Everyone loves a good upset in sport, a giant-killing, a David vs Goliath story, and luckily for us, football often gives us those stories, and the best place to find them is in international tournaments.
With that in mind, and Euro 2024 getting underway, Football FanCast has created a list of the ten best upsets ever at the European Championships.
Rank
Upset
Year
Greece win Euros as huge outsiders
2004
Denmark triumph after failing to qualify
1992
Iceland stun England in last-16 clash
2016
Portugal defy odds to go all the way
2016
Czech Republic reach final
1996
Last-gasp Turkey beat Croatia on penalties
2008
Netherlands dumped out by Czech Republic
2020
England suffer agonising defeat to Romania
2000
Latvia hold giants Germany to draw
2004
Ireland defeat England in group opener
1988
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ByBen BrowningJul 17, 2024 7 Czech Republic beat Netherlands reach the quarter-finals Euro 2020
The delayed 2020 edition of the European Championship threw up plenty of surprise results, from Scotland holding England to a 0-0 draw at Wembley Stadium to Hungary earning a point against Germany in Bavaria. Still, perhaps the biggest surprise of them all came in the knockout stages as a resurgent Netherlands side were booted from the tournament by an unfancied Czech side.
The Dutch had topped their group and scored eight goals in the process, whereas the Czechs had only got out of the group as one of the best third-placed sides – scoring just three goals – and so a Dutch victory was almost seen as a forgone conclusion when the sides met in the round of 16.
However, the Czechs were not going down without a fight, and when Matthijs de Ligt was sent off in the 55th minute with the score still 0-0, the momentum swung in favour of the underdogs.
Two goals in 12 minutes secured passage into the quarter-finals for the Czech Republic and sent Dutch fans home in disbelief.
Tournament
Stage reached
Euro 2000
Semi-finals
Euro 2004
Semi-finals
Euro 2008
Quarter-finals
Euro 2012
Group stage
Euro 2016
Failed to qualify
Euro 2020
Round of 16
6 Turkey somehow find time to beat semis-bound Croatia Euro 2008
From unlikely quarter-finalists to even more unlikely semi-finalists, the Turkey team at Euro 2008 secured their nation's best-ever finish at the European Championship when they beat Croatia on penalties.
Going into the game, Croatia were clear favourites thanks to their excellent performances in the group stages. In contrast, Turkey just about managed to get out of their group thanks to some very late winners against Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
While Croatia dominated the game, Turkey's heroic defending forced extra-time. However, it looked like all of their efforts were going to be in vain when Ivan Klasnic gave Croatia a 1-0 lead in the 119th minute, but the Turkish didn't know when to quit, and a 122nd-minute goal from Semih Senturk sent the game to penalties.
The Crescent Stars won the shootout 3-1 and reached the semi-finals for the first time, where they were beaten by Germany.
Player
Goals
Semih Senturk
3
Nihat
2
Arda Turan
2
Hakan Sukur
2
Irfan Can Kahveci
1
Ozan Tufan
1
Burak Yilmaz
1
Ugur Boral
1
Okan Buruk
1
5 Czech Republic reach the final against the odds Euro 1996
The 1996 European Championship was a brilliant tournament, and while it's primarily associated with Paul Gascoigne, Gareth Southgate and penalty heartbreak on these shores, it's remembered very differently in the Czech Republic.
Before their split from Slovakia, the Czechoslovakian football team was a real force in world football, winning the 1976 European Championship and finishing as runners-up in two World Cups. Still, following their split, they have made just a single appearance in a major international final – with that coming in 1996.
In their first tournament as the Czech Republic, they finished second in their group, beat Portugal in the quarter-finals and beat France in the semi-finals, before only just losing to Germany in the final courtesy of a heartbreaking golden goal in the 95th minute.
For a newly formed team, they exceeded everyone's expectations and provided a brilliant story for neutrals to follow throughout.
Tournament
Stage reached
Euro 2000
Group stage
Euro 2004
Semi-finals
Euro 2008
Group stage
Euro 2012
Quarter-finals
Euro 2016
Group stage
Euro 2020
Quarter-finals
4 Ronaldo leads Portugal to Euros glory Euro 2016
Onto the first outright winners on this list, and it's none other than Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal side from Euro 2016. We say Ronaldo's side, as the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, truly took on the role of leader and talisman in this competition, even if he didn't play much of the final himself.
Portugal were something of a dark-horse pick ahead of the tournament, and the fact that they only got out of the group as one of the best third-placed teams (having drawn all three of their games) certainly didn't increase anyone's confidence in them either.
They just about managed to beat Croatia in the round of 16 thanks to a 117th-minute winner from Ricardo Quaresma, and they weren't much better against Poland either, needing a penalty shootout to get past them.
Their first truly impressive performance of the entire tournament came in the semi-finals, where they beat a spirited Wales side 2-0, and so when they were set to face hosts France in the final, few gave them a chance.
