France have made the UEFA Euro 2016 final along with Portugal, meaning that we once again have a host nation’s fans cheering their team to the brink of a triumph on home soil. Back in 2004, it was Portugal who went all the way, only to be heartbreakingly denied by the Greeks in one of the most surprising endings to a major tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Carvalho were there that night, and they’ll be extra-motivated to make sure they don’t lose again. France 1984 was the year that Michel Platini lit up Europe with 9 brilliant goals to win France their very first European Championships.
Antoine Griezmann wasn’t even born back then, but his 6 goals this summer have evoked memories of the individual brilliance that made Les Bleus champions in Paris 32 years ago.
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To commemorate the fact that we’ve got another host country close to a very special victory, let’s go back in time and see which sides have given their people the sweetest gift in football – a victory right on their own doorstep.
Read More: Top 5 European Championship final moments
10. Copa America 1995 – Uruguay win an unprecedented 14th title
Uruguay may be a small nation (the 2nd smallest in South America) of roughly 3.5 million people, but they are genuine footballing giants. The first ever world champions (also on home soil in 1930), they’ve beaten Argentina & Brazil in their two world cup triumphs. With 15 Copa America titles, they are by far the best team on their continent by a gigantic gap.
Back in 1995, they hosted the Copa America and were intent on reestablishing themselves after 8 barren years. In the opening fixture against Venezuela in the proud Estadio Centenario, they raced out of the blocks, smashing Venezuela 4-1. The next fixture brought over 8,000 more people to the stadium to watch Paraguay fall 1-0 before Mexico held them 1-1 as the hosts topped their group.
In their quarter-final match-up with Bolivia, they were once again up almost immediately; opening the scoring in the very first minute via an Otero goal. 5,000 more fans packed themselves into the national stadium at Montevideo, making it 45,000 – 13,000 more fans than the opening fixture! Otero struck again in the semi-final, his second goal putting the finishing touches on a sweet 2-0 victory over Colombia. In the other semi-final, a Dunga-led Brazil scored first with half an hour gone.
With 51 minutes on the clock, Pablo Bengoechea equalized. Then world champions Brazil were pushed to extra-time, where goalscorer Tulio Costa missed their 4th penalty. Sergio Martinez made no such mistake, and he scored the winning penalty for a 5-3 penalty shootout victory in the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. Uruguay are the only team to have a perfect record at home, hosting 8 international tournaments (7 Copa Americas and 1 World Cup) and winning every single one.
9. AFC Asian Cup of Nations 2015 – Australia become the first holders of two continental titles
Fate has an odd way of bringing people to their destiny, but sometimes, we’ve got to give it a little push. Prior to the 2006 World Cup, Australia had only ever qualified for the World Cup in 1974. However, they had been dominating in their continental championship, the OFC Nations Cup for Oceanian countries. With 4 titles out of 6 tournaments held, it became increasingly difficult to find serious challengers amongst the many smaller nations taking part.
After several attempts, the Australian national football team were finally invited to join the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) in March 2005, ending their 40-year association with the OFC. With ex-Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink in charge, they felt confident that they could do something, and they promptly qualified for the Germany 2006 World Cup.
However, their foray into the Asian continental finals did not go as expected (despite a runners-up finish in the 2011 edition), and over the next 9 years, results slowly dipped until they suffered consecutive 6-0 defeats to Brazil & France, culminating in their lowest-ever FIFA ranking (102). Things looked difficult, but new coach Ange Postecoglou had shown some promise – so he began his reconstruction of the national team.
As the sole bidder for the right to host the 2015 Asian Cup, Australia put their newly-furbished team to the test almost immediately. They answered handsomely, smashing Kuwait 4-1 in the opener as inspirational forward Tim Cahill opened the scoring. Oman were next to concede four, but they replied with none. In the final group match, South Korea beat the hosts to top the group – showing them that they still had some room for improvement.
Tim Cahill was again decisive in the quarter-final, netting a brilliant brace to down the Chinese as the Australians advance to the semis, where Sainsbury and Davidson score within 15 minutes to quickly defeat the UAE. In the final, Massimo Luongo scored on the stroke of half-time against their earlier conquerors (South Korea), setting them on their way to victory. In the 91st minute, Son Heung-min shattered Australian dreams with a last-gasp equalizer to force extra-time.
However, they were not to be denied, and James Troisi’s 105th minute goal sealed Australia’s status as Oceanian and Asian champions – a unique achievement at the Stadium of Australia.
