The UEFA Euro 1976 final was the final match of the UEFA Euro 1976, the fifth edition of the European Championship, UEFA's top football competition for national teams. Contested by Czechoslovakia and West Germany, the match was played at Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, on 20 June 1976.
En route to the final, Czechoslovakia finished top of their qualifying group, which included England, Cyprus and Portugal. After beating the Soviet Union 4–2 on aggregate over a two-legged tie in the quarter-finals, they progressed to the final after defeating the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the semi-finals. West Germany also won their qualifying group, which included Greece, Malta and Bulgaria, before beating Spain 3–1 on aggregate in the two-legged quarter-finals and then tournament hosts Yugoslavia 4–2 after extra time in the single-match semi-final.
The final took place in front of 30,790 supporters, and was refereed by Sergio Gonella from Italy. Following a 2–2 draw after extra time, Czechoslovakia won 5–3 on penalties to secure their only European Championship title. The winning Czechoslovak penalty, gently lobbed straight in the middle of the net, was famously scored by Antonín Panenka, and his name is now synonymous with that particular style of penalty kick. Until they lost on penalties against Paraguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32, this was West or reunified Germany’s only penalty shootout loss in a major tournament.
Background UEFA Euro 1976 was the fifth edition of the UEFA European Football Championship, UEFA's football competition for national teams. Thirty-two teams competed in qualifying rounds, which were played on a home-and-away round-robin basis, between 1 September 1974 and 28 February 1976, before the two-legged quarter-finals were held between 24 April and 22 May 1976. The semi-finals and final took place in Yugoslavia, between 16 and 20 June 1976. A third-place play-off match took place the day before the final.
West Germany went into the 1976 Final as reigning European and world champions, having defeated the Soviet Union 3–0 in the UEFA Euro 1972 Final and the Netherlands in the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final. Czechoslovakia had failed to progress beyond their group stage of UEFA Euro 1972, finishing level on points with Romania but behind them on goal difference. Czechoslovakia had failed to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup finals when they ended their three-team group stage in second place, behind Scotland. The UEFA Euro 1976 Final was the third competitive fixture between West Germany and Czechoslovakia, the sides having played one another in the 1934 and the 1958 FIFA World Cups.
Route to the final Czechoslovakia +Czechoslovakia's route to the finalRoundOppositionScoreQualifying groupEngland0–3 (A), 2–1 (H)Cyprus4–0 (H), 3–0 (A)Portugal5–0 (H), 1–1 (A)Quarter-finalSoviet Union2–0 (H), 2–2 (A)Semi-finalNetherlands3–1 (N) Czechoslovakia commenced their UEFA Euro 1976 campaign in qualifying group 1 where they faced three other teams in a home-and-away round-robin tournament. Their first fixture was against England and was played at Wembley Stadium on 30 October 1974. After a goalless first half, Mick Channon opened the scoring midway through the second half. Two goals in quick succession from Colin Bell secured a 3–0 win for England. Czechoslovakia's next qualifying game came almost six months later, at home, when they faced Cyprus at the Stadion Letná in Prague. Antonín Panenka scored twice before half-time before completing his hat-trick five minutes after the interval with a penalty. Marián Masný added a fourth goal twelve minutes before full-time to give Czechoslovakia a 4–0 victory. Ten days later Czechoslovakia played Portugal at the Stadion Letná. Přemysl Bičovský scored twice before Zdeněk Nehoda's goal made it 3–0 at half time. Nehoda scored his second almost immediately after the interval and with a 52nd-minute goal from Ladislav Petráš, Czechoslovakia secured a 5–0 win.
England were Czechoslovakia's next opponents and although the match was originally scheduled for 29 October 1975, it was abandoned after 17 minutes as a result of thick fog. The fixture was fulfilled the following afternoon and although Channon gave England the lead midway through the first half, goals either side of half-time from Nehoda and Dušan Galis ensured a 2–1 victory for Czechoslovakia. Their next opponents were Portugal at the Estádio das Antas in Porto on 12 November 1975. Anton Ondruš gave Czechoslovakia the lead in the seventh minute but Nené equalised almost immediately and no further goals were scored, resulting in a 1–1 draw. The final group match for Czechoslovakia was away against Cyprus at the Tsirio Stadium on 23 November 1975. Nehoda opened the scoring early in the first half before Bičovský and Masný made it 3–0 before half-time. The second half was goalless and the result ensured that Czechoslovakia ended as winners of Group 1, one point ahead of England, and securing progression to the quarter-finals.
