England were looking to erase the memory of their Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy as they battled for glory at Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate's side lost out in a penalty shootout at Wembley Stadium, as Roberto Mancini guided the Azzurri to glory, and the Three Lions' long wait for a major men's international title stretched on.
Southgate has built England into a team that regularly reaches the knockout stages of tournaments, with the final heartbreak against Italy coming on the back of a semifinal exit at the 2018 World Cup against Croatia.
Having made the final of another major tournament after overcoming Switzerland on penalties and then beating the Netherlands in the semis, they were determined to end their barren run in 2024, with the tournament likely to be Southgate's final hurrah as England head coach. In the end, there was only further heartbreak, as Spain won the final 2-1.
Have England won the Euros?
England's European Championship record makes for uncomfortable reading for their fans with no title win and just one final appearance before Euro 2024.
Euro 2020 looked to be their moment to create history, but it was not to be, as the penalties loss to Italy was filed alongside another shootout heartbreak against Germany in the semifinals of Euro 96. On both occasions, England lost out on home soil.
At Euro 2024, they battled to the final once more but were undone by a late winning goal from Mikel Oyarzabal.
Gareth Southgate still feels the pain of his Euro 96 penalty miss... 😢
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) June 30, 2021
Yesterday's victory brought the England manager some well-deserved redemption... 🙌 pic.twitter.com/WNrXA7VS5U
England European Championship results
England have only failed to qualify for one European Championship since 1988 after Steve McClaren's team infamously missed out on a spot at Euro 2008.
| Year | Host | Wins | Draws* | Losses | Goals Scored | Goals Conceded |
| 1968 | Italy | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1980 | Italy | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 1988 | West Germany | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 1992 | Sweden | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1996 | England | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3 |
| 2000 | Belgium/Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| 2004 | Portugal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 |
| 2012 | Poland/Ukraine | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| 2016 | France | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 2020 | Europe | 5 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| 2024 | Germany | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 |
*Draws include knockout-stage games decided by penalty shootouts level after 90 minutes plus 30 minutes of extra time.
How did England qualify for Euro 2024?
England continued their pattern of easing through qualification with an unbeaten run of six wins and two draws from eight qualifiers. Two of those victories came against Italy — a slight exorcising of the Euro 2020 ghost — with the defending champions qualifying in second place from Group C.
They concluded qualifying with tame performances in a win over Malta and draw with North Macedonia, although their place in the finals had already been assured before those games.
England European Championship record
| Year | Host | Stage Reached | Eliminated By |
| 1960 | France | Did not enter | — |
| 1964 | Spain | Did not qualify | — |
| 1968 | Italy | Semifinal | Yugoslavia |
| 1972 | Belgium | Did not qualify | — |
| 1976 | Yugoslavia | Did not qualify | — |
| 1980 | Italy | Group Stage | Belgium/Italy |
| 1984 | France | Did not qualify | — |
| 1988 | West Germany | Group Stage | Soviet Union/Netherlands |
| 1992 | Sweden | Group Stage | Sweden/Denmark |
| 1996 | England | Semifinal | Germany |
| 2000 | Belgium/Netherlands | Group Stage | Portugal/Romania |
| 2004 | Portugal | Quarterfinal | Portugal |
| 2008 | Austria/Switzerland | Did not qualify | — |
| 2012 | Poland/Ukraine | Quarterfinal | Italy |
| 2016 | France | Round of 16 | Iceland |
| 2020 | Europe | Runners-Up | Italy |
| 2024 | Germany | Runners-Up | Spain |
