1972 UEFA European Championship
West Germany's triumph at the 1972 UEFA European Championship in Belgium.
The 1972 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Belgium. This was the fourth UEFA European Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 14 and 18 June 1972. Only four countries played in the final tournament, with the tournament consisting of the semi-finals, a third place play-off, and the final. West Germany won the tournament, beating the Soviet Union 3–0 in the final, with goals coming from Gerd Müller (twice) and Herbert Wimmer at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.
Quick Facts
- Winner
- West Germany
- Final score
- West Germany 3 – 0 Soviet Union
- Final venue
- Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium
- Final date
- 17 June 1972
- Head coach
- Helmut Schön
- Semi-final result
- West Germany 2 – 0 Italy
- Significance
- First UEFA European Championship title for West Germany
Lore & Background
The hosts were only announced after the qualifying round, which meant all teams had to participate in the qualification process for the final stage. Belgium was chosen among three candidates; the other bids came from England and Italy, whose teams did not reach the semi-finals. The qualifying round was played throughout 1970 and 1971 (group phase), and 1972 (quarter-finals). There were eight qualifying groups of four teams each, with matches played on a home-and-away basis. The group winners qualified for the quarter-finals, played in two legs, home and away. The winners of the quarter-finals went through to the final tournament.
Reader's Guide
At the final tournament, extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. All times are local, CET (UTC+1). There were 10 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 2.5 goals per match. The goalscorers included 4 goals and 1 goal (specific players not).
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