8. UEFA Euro 1964 – Spain finally get their shot at the Soviets in Madrid
4 years earlier, the Soviet Union had triumphed over Yugoslavia in an all-communist final in France. For the Spanish players, that victory would have come as a major disgust, seeing as they could’ve been in their stead had it not been for General Franco’s refusal to let them play. At the time, teams would play home-and-away matches until the semi-finals when a host nation would be picked. As the Spanish weren’t allowed to travel to the Soviet Union due to political bickering, the Soviets got a straight passage into the semi-finals; and they won it.
This time, the Spaniards were hosting the tournament, but they were a young team with few genuine superstars. Jesus Pereda opened the scoring in the semi-final in the first-half, but the Spaniards were pegged back at the Santiago Bernabeu with just 6 minutes to go by a Bene strike. The first-half of extra-time wore on, but an Amancio Amaro goal on the 112th minute send the crowd into raptures and the nation into the final – to meet who?
You guessed it – the Soviets, who were defending champions and had demolished Denmark 3-0. In front of 79,000 fans in Madrid, Jesus Pereda once again scored the opener – this time on the 6th minute, to give the Spanish a rapid head start. Just two minutes later however, Khusainov’s goal reminded the Spanish who were the defending champions.
For over an hour, the two teams struck at each other in a highly-charged encounter before Marcelino Martinez beat the mighty Lev Yashin with an 84th minute header to seal their first and last major trophy until the golden generation we know today.
7. CONCACAF Gold Cup 1993 – Mexico smash their co-hosts in the final
In the second CONCACAF Gold Cup, Mexico & the United States decided to join hands to host the 8-team tournament. Group A would be played in Dallas (United States) while Mexico City would be the arena for th Group B teams. Eric Wynalda scored just after the hour mark to down Jamaica (1-0), before equalizing against Panama in the enxt fixture. Dooley made it 2-1 for 2 wins out of 2. The legendary Alexi Lalas’ 29th minute goal won the final group stage game against Honduras as the US recorded a perfect first round on home soil.
In Mexico, the other hosts obliterated Martinique in the opener as Brazilian-born Zague ruthleslly brutalized them with 7 goals for a 9-0 score. Costa Rica’s Delgado made it 1-1 with 16 minutes to go in the next match– but it was his country that had opened the scoring through Cayasso with 30 minutes on the clock. In the final match, Mexico brought their brutal best again, as four players hit a brace against Canada; Rodriguez, Mora, Zague and Salvador. In the semis, Cle Kooiman's 103rd minute golden goal downed Costa Rica.
Meanwhile, Salvador inspired his nation to another giant rout - Jamaica were the victims this time, as his 34 minute hat-trick put them down 6-1 at the end of the match. Finally, the two host nations and
Finally, the two host nations and neighbours faced off in the final – Mexico and the USA. Ignacio Ambriz scored on the 11th minute, but Desmond Armstrong’s 31st minute own goal put the US in dire straits. For top scorer Zague, it was not enough, as he hit a 3rd on the 69th minute. Cantu closed the scoring with another one 11 minutes from time as the Mexicans absolutely humiliated the Americans in the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Zague finished top scorer with 11 goals as Mexico won their 4th continental title.
6. UEFA Euro 1984 – Michel Platini becomes a French national treasure
In a revamped 8-team tournament, France defeated West Germany in their bid to host the European Championship finals. In the first game, Denmark ran them hard, but then Ballon D’Or winner & Serie A champion Michel Platini struck with 12 minutes on the clock to win the match. In the next fixture, he really turned on the style demolishing the Belgians with a “perfect hat-trick” (left foot, right foot and header). Yugoslavia were his next victims - incredibly, he struck 3 more goals to beat the group's basement boys.
The next match was no joke however; in fact, it is often remembered as one of the greatest clashes in any Euro, ever! Domergue drew first blood for the French with 24 minutes gone, but Rui Jordao equalised 50 minutes later. As the game was forced into extra-time, Jordao used the opportunity to punish the hosts again – scoring a rapid goal with 98 minutes on the clock.
However, Frenchman Domergue was also on a brace, and with only 6 minutes left, he struck the equalizer this time. With the penalty shootout lottery on hand, who else to show up and save the day? Michel Platini scored a late, late winner on the 119th minute to send the French through to the final. The Portuguese were stunned; despite their superhuman effort, they were out.