A Portuguese win looked even less likely when Ronaldo went down injured in the 25th minute, but somehow, the underdogs managed to survive France's 25 shots and emerge victorious thanks to an Eder goal in the 109th minute.
Group stage
Portugal 1-1 Iceland
Group stage
Portugal 0-0 Austria
Group stage
Hungary 3-3 Portugal
Round of 16
Croatia 0-1 Portugal (aet)
Quarter-final
Poland 1-1 Portugal (3-5 on pens)
Semi-final
Portugal 2-0 Wales
Final
Portugal 1-0 France (aet)
3 Iceland stun hopeless England in last 16 Euro 2016
The 2016 Euros was a brilliant tournament, one remembered for a plethora of great moments: Portugal's win over France in the final and Wales' run to the semi-finals, but perhaps more than anything else, it will be remembered as the tournament in which Iceland punched well above their weight and made it to the quarter-finals.
The island nation had a population of just 335,000 people in 2016, but they managed to get out of their group thanks to draws against the eventual champions Portugal and Hungary, as well as a 2-1 win over Austria.
Had the fairytale stopped there, they probably would've still made it onto this list as nobody predicted they would be able to get out of the group, let alone make it past the round of 16, but that is precisely what they did.
Their opponent in Nice was Roy Hodgson's England, a team with some real star power in Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane, and Raheem Sterling, but lacked form after winning just one game – against Wales – in their group.
That said, it looked like it would be a long night for Iceland when Rooney slotted home a penalty in the fourth minute to give England the lead. However, the Scandinavians composed themselves and once again demonstrated the kind of fight that got them to the finals in the first place.
Within 14 minutes of England going ahead, Iceland had scored two goals of their own and were now firmly in the driving seat. The rest of the game saw the English desperately searching for an equaliser but ultimately succumbing to the grit and determination of a team that simply refused to be beaten that night.
While their journey would eventually cease at the hands of France in the quarter-finals, Iceland well and truly etched their names into football folklore.
Round
Times knocked out
Most recent
Qualifying
5
Euro 2008
Group stage
4
Euro 2000
Round of 16
1
Euro 2016 (v Iceland)
Quarter-final
2
Euro 2012 (v Italy)
Semi-final
2
Euro 1996 (v Germany)
Final
1
Euro 2020 (v Italy)
2 Stand-ins Denmark go all the way Euro 1992
The runners-up on our list are another championship-winning team, and one of the most shocking at that.
The fact that Denmark won the 1992 European Championships should be surprising enough when they were up against the likes of Germany, the Netherlands, France, and England, but the fact that they hadn't even qualified just adds another level.
Yugoslavia had qualified for the tournament ahead of the Danish, but due to the breakup of the country and ensuing conflict, they could not take part, so Denmark took their place.
The Danes finished second in their group thanks to a draw with England and a 2-1 win over the French. They beat the Netherlands on penalties in the semi-finals and then comprehensively outplayed the Germans in the final, beating them 2-0.
As far as unlikely winners go, only one can beat them.
Tournament
Stage reached
Euro 1996
Group stage
Euro 2000
Group stage
Euro 2004
Quarter-finals
Euro 2008
Failed to qualify
Euro 2012
Group stage
Euro 2016
Failed to qualify
Euro 2020
Semi-finals
1 Greece secure unlikeliest of triumphs Euro 2004
Here we are, our pick for the biggest upset in the history of the European Championships, and really, what else could it be?
Denmark's triumph in 1992 is certainly a close second, but Greece's tournament triumph in 2004 is the stuff of footballing legend and should be viewed as not just one of the most outstanding achievements at the Euros but in all of football.
In the weeks building up to the tournament, nobody – not even Greek fans – was predicting the Greek national team to win the tournament; in fact, many didn't even have them down as getting out of their group, considering both the hosts, Portugal and Spain were in the same group as them.
That said, they kicked things off with a 2-1 win over Portugal, which was followed up with a 1-1 draw with Spain and a 2-1 loss to Russia – three results that meant they progressed from the group in second place at Spain's expense.
In the quarter-finals, they came up against defending champions France but came out the other side as 1-0 winners and played out the same result against the Czech Republic in the semi-finals thanks to a rare silver-goal victory in extra-time.
The final saw them come up against Portugal for a second time in the competition, and despite having already beaten them, they were massive underdogs.
However, a 57th-minute goal from Werder Bremen forward Angelos Charisteas gave the Greeks the lead and silenced the home crowd.
The Portuguese gave everything they could to find an equaliser, but they just didn't have the time, and as the final whistle went, Greece achieved what many thought was impossible just a few weeks prior and were crowned champions of Europe.
Let's hope that Germany 2024 can provide us with a few shocks and surprises.
Games
6
Wins
4
Draws
1
Losses
1
Goals scored
7
Goals conceded
4
Clean sheets
3
Top scorer
Angelos Charisteas (3)