Euro 2024: How Host Nations Have Fared As Germany Look at Ending 28 Year Wait for Continental Title

• Germany will play host to the 2024 edition of the European Championship, hoping to end the curse of host nations not winning
• Spain (1964), Italy (1968), and France (1984) are the only Euro nations who previously hosted a tournament and won the trophy
• France were the last host nation to make it to the final of the 2016 tournament but lost to Portugal thanks to a late goal by Eder

Euro 2024 is around the corner, and Germany will be looking to do what very few previous host nations have done and win it.

In the tournament's illustrious history, only three former host nations have lifted the trophy at home.

With Germany looking to become the fourth host nation to win the European Championships, Sports Brief examines how host nations have performed in the past.

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Which hosts have won Euro?

The term home ground advantage means very little in the European Championships.

Only three teams have held the tournament and won it the same year in the 16 tournaments to date. Spain (1964), Italy (1968), and France (1984) can all claim bragging rights, but the achievement has not been replicated in the past 40 years.

While this may seem impressive, the championships in 1964 and 1968 featured only four teams, while the 1984 championship had only eight teams.

10 teams, including France, fall just short

While host nations have not always won the tournament, some have come close. Three nations have been beaten in the finals before, with the most recent being France in 2016.

Les Bleus were beaten 1-0 by Portugal in the finals courtesy of a brilliant strike by Eder in the 109th minute, GOAL noted. It was the Selecao's first major trophy.

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In the 16 tournaments to date, seven host countries also reached the semi-final stages of the Euro before being knocked out.

This includes the Netherlands in 2020, who co-hosted the event with Belgium.

Co-hosts perform worse than single-hosting nations

Speaking of co-hosts, one would assume that with two nations hosting it, there's a better chance of winning. Since 20O0, two nations have co-hosted the championships three times, but this hasn't proved fruitful.

From the six teams that co-hosted the tournament over three different editions, only the Dutch made it to the knockout rounds. The rest were all dumped out in the group stages.

How did the Euro 2020 hosts perform?

Unlike any other tournament before, Euro 2020 was not hosted by one or two nations. Instead, 11 cities in 11 countries provided venues for the event.

The was done to mark the 60th anniversary of the tournament and was billed as a once-off deal.

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The opening game took place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, while the semi-finals and final were staged at Wembley in England. Italy beat England on penalties in the final, bagging their second Euro title.

Germany's 28-year wait for continental title

As Germany gets set to host the 2024 edition, the nation will be looking to end a 28-year wait for the title.

Die Mannschaft beat Czech Republic 2-1 in the 1996 final, with Oliver Bierhoff scoring a brace.

The Germans did win the tournament on two separate occasions before that when they were still known as West Germany.

Despite their talented squads over the years, the European giants have not always lived up to the hype. They last won a World Cup in 2014 and were knocked out of Euro 2020 in the Round of 16 stage by England.

They have reached the tournament's semi-final on at least nine occasions, but that has not translated into championship wins.

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Kroos will retire after Euro 204

Germany will have the chance to end their long wait for another European title and give Toni Kroos a fitting farewell.

The Real Madrid superstar has confirmed that he will retire from all forms of football at the end of the tournament, bringing down the curtain on his legendary career in front of his home fans.

According to Transfermarkt, the 34-year-old made his debut in the national team in 2010 and has made over 100 appearances for the side.

Kroos has lifted the FIFA World Cup trophy with the national team and would love to end his career by winning another major title.

He is also no stranger to winning major titles, having bagged 32 trophies in his club career, with the majority of those coming during his 10-year stint with Madrid.

Kroos has won 22 trophies with the La Liga champions, making him one of the most successful players in the club's history.

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Mourinho names favourites for Euro title

Sports Brief also previously reported that with Euro 2024 around the corner, Jose Mourinho has named his favourites to lift the continental title in Germany.

The Special One did fancy one of Portugal, France, or England to win it. The former Roma boss also added that an underdog could pull off a big surprise.