During the European Soccer Championship group stage, each team met their group opponents once, with three points for a win and one for a draw. The top two teams progressed to the quarter-finals, the knockout phase of the competition, with the winners advancing to the semi-finals and then the final.

Tie breakers
If teams finish level on points, then the winner of the match between the sides in question will finish highest, or should they have drawn, goal difference, followed by goals scored, a fair play ranking and finally either a penalty shoot-out or drawing of lots.

Winners of the championship:

1960 Soviet Union
1964 Spain
1968 Italy
1972 Germany
1976 Czechoslovakia
1980 Germany
1984 France
1988 The Netherlands
1992 Denmark
1996 Germany
2000 France
2004 Greece
2008 Spain