If all European Football Association member countries want to participate in the final week of the European Football Championship, other teams must participate in the qualifiers except the host country, which can automatically enter the final week. By qualifying, the best team can enter the last week. At first, only four teams participated, until 1980, the number of participating teams increased to eight, and in the last week, the competition increased from the original elimination stage to the group stage. After 1996, it was added to the 16 th team and has remained so far. At present, the European Football Championship is divided into four groups by sixteen teams, with four teams in each group. Each group has a single round robin system, and the best team in each group can qualify for the semi-finals. The winner was decided in the semi-finals and semi-finals until the champion team was decided in the final, but the defending champion could not get a seat in the last week of the next European football championship. Because the European Football Championship is second only to the World Cup in scale and quality, it is called the World Cup without Brazil and Argentina.
Speaking of the European Cup, we must first mention one person-Henri Delaunay, the first secretary-general of UEFA, a Frenchman. Because the European Cup was actually his idea, he made the right to host the first European Cup settle in France.
1958, the first European Nations Cup (predecessor of the European Cup) qualifiers began. In order to commemorate Delaunay's contribution to the European Cup, the trophy of this cup is called Delaunay Cup.