The UEFA European Championship has grown considerably since its inaugural tournament in 1960. In that competition, just 17 nations attempted to qualify for the finals, with only four doing so, with the Soviet Union beating Yugoslavia in Paris to lift the famous trophy.
Four years later, 28 nations battled it out for those four qualification spots, and the tournament has steadily grown in size ever since. A total of 53 nations entered the qualification for the Euro 2024 finals in Germany, with now 24 spots reserved for those successful in their bids to get to the finals.
As the size of the tournament has grown in terms of participants, so has the scale and scope of the spectators who have come to watch their chosen national teams in action, both in the qualification process and the finals.
The push to get tickets is at its highest for the finale of the competition, and supporters from all over the globe look to visit the relevant hosting country to get a taste of the action. Many attempt to get tickets via UEFA’s official portal, but the likelihood is that this route will result in disappointment.
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France vs Norway UEFA Euros Tournament Record
As two-time winners of the UEFA European Championships, France are rightly considered one of the favourites for any of the tournaments they qualify for, but it wasn’t always like that.
In 1960, they hosted the finals but crashed out in the Semi-Finals. Amazingly, they then failed to even qualify for any of the next five editions, which means France didn’t partake in the competition proper for over twenty years.
Even when they did return in 1984, it was only by virtue of qualifying as hosts. However, the French side for this competition was primed and ready to make an impact and had already impressed in the FIFA World Cup in 1982.
Led by inspirational captain Michel Platini, they breezed through the group phase and past both Portugal and Spain to clinch their first-ever major tournament win, doing so in their own capital city, Paris.
At Euro 1996, a strong run was abruptly ended in the Semi-Finals when France lost to the Czech Republic on penalties at Old Trafford.
Four years later, they went one better, beating Portugal in the Semi-Finals to set up a final with Italy. Though Marco Delvecchio put the Italians ahead, goals by substitutes Sylvain Wiltford and David Trezeguet saw the French collect their second UEFA European Championship crown.
Efforts to secure a third success came closest at Euro 2016 when hosts France faced Portugal in the final in Paris. National team coach Didier Deschamps saw key player Cristiano Ronaldo hobble off after 25 minutes and must have felt his side would be strong enough to see off their opponents, but it wasn’t to be.
Sub Eder powered home a long-range effort to give the Portuguese the win and the title of European champions.
Norway’s UEFA European Championship record could be best described as woeful. The Drillos have only successfully made it to one finals tournament from 16 attempts, and that came in Euro 2000.
Norway started the finals in Belgium and the Netherlands wonderfully well, beating Spain in the opener in Rotterdam by a single goal from Tottenham forward Steffen Iversen.
They then lost their second game to the Former Republic of Yugoslavia and needed to beat Slovenia in the final game to guarantee progress, but failed to do so, managing only a goalless draw in Arnhem and were therefore duly knocked out.
France vs Norway Head-to-Head
France have played Norway in four UEFA European Championship qualifiers as of 2023, and they won three of those clashes, the one loss coming in June 1987 in Oslo. As it turned out, neither team made it to the finals in Germany for Euro 88.