Europsko prvenstvo u nogometu 1976. (in Croatian) Европско првенство во фудбал 1976 (in Macedonian) Европско првенство у фудбалу 1976 (in Serbian) Evropsko prvenstvo v nogometu 1976 (in Slovene) |
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UEFA Euro 1976 official logo
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Tournament details | |
Host country | Yugoslavia |
Dates | 16 – 20 June |
Teams | 4 |
Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
Final positions | |
Champions | Czechoslovakia (1st title) |
Runners-up | West Germany |
Third place | Netherlands |
Fourth place | Yugoslavia |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 4 |
Goals scored | 19 (4.75 per match) |
Attendance | 106,087 (26,522 per match) |
Top scorer(s) | Dieter Müller (4 goals) |
The 1976 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Yugoslavia. This was the fifth European Football Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 16 and 20 June 1976.
At the time, only four countries played the final tournament, which meant that there were only the semi-finals, the final and the third-place match. This was the last tournament to have this format, as the tournament was expanded to include eight teams four years later.
It was the first and only time that all four matches in the final tournament were decided after extra time, either on penalties or by goals scored.
This was also the last tournament in which the hosts had to qualify for the final stage.
Czech player Antonín Panenka gained fame for his delicately chipped penalty that gave his country victory in the tournament's final against holders West Germany.
The qualifying round was played throughout 1974 and 1975 (group phase) and 1976 (quarter-finals). There were eight qualifying groups of four teams each. The matches were played in a home-and-away basis. Victories were worth two points, draws one point, and defeats no points. Only group winners could qualify for the quarter-finals. The quarter-finals were played in two legs on a home-and-away basis. The winners of the quarter-finals would go through, to the final tournament. This was the first time the Soviet Union did not qualify for the finals tournament.
The following teams participated in the final tournament:
At the final tournament, extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.