Format evolution
| Year | Groups | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1964 | — | — |
| 1968 | 8 | 3–4 |
| 1972 | 8 | 4 |
| 1976 | 8 | 4 |
| 1980 | 7 | 4–5 |
| 1984 | 7 | 4–5 |
| 1988 | 7 | 4–5 |
| 1992 | 7 | 4–5 |
| 1996 | 8 | 5–6 |
| 2000 | 9 | 5–6 |
| 2004 | 10 | 5 |
| 2008 | 7 | 7–8 |
| 2012 | 9 | 5–6 |
| 2016 | 9 | 5–6 |
| 2020 | 10 | 5–6 |
| 2024 | 10 | 5–6 |
| 2028 | 12 | 4–5 |
The 1960 and 1964 qualifications were knock-out tournaments. The four quarter-final-winning teams qualified for the final stages, and one of them was chosen to host the competition.
From 1968 onwards, a group stage began to be used as the main, or sole, component of qualification. In 1968, 1972 and 1976, the winners of the eight groups advanced to a quarter-final stage, which was still part of the qualifying. The four quarter-final winners progressed to the finals. Again, the host nation was selected among the four finalists.
From 1980, the hosting rights would be assigned in advance, and the host teams would be guaranteed automatic qualification. The format of the finals was expanded to feature 8 teams. Winners of qualifying groups now proceeded to the finals directly. The 1980, 1984, 1988 and 1992 qualifications included seven groups, the winners of which would join the hosts in the finals, although in 1992 one winner was eventually banned from appearing and was replaced by the runner-up of its group. [A]
From 1996, a 16-team format was employed for the main tournament. Runners-up in qualifying groups now could also gain access to the finals. Play-off pairings were introduced as a second opportunity for teams that narrowly miss out on direct qualification. The 1996 qualifying consisted of eight groups; the group winners as well as the six best runners-up qualified, and so did the winner of the play-off between the remaining two runners-up, joining the host country.
In 2000, the first-placed teams in the nine qualifying groups as well as the best runner-up progressed directly to the finals, while another four spots were taken by winners of play-offs contested by the remaining runners-up. For the first time there were two host countries; they both received automatic berths in the finals.
In 2004, along with the host team, the ten qualifying group winners advanced, as did the winners of the five play-off ties formed by the runners-up.
In 2008, the top two teams from each of the seven qualifying groups joined the two host teams to bring the number of finalists to 16. No play-off stage was held.
The 2012 qualification replicated the format of that of 2000: places were taken by nine group winners and the best runner-up, while the other runners-up determined four more finalists via play-offs, with the two host countries qualifying by default.
Starting from 2016, the finals format was expanded again, now featuring 24 teams. It became possible for third-placed teams in qualifying groups to get to the Euros too. The 2016 qualifying included nine groups; the winners, the runners-up, and the best third-placed team advanced directly, while play-offs played by the other third-placed teams determined the last four finalists. The host nation still qualified automatically. The 2016 qualification tournament was the first one to be branded as the European Qualifiers, a trademark used from that point on for both the European Championship qualifications and the FIFA World Cup qualification tournaments in Europe. [2]
From 2020, qualification began to be linked with the newly created UEFA Nations League: participation in the qualifying play-offs was now determined based on the teams' performances in that competition and not in qualification itself. [3] The play-offs themselves were restructured into four-team brackets consisting of semi-finals and a final. In the 2020 qualifying, the top two teams of the ten qualifying groups took twenty places in the main tournament. From each of the four divisions of the 2018–19 Nations League, the four best-ranked teams not already qualified for Euro 2020 filled in a play-off bracket for that division, and the winner of each bracket got a spot in the Euros as well. There were no automatic berths for Euro 2020 as it was hosted by multiple cities across the continent. It was actually postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but retained its original branding.
In a similar fashion, the 2024 qualifying granted spots to the winners and runners-up of the ten qualifying groups, while this time only the top three divisions of the 2022–23 Nations League formed play-off brackets to determine three more finalists, and the host country got an automatic spot. [3]
For 2028, the number of groups will be increased to twelve. The winners will advance to the finals, while the runners-up will either also advance directly or participate in play-offs. It is to be announced how many and which of the four host countries will qualify by default or will play qualification matches. [4] [5] [6]
Number of teams entering
 1960 |  1964 |  1968 |  1972 |  1976 | 1980 |  1984 |  1988 |  1992 |  1996 |  2000 |  2004 |   2008 |   2012 | 2016 |  2020 | 2024 |    2028 |  2032 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total valid entries [a] | 17 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 47 | 49 | 50 | 50 | 51 | 53 | 55 | 53 | ||
| Played at least one match [a] | 28 | 33 | |||||||||||||||||
| Qualified through qualification | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 23 | 24 | 23 | ||
| Qualified automatically | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Total finalists | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