Czechoslovakia faced the Soviet Union there with the first leg being played at Tehelné pole in Bratislava on 24 April 1976. Konstantin Beskov, the Soviet Union manager, had been dismissed following defeat to the Republic of Ireland during the qualifying round. His replacement, Valeriy Lobanovskyi was the Dynamo Kiev manager and selected eight of his club side for the national team. The match was played in wet conditions and Jozef Móder opened the scoring for Czechoslovakia, striking past Aleksandr Prokhorov in the 34th minute. Just after half-time, Panenka doubled Czechoslovakia's lead when his free kick passed under the Soviet Union's defensive wall and into the bottom corner of the net. Oleg Blokhin missed an opportunity to reduce the deficit for the Soviet Union late in the second half and the match ended 2–0. The second leg was held at the Central Stadium in Kiev on 22 May 1976. Ivo Viktor, the Czechoslovak goalkeeper, made several saves in the first half, denying Blokhin, Volodymyr Veremeyev and Anatoliy Konkov, before Móder gave Czechoslovakia the lead with a free kick just before half-time. Eight minutes into the second half, Leonid Buryak equalised but Móder restored Czechoslovakia's lead after a Karol Dobiaš breakaway with eight minutes remaining. Blokhin sent a chipped shot over Viktor in the 87th minute to make it 2–2, but Czechoslovakia progressed with a 4–2 aggregate victory.
In their semi-final, Czechoslovakia's opponents were the Netherlands with the one-off match being played at the Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb, a neutral venue. The match was played in torrential rain with the referee holding an umbrella over the two captains for the pre-match handshake. Czechoslovakia dominated the early stages and took the lead in the 19th minute when Ondruš scored with a header from Panenka's free kick. Jaroslav Pollák was booked for encroaching on the Netherlands' free kicks and was then sent off for a foul on Johan Neeskens on the hour mark. With 17 minutes remaining, Ondruš sliced the ball into the Czechoslovak net when attempting to clear a cross from Ruud Geels to level the score with an own goal. Neeskens was then dismissed for a foul on Nehoda before Viktor denied Rob Rensenbrink on three separate occasions to send the game into extra time. In the 114th minute, substitute František Veselý crossed for Nehoda whose header made it 2–1, before Willem van Hanegem of the Netherlands became the third player to be sent off, for dissent. Four minutes later, Panenka passed to Veselý who avoided Netherlands defender Piet Schrijvers before striking the ball into the goal, securing a 3–1 victory and passage to the final.
West Germany +West Germany's route to the finalRoundOppositionScoreQualifying groupGreece2–2 (A), 1–1 (H)Malta1–0 (A), 8–0 (H)Bulgaria1–1 (A), 1–0 (H)Quarter-finalSpain1–1 (A), 2–0 (H)Semi-finalYugoslavia4–2 (N) West Germany were in Qualifying Group 8 and the first match of their campaign was against Greece at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus on 20 November 1974. Georgios Delikaris scored the only goal of the first half to give Greece a 1–0 lead at half-time. Bernhard Cullmann equalised for West Germany early in the second half before Kostas Eleftherakis restored Greece's lead with 20 minutes of the game remaining. Herbert Wimmer then levelled the match in the 82nd minute and the game ended in a 2–2 draw. The following month, West Germany faced Malta in the first competitive match between the sides, at the Empire Stadium in Gżira. Cullmann gave West Germany the lead just before half-time and with a goalless second half, the match finished 1–0. West Germany's next opponents were Greece who they played at the Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf on 11 October 1975. After a goalless first half, Jupp Heynckes scored midway through the second to give West Germany the lead, but Delikaris equalised with twelve minutes remaining to secure a 1–1 draw. West Germany then played their return fixture against Bulgaria on 19 November 1975 at the Neckarstadion in Stuttgart. The only goal of the game came midway through the second half as Heynckes' strike secured a 1–0 win. In their final group game, West Germany's faced Malta at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund on 28 February 1976. Ronnie Worm scored twice and Heynckes added a third before Erich Beer converted a penalty to give West Germany a 4–0 half-time lead. Heynckes and Beer both doubled their tally before Berti Vogts and Bernd Hölzenbein scored late in the game to secure an 8–0 win for their side. West Germany finished top of their group, two points ahead of Greece, and qualified for the quarter-finals.
There, West Germany faced Spain in the two-legged tie with the first match taking place at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on 24 April 1976. Santillana gave Spain the lead midway through the first half: outjumping Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, he controlled Goyo Benito's cross and struck it past Sepp Maier in the West Germany goal. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Beer equalised with a shot from around which Spain's goalkeeper José Ángel Iribar could not keep out, and the match ended 1–1. The return leg was held at the Olympiastadion in Munich on 22 May 1976. Uli Hoeneß put West Germany ahead in the 17th minute volleyed Beer's cross over his own shoulder to make it 1–0 before Klaus Toppmöller doubled the lead just before half-time when he converted a rebound after Miguel Ángel saved Franz Beckenbauer's shot. The second half was goalless and the match ended 2–0, West Germany progressing with a 3–1 aggregate win.