Exempt from having to qualify, the hosts Italy staged the first of the enlarged tournaments, eight teams instead of four, divided into two groups instead of two semi-finals, which were done away with: the two group winners would go straight into the final. 

West Germany celebrate winning EURO 80

Italy´s young team had done very well in the 1978 FIFA World Cup finals but the absence of Paolo Rossi left them rather short of firepower. The Federal Republic of Germany produced a new and improved side led by two dazzling young players: the twenty-year-old Bernd Schuster, a playmaker in the G?nter Netzer mould, and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge up front. Greece had surprised Hungary and the USSR, and Belgium had one of their strongest squads and most able managers: needing to win in Glasgow to qualify, they did it in style, the prolific Erwin Vandenbergh and the elusive Fran?ois Van der Elst scoring their three goals. Little was expected of Spain, a transitional Netherlands team or the holders Czechoslovakia. 

England had emerged from an easy qualifying group with some style, winning seven of their eight matches and drawing the other while scoring 22 goals, seven of them from Kevin Keegan, European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979. They followed this with excellent wins over Spain (2-0 away) and world champions Argentina (3-1 at Wembley). But an Achilles tendon injury now deprived them of Trevor Francis, who had established a fluent goalscoring partnership with Tony Woodcock. Keegan, however, was sure "there are no giants out there waiting for us". 
 

1980년 이탈리아에서 벌어진 6회 대회에서는 현재 시행되고 있는 유럽선수권대회의 기본골격이 갖추어지게 되었다. 예전에 예선과 본선의 뚜렷한 기본이 없었던 유럽선수권대회가 이 대회부터 예선라운드와 본선이 구분되면서 현재의 유럽선수권대회의 골격을 세우게 되었던 것이다. 

예선을 거쳐 이탈리아 본선에 진출한 8개팀은 두 개조로 나뉘어서 조별예선을 펼쳤다. 그리고 각조의 1위가 결승에 올랐고, 조 2위가 3,4위전에 진출했다. 

본선의 규모를 키워 새롭게 단장한 이 대회에서 '전차군단' 독일은 두번째 우승축배를 들었다. 결승에서 벨기에를 만난 독일은 흐루베쉬의 연속골로 2-1승리를 거두고 유럽국가 최초로 통산 2회 우승의 고지에 올라섰다. 
 
 우승 - 독일 
 준우승 - 벨기에 
 3위 - 체코 
 4위 - 이탈 리아 
 8강 - 네덜란드, 그리스, 잉글랜드, 스페인 

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