How Many Teams Have Won the Euros & the World Cup?

European nations have had their fair share of dominance at the World Cup. But only four sides have managed to win both the World Cup and respective European Championships. Germany and Spain have won the most European titles, whilst Italy equal the Germans for winning the most World Cups. The full breakdown is listed below.

Germany: 4 World Cups, 3 Euros

Italy: 4 World Cups, 2 Euros

France: 2 World Cups, 2 Euros

Spain: 1 World Cup, 3 Euros

Having said that, the Soviet Union (1960), Czechoslovakia (1976), Netherlands (1988), Denmark (1992), Greece (2004), and Portugal (2016) all have won the Euros without winning a World Cup.

Historically, three teams have won both the Euros and World Cup back-to-back. To this day it’s an exclusive club which no doubt will be added to in the coming tournaments as nations get stronger sides. The three teams who can boast this accolade are West Germany, France, and Spain.

West Germany: 1972-1974

The first team to do this was West Germany. In 1972, they secured their first European title by beating Belgium and the Soviet Union, with Gerd Muller playing a starring role by bagging four goals in those two matches. The striker was instrumental as the West Germans secured their second World Cup title in 1974, as they defeated the Netherlands.

France: 1998-2000

A France side with an embarrassment of riches were glorious on home soil in the 1998 World Cup, featuring Zinedine Zidane, Robert Pires, and Thierry Henry to name a few. It was an emphatic victory over Brazil with a comfortable 0-3 score line. The French backed this up with adding a Euro 2000 winners medal, beating Italy 2-1 in Rotterdam.

Spain: 2008-2010-2012

Arguably the strongest dynasty in recent times, the Spanish team dominated World football for these six years. In 2008, they boasted the likes of Xavi, Andreas Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, and Pedro. Spain beat the Germans with a narrow 1-0 score before backing that up at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where they also won with a tight 0-1 over the Netherlands after an extra-time goal from Iniesta. Spain weren’t finished, as in 2012 they lifted the European championship once again, dismantling Italy 4-0 in the final which was played in Kyiv.

England

Despite being branded “the home of football,” England’s only major honour was the 1966 World Cup victory over West Germany. In recent tournaments, England have been getting closer, and in Euro 2020 made it to the final only to lose against Italy.

In the past, England have reached the semi-finals on two occasions, in 1968, and then in 1996 under Terry Venables, who resigned later that year. It’s fair to say England haven’t been the most successful at reaching the latter stages of the tournament until Gareth Southgate guided them to the final on home soil in 2020. Before that the furthest the team got was the quarter-finals on two occasions since Euro 96.

They will look to go one better in Euro 2024 and add a European title alongside the historic World Cup honour. The likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka will give the England supporters cautious optimism, as they’ve seen promising teams falter in recent times.

Portugal

Portugal have never won a World Cup; it’s hard to believe this, especially with Cristiano Ronaldo’s impact on the national team. It would be a stretch to see him play at another World Cup, but Portugal is a nation worth noting as the team will look to win a World Cup title in 2026 should they qualify.

The Netherlands

The Netherlands are arguably the most prestigious football nation to have never won a World Cup, despite boasting talents such as Johan Cruijff, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Arjen Robben and more. Oranje have managed to reach the World Cup final three times, doing so in 1974, 1978 and 2010, but, have been beaten on all three occasions, losing to West Germany, Argentina and Spain.