In the final, Michel Platini’s 57th minute free-kick set France on their way at the Parc Des Princes, before Bruno Bellone scored with a chip on the 90th minute to dash Spanish hearts. It was the only goal scored by a striker for France in the whole tournament – midfielder Platini had scored 9 goals and was named the best player of the tournament.
To date, nobody has matched that tally, and only Lionel Messi beat his record of 3 consecutive Ballon D’Ors; Platini won his second in 1984, maybe his finest hour – long before his corruption case as UEFA president.
5. CAF African Cup of Nations 1996 – South Africa commemorate the end of apartheid
South Africa was one of the first nations to form a part of the CAF, hence their ticket to the intial tournament. However, the apartheid government at the time refused to field any black players, and the other countries banished South Africa from the competition back in 1957. In 1994, the first democratic elections were held and Nelson Mandela was voted into the presidency, ending 37 years of racist laws in the country. 2 years later, they replaced Kenya as the 1996 African Cup of Nations hosts.
Their inital fixture was a 3-0 defeat of Cameroon, with Phil Masinga opening the scoring on the 15th minute. Mark Williams scored a 57th minute winner to defeat Angola in the next match before tournament giants Egypt beat them with an El-Kass goal on the 7th minute of the final group stage match.
In the quarter-finals, John Moshoeu scored a winner just one minute after Algeria’s Lazizi had cancelled out Mark Fish’s opener. With only 5 minutes left, it was as close as things could get at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. A difficult semi-final draw with Ghana went roaringly, as that man Moshoeu once again proved the winner with a deadly double sandwiching Shaun Bartlett’s 46th minute goal. In the other semi-final, Tunisia were spanking Zambia 4-2.
In a tense final in front of 80,000 newly-independent people, Mark Williams struck 2 goals in 2 minutes to defeat the Tunisians and hand the Bafana Bafana their very first African Cup of Nations title. One year after their legendary 1995 Rugby World Cup title, South Africa proved to the world what it could when united once again.
4. FIFA World Cup 1966 – England win their only trophy in the game they made
7 World Cups had been held up until then, with England never going past the quarter-final stage despite being the famed ‘home of the game’. Why? Nobody knew; especially not them. However, when they won the right to host the 1966 edition, it seemed that the curse might end there. That is, of course, until the Jules Rimet (World Cup trophy) was stolen while on tour in London, just before the tournament was set to begin.
Thankfully, an unlikely hero in the form of David Corbett’s dog, “Pickles” came to the fore as it sniffed the prize out from under a garden hedge in Norwood (South London). Ready? Not quite – 7 of England’s players forgot their identity cards at their hotels, delaying their opener against the prestigious Uruguayans. \
Finally, England got underway – and promptly drew 0-0 in the opener. In their next fixture, Alf Ramsey’s team beat Mexico with Manchester United’s Bobby Charlton netting the opener, followed by Roger Hunt. He would score a brace against the French at Wembley in the next match, in front of 98,000 people. With only 4 goals, they had topped their group in 3 games. What had seemed an unremarkable affair up until then was about to get seriously heated in the quarter-final as England were drawn against old rivals Argentina.
Just 35 minutes into a ferocious fixture, German referee Kreitlin sent off Argentinian captain Antonio Rattin for a second yellow after a foul on Geoff Hurst. However, he was already in their bad books for a number of decisions that had gone England’s way, and the midfielder refused to get off the pitch. He seemed to be trying to discuss this with the referee and calling for a translator, but the German sent him off, causing a real ruckus which policemen ended by escorting him off the pitch.
Rattin then crushed the corner flag (bearing English insignia on it) and sat down on the pitch. With 12 minutes to go, Hurst hit a winner which was arguably offside, causing even more fury for the Argentinians – who later dubbed it the “Robbery of the Century”. Alf Ramsey insulted the Argentinias after the match and did not le his players swap shirts. Bobby Charlton’s brace against Mozambican-born Eusebio’s Portugal (who finished as the top scorer with 9 goals) sent them through to the final against West Germany.
In a final for the ages, 98,000 packed Wembley as Haller edged West Germany ahead before Geoff Hurst equalized. 12 minutes were left when Peters put England ahead, and only minute left when Germany got the free kick from which Weber scored and England cried out for a handball – they felt cheated at such a crucial moment!
8 minutes later, it was the Germans who would feel cheated as Geoff Hurst's famously controversial shot hit the crossbar and bounced onto the goal line, making it 3-2. In the 120th minute, Hurst scored again to make it 4-2 and cause a giant pitch invasion for England’s only successful national team ever.
