Scholes, Ashley Cole, Lampard, Gerrard, Owen, and an 18 year old Wayne Rooney, who really lit up this tournament.

He scored 4 goals at this tournament and had he not picked up that injury against Portugal in the Quarter Finals, England might've gone all the way. But we'll never know.

That injury to Rooney was turning point not just for England's tournament, but for the game itself as England would go out via the usual way in penalties.

How England never won a tournament with their golden generation is incredible and if there was a reason why they didn't anything, it was because Sven Goran Eriksson kept playing 4-4-2 and because he kept playing that system, England had to play one of Scholes, Lampard or Gerrard out of position instead of using them all in a midfield three.

We could've done that with Scholes playing as a deep lying playmaker, which he did recreate himself as later in his career, and both Lampard and Gerrard playing as two no.8's.

England - 1996

This England team is higher than the other two simply because of the football they played which was more attacking and positive.

They showed it in their final group game against the Dutch when they blew them away 4-1 with Teddy Sheringham and Alan Shearer both scoring twice. That performance got the nation believing that they were going to win another tournament on home soil, 30 years after their last one.

But it wasn't to be as like six years before at the 1990 World Cup, they again went out to Germany and by the same route in a penalty shootout with Gareth Southgate missing the crucial spot kick.

They did however win a shootout for the first time at this tournament when they beat Spain in the Quarter Finals where Stuart Pearce bravely stepped up and scored, six years after missing in the World Cup semi finals against Germany six years before.

West Germany - 1988

This West Germany side were the host nation at Euro 88 and beaten in the semi finals by eventual winners Holland.

They might've been in the final had they not conceded that penalty which Ronald Koeman converted in the 74th minute, before Marco Van Basten went on to score the winner towards the end.

Some members of this team were part of the side that would win the World Cup two years later including Lothar Matthaus, Rudi Voller, Andreas Brehme and Jurgen Klinsmann.

Some people might've seen them as the favourites to win the tournament because of them being the host nation alongside having such a strong team.

But it wasn't to be for them as they went out to the deserved winners in Holland at the semi final stage after winning their group on goal difference.

Holland - 2008

This Dutch team were on the best sides at Euro 2008 and I remember a lot of people tipping them to win the tournament because of how good they were.

But they were beaten in the Quarter Finals by the surprise package of the tournament in Russia.

The Dutch have had some great players and teams over the years and this one for me was their golden generation as they had talented players like Arjen Robben, Robin Van Persie, Wesley Sneidjer, Edwin Van Der Sar, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

But despite having these high calibre of players, they didn't win anything as they would lose the World Cup final to Spain two years later and finish 3rd at the World Cup in 2014, either side of crashing out at the group stages at Euro 2012.

Germany - 2008

Euro 2008 was start of Germany being one of the top five teams in the world at the time as they reached the final, only to lose to Spain.

Some of the players in their squad at Euro 2008 would go on to play a key role for them over the next few years in Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, all of whom were part of their World Cup winning squad in 2014.

Their team also included keeper Jens Lehmann and captain Michael Ballack alongside that group of players.

Euro 2008 was their first tournament under Joachim Low who later turned them into a tournament team as he took them to at least the semi finals in all but two of the next four tournaments.

Italy - 2012

This Italy side was probably the last good one they had, despite them winning the Euros nearly a decade later in 2021.

They had quality players in pretty much every position in Buffon, Chiellini, Bonucci, Pirlo and even Balotelli, who lit up the tournament with 3 goals with 2 of them coming in the semi finals against Germany.

Pirlo was their star performer at this tournament with his most memorable performance coming against England where he ran the show from midfield before scoring a Panenka in the shootout.

But their tournament ended on a sour note as they were hammered 4-0 in the final by Spain.

France - 2016

France's losing side from 2016 had to be my no.1 because they should've won the tournament as they were arguably the best team.

They were a lot of people's favourites heading into the Euro 2016 as they had arguably the strongest team on paper, and were also the host nation which would've given them an advantage.

They had the best player of the tournament in Antoine Griezmann, who won the golden boot with 6 goals as well as the player of the tournament prize.

Dimitri Payet was also a star performer for them as he carried his form from his debut season at West Ham into this tournament.

But it wasn't to be for them as they were beaten by a Portugal side who drew all three of their group games and didn't win a game in normal time till the semi finals.

MY TOP 10: