Introduction

England is one of the most successful football teams in the world. However, even they have a few years where they failed to qualify for the European Championship. In this article, we will explore the years when England did not participate in the tournament.

The 1960s

The European Championship was inaugurated in 1960. However, England's manager at the time, Walter Winterbottom, decided not to enter the competition. He felt that the format was not suitable and that the Football Association should wait until the World Cup was expanded to include more teams.

1984

England's next absence from the European Championship was in 1984. The team had qualified for the previous tournament but had been knocked out in the group stage. In the qualifying round for 1984, England finished third in their group behind Denmark and Greece.

1992

The European Championship expanded to include eight teams in 1980 and then to 16 teams in 1992. England's failure to qualify in 1992 was surprising as they had reached the semi-finals of the World Cup two years earlier. However, they were drawn into a tough qualifying group alongside the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland. They finished third in the group, missing out on qualification by a single point.

2008

England's most recent absence from the European Championship was in 2008. The team had reached the quarter-finals in the previous tournament but had struggled in the qualifying round for 2008. They finished third in their group behind Croatia and Russia.

Conclusion

England has a proud history in football, but they have missed out on the European Championship a few times. They decided not to enter the first tournament in 1960, struggled to qualify in 1984 and 1992, and failed to qualify in 2008. However, the team has since bounced back and has qualified for every European Championship since then.