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.
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.
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.
Qualification
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.
Qualified teams
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium (host) | Quarter-final winner | 13 May 1972 | 0 (debut) |
| Soviet Union | Quarter-final winner | 13 May 1972 | 3 (1960, 1964, 1968) |
| West Germany | Quarter-final winner | 13 May 1972 | 0 (debut) |
| Hungary | Quarter-final winner | 17 May 1972 | 1 (1964) |
Venues
| Brussels | Liège | |
|---|---|---|
| Heysel Stadium | Stade Émile Versé | Stade Maurice Dufrasne |
| Capacity: 75,000 | Capacity: 30,000 | Capacity: 35,000 |
| Antwerp | ||
| Bosuilstadion | ||
| Capacity: 60,000 | ||
Match officials
Final tournament
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)
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 14 June – Antwerp | ||||||
| Belgium | 1 | |||||
| 18 June – Brussels (Heysel) | ||||||
| West Germany | 2 | |||||
| West Germany | 3 | |||||
| 14 June – Brussels (Émile Versé) | ||||||
| Soviet Union | 0 | |||||
| Hungary | 0 | |||||
| Soviet Union | 1 | |||||
| Third place play-off | ||||||
| 17 June – Liège | ||||||
| Hungary | 1 | |||||
| Belgium | 2 | |||||
Semi-finals
| Hungary | 0–1 | Soviet Union |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Belgium | 1–2 | West Germany |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Third-place play-off
Final
| West Germany | 3–0 | Soviet Union |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Statistics
Goalscorers
There were 10 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 2.5 goals per match.
4 goals
1 goal
Awards
- UEFA Team of the Tournament
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yevhen Rudakov | Revaz Dzodzuashvili Murtaz Khurtsilava Franz Beckenbauer Paul Breitner |
Uli Hoeneß Günter Netzer Herbert Wimmer |
Raoul Lambert Jupp Heynckes Gerd Müller |