3. FIFA World Cup 1978 – Mario Kempes stars for Argentina amidst controversy
Argentina were in a very, very strange situation in 1976. Just 2 years beforehand, popular president Juan Peron had been ousted via a military coup; over 5,000 people having been abducted by the new regime. However, the logo was designed around a popular salute by the man they had kicked out, and they had to accept his imprint all over the World Cup.
This would extend to the pitch,as several eerie circumstances came to the fore; first, Argentina’s first-round matches had all been scheduled at night (giving them an unfair knowledge of what resulted they would need to progress), and the Argentine manager denied budding 17-year old Diego Maradona his chance to match Pele with a first World Cup at that age.
He was already making waves, but the manager didn’t want his team to be dependent on the young superstar. Anyhow, Leopoldo Luque & Daniel Bertoni made sure the football got off to a good comeback win (2-1) against Hungary, before Michel Platini’s France were dispatched by the same score; Luque struck again. 71,000 fans packed the Estadio Monumental for the final match as Roberto Bettega edged the hosts (1-0).
In the next round, Mario Kempes got his shooting boots, on, silencing Poland with a perfect double in Rosario. Brazil were the next visitors, but they ended the match as equals in an aggressive 0-0 stalemate.
This is where it gets murky – Brazil played Poland in the first fixture, but the Argentinians delayed their final match to know the score of that game. Since the Brazilians defeated the Polish by 3-1, the Argentinians were now aware that they needed a victory by 4 clear goals to progress to the final. Eventually, the decisive fixture got underway, with Kempes and Tarantini scoring in the first-half to give the hosts some hope. However, the second half was suspiciously disastrous – Peru conceded 4 goals to finish as 6-0 losers in a crucial game, sending Argentina through as Luque grabbed a brace and Kempes hit another.
Some cried bribe, some cried threat, some cried political deals and some blamed the brilliant Ramon Quiroga (who was born in Argentina) for being especially poor on the day. With nothing proven, Argentina advanced to the final in the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
The final itself started on the same note – the Argentinians were once again late onto the pitch, giving the crowd five good minutes to bay for some Dutch blood. When they finally came on, they protested against Dutch winger van de Kerkhof’s wrist cast, which his teammates took exception to and threatened to walk off the pitch. Eventually, the referee advised him to wear a bandage and end the whole debacle.
The 1978 World Cup final could finally get underway. Mario Kempes once again starred, scoring in the 37th minute to get the hosts underway. However, Dick Nanninga equalised with just 8 minutes to go, forcing extra-time in Buenos Aires. The Dutch had lost to the 1974 hosts West Germany, and a second consecutive final heartbreak was not what they wanted. Alas, Mario Kempes was a man inspired, and he struck again one minute before half-time to make it 2-1.
As the Dutch struggled in vain, Daniel Bertoni applied the coup de grace 5 minutes from the end of the game, and Argentina were crowned world champions for the first time ever. Mario Kempes was their top scorer with 6 goals, including the two in the final!
2. CONMEBOL Copa America 2015 – Chile shatter Messi’s Argentina
It's not deja-vu; it's simply true. The 2016 Copa America Centenario final was a repeat of the previous edition. Yes, it happened again this year, as Chile started slowly but smashed past Messi's Argentina, prompting his heartfelt retirement (sort of). Brazil was originally due to host the 2015 Copa America, but with the 2013 Confederations Cup the 2014 World Cup & 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics, they opted out – Chile eagerly took on the responsibility. It proved to be the right decision, as they searched for their first Copa America title ever.
Despite no training with his national team (he came only 2 days prior to the tournament), Bayern Munich’s Arturo Vidal struck the first Chilean goal in the opener, a penalty to breach Ecuador’s defence. Vargas was next, finishing the match 2-0. A thrilling encounter between Chile and Mexico ended was again decided by the voracious duo, as Vuoso struck first bfore Vidal answered immediately.
Then, Jimenez scored on the 28th minute but Vargas again equalized with 4 minutes to half-time. Mexico gave away a penalty and Vidal struck again from the spot to make it 3-2, but Vuoso’s 65th minute goal would make it 3-3 – the final score. Against Bolivia it was more of a team affar, as the Bolivians were demolished 5-0 with 4 different scorers, including Raldes’ 85th minute own-goal to seal the rout.
