The three continental championships that matter most, and the details behind them.
Outside the World Cup, three continental tournaments carry real weight, and each is older and stranger than its modern presentation suggests. The European Championship began in 1960 with four teams in the finals. The Copa America is the oldest international competition in the sport, predating the World Cup by fourteen years, and has been played on a schedule so irregular that it has had years with two editions and decades with barely any. The Africa Cup of Nations has run since 1957, when three teams entered and one was disqualified before playing.
They also produce the tournament results that stay surprising for decades, because the fields are smaller and a single knockout tie carries more weight than it does across a longer competition. The list of winners contains nations that have never come close before or since.
Finals, winners, hosts and top scorers for all three are collected here.
Play the the euros, the copa america and afcon quizEvery answer below is quoted from the page it came from. Where a claim could not be confirmed against a source, it was left out rather than guessed at.
France beat Italy in the Euro 2000 final at De Kuip in Rotterdam. What was the attendance for that match?
48,100 spectators
The final took place in front of 48,100 spectators source
Who was top scorer at the 2000 African Cup of Nations, with five goals?
Shaun Bartlett of South Africa
Top scorer: Shaun Bartlett (5 goals) source
Who finished as top scorer of the 2001 Copa America in Colombia, with six goals?
Víctor Aristizábal of Colombia
With six goals, Víctor Aristizábal was the top scorer in the tournament. source
Which country hosted the 2002 African Cup of Nations, won by Cameroon?
Mali
It was hosted by Mali. source
Which team finished third at the 2004 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia, and who did they beat?
Nigeria, beating Mali in the third place match
Nigeria secured third place after beating Mali in the third place match source
Which two countries were invited to make up the numbers at the 2004 Copa America in Peru?
Mexico and Costa Rica
The two invited countries for this edition of the Copa América were Mexico and Costa Rica. source
Who refereed the Euro 2004 final between Portugal and Greece at the Estadio da Luz?
Markus Merk of Germany
The referee for the game was Markus Merk of Germany. source
Egypt beat Ivory Coast on penalties in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations final. What was the shoot-out score?
4–2 after a goalless draw
Egypt won its fifth championship, beating Ivory Coast in the final 4–2 in a penalty shootout after the regulation time had ended in a goalless draw. source
Which country staged the 2007 Copa America, and what was notable about it hosting?
Venezuela, hosting for the first time
The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body, and was held between 26 June and 15 July in Venezuela, which hosted the tournament for the first time. source
David Villa won the Golden Boot at Euro 2008. How many goals did he score in the tournament?
Four goals
The Golden Boot was awarded to yet another Spaniard, David Villa, who scored four goals, three of which came in his side's 4–1 win over Russia (the only hat-trick scored in the tournament). source
How many venues staged the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana?
Four venues
The tournament was staged at four venues around Ghana between 20 January and 10 February 2008. source
Which team withdrew two days before the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations began in Angola?
Togo, reducing the field to 15 nations
The withdrawal of Togo two days before the tournament began, after a terrorist attack on their bus upon arriving in Angola, reduced the number of participating nations to 15. source
Who was top scorer at the 2011 Copa America in Argentina, with five goals?
Paolo Guerrero of Peru
With five goals, Paolo Guerrero of Peru was the top scorer in the tournament. source
Spain beat Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv. What was the attendance?
63,170 supporters
The final took place in front of 63,170 supporters source
Who was named top goalscorer of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations?
Emmanuel Mayuka of Zambia
Top goalscorer of the competition: Emmanuel Mayuka source
Nigeria's 1-0 win over Burkina Faso in the 2013 final was which Africa Cup of Nations title for them?
Their third Africa Cup of Nations title
Nigeria won its third Africa Cup of Nations championship with a 1–0 victory over Burkina Faso in the final. source
Morocco was ruled out as host of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. Which country replaced them?
Equatorial Guinea
The tournament was initially scheduled to be hosted by Morocco who later demanded postponement of the event because of the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa; subsequently Morocco was ruled out as a host country and replaced by Equatorial Guinea. source
Two CONCACAF guests played at the 2015 Copa America in Chile. Which of them was appearing in the competition for the first time?
Jamaica
Twelve teams competed: the ten members of CONMEBOL and two guests from CONCACAF – Mexico and Jamaica, the latter of which competed in the Copa América for the first time. source
Who received the Golden Boot at the Copa America Centenario for scoring six goals?
Eduardo Vargas of Chile
Chile's Eduardo Vargas received the Golden Boot award for scoring six goals. source
Who was the referee for the Euro 2016 final between Portugal and France at the Stade de France?
Mark Clattenburg of England
The final took place in front of 75,868 spectators, and was refereed by English official Mark Clattenburg. source
Which team finished third at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, and by what score?
Burkina Faso, beating Ghana 1–0
Burkina Faso finished third after beating Ghana 1–0 in the third place play-off. source
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations was the first edition to be expanded. From how many teams to how many?
From 16 to 24 teams
It was also the first Africa Cup of Nations expanded from 16 to 24 teams. source
Which side took third place at the 2019 Copa America in Brazil, and by what score?
Argentina, beating Chile 2–1
Argentina took third place by beating Chile 2–1 in the third-place match. source
UEFA named the officiating team for the Euro 2020 final on 8 July 2021. Which referee led it?
Björn Kuipers of the Netherlands
On 8 July 2021, the UEFA Referees Committee announced the officiating team for the final, led by 48-year-old Dutch referee Björn Kuipers source
The 2021 Copa America was eventually played in Brazil. Which two countries had CONMEBOL originally announced as co-hosts in March 2019?
Argentina and Colombia
On 13 March 2019, CONMEBOL announced Argentina and Colombia as co-hosts of the 2020 event after the United States bid was rejected. source
Who refereed the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Egypt at the Olembe Stadium?
Victor Gomes of South Africa
South African referee Victor Gomes officiated the final, accompanied by compatriot Zakhele Siwela and Souru Phatsoane of Lesotho as assistant referees. source
Who was named best player of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, held in Ivory Coast?
William Troost-Ekong
Best player: William Troost-Ekong source
Which player did UEFA's technical observers choose as Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024?
Rodri
The Player of the Tournament award was given to Rodri, who was chosen by UEFA's technical observers. source
Who won the Best Player Award at the 2024 Copa America in the United States?
James Rodríguez
Best Player Award: James Rodríguez source