A Suarez-less Uruguay could not breach the organized, snappy Chilean defence, which punished the former with a Mauricio Isla goal 10 minutes before the game was forced to extra-time in the quarter-finals. Against Peru, Eduardo Vargas scored the opener in the semis, but Gary Medel’s own goal on the hour mark cancelled it out.
To spare his teammate’s blushes, he scored just 3 minutes later, sending his team through to the final against Argentina, who had just put 6 past Brazil’s conquerors (Paraguay)! In Santiago, the Chileans stood up to become legends, completely outplaying the Argentineans with a ferocious, rapid, stylish display that didn’t get the goal it deserved in the 90 minutes – or the extra 30.
In the penalty shoot-out, Chile showed their clear superiority, with Messi scoring as well as any of them. On the other hand, Gonzalo Higuain and Ever Banega missed theirs, to allow Arsenal superstar Alexis Sanchez to score the winner on his own ground.
1. FIFA World Cup 1998 – Zinedine Zidane fulfills the French promise
France beat Morocco in the bid to host the 1998 World Cup – a bid that was later revealed to have been the subject of a corruption scheme involving disgraced FIFA president Sepp Blatter and FIA Executive Committee member Chuck Blazer. This was also the first World Cup in which 4th officials would use electronic boards instead of cardboards for injury time and substitutions.
In their opener against South Africa, Phil Dugarry and Thierry Henry scored on either side of a Pierre Issa own goal to hand the hosts a 3-0 win. In the second fixture, it finished 10 vs 10 as Zinedine Zidande and Mohammed Al-Khilaiwi both saw red in Thierry Henry-inspired 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in front of 80,000 in the Stade De France, guaranteeing France a spot in the next round. The final match against Denmark saw Emmanuel Petit and Yuri Djorkaeff seal a 2-1 win against Michael Laudrup’s Denmark.
Another brilliant piece of history was made in the round of 16 as Paraguay held the French for 90 minutes, before Laurent Blanc scored the first golden goal in the history of the World Cup with a 114th minute strike at the Stade Felix-Bollaert. The next match was also after 120 minutes of football as Roberto Baggio’s Italy took France all the way before losing 3-4 on penalties, with Di Bagio missing the crucial 5th spot-kick.
Tournament top scorer Davor Suker hit his 6th in the semi-final as Croatia came flying out of the blocks in the 2nd half of their tie – only to be pegged back again by Liliam Thuram. 20 minutes later, he completed the comeback with another goal to send host nation France through to the final.
Prior to the final, 21yr-old world beater Ronaldo 'O Fenomeno' (who had scored against Netherlands) in the semi-final was subject to a bout of illness, vomiting and convulsing prior to the game. However, the team medics kept it a secret from him , for fear of disrupting their preparations even further.
Despite ruling him out, he begged his coach to play and Mario Zagallo relented, less than one hour before the World Cup final. Alas, it was not to be for the Brazilians; it really was Zinedine Zidane and France’s day. With 2 brilliant headers, the Juventus midfielder put the hosts 2-0 up in the first half, much to the chagrin of the Brazilians.
When Marcel Desailly was sent off in the 68th minute for a second yellow, it seemed like a flcker of hope, but the French held on and finally killed the game in the 3rd minute of extra-time as Petit scored the 3rd. Captain Didier Deschamps (the current national team coach) lifted the trophy in Paris as France won their last major trophy – this year, they will be back for more.
List of other teams that won a major continental trophy in their own country
| FIFA World Cup |
| Uruguay (1930) |
| Italy (1934) |
| West Germany (1974) |
| European Championship |
| Italy (1968) |
| CAF African Cup of Nations |
| United Arab Republic/Egypt (1959, 1986, 2006) |
| Ghana (1963) |
| Tunisia (2004) |
| Algeria (1990) |
| Nigeria (1980) |
| Sudan (1970) |
| Ethiopia (1962) |
| Copa America |
| Uruguay (1917,1923, 1924, 1942, 1956, 1967) |
| Argentina (1921, 1925, 1929, 1937, 1946) |
| Brazil (1919, 1922, 1949, 1989) |
| Peru (1939) |
| Bolivia (1963) |
| Colombia (2001) |
| AFC Asian Cup |
| South Korea (1960) |
| Iran (1968, 1976) |
| Kuwait (1980) |
| Japan (1992) |
| CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| Mexico (2003, 1977) |
| United States of America (1991, 2002, 2005, 2013) |
| Haiti (1973) |
| Costa Rica (1969) |
| OFC Nations Cup |
| New Zealand (1973, 2002) |
| Australia (2004) |
