What is the biggest win in Euros history? Largest margin of victory and highest-scoring game at UEFA European Championship

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Scotland fans are fearing the worst already at Euro 2024 after seeing their team fall 5-1 to host nation Germany in opening match.

Goals from Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz (from the penalty spot), Niclas Fulkrug and Emre Can saw Julian Nagelsmann's team start their Euro challenge in the best possible way, while the red card issued to Ryan Porteous made Scotland's night even worse.

Events at Signal Iduna Park mean that Steve Clarke's side fell to one of the biggest defeats in European Championship history. Here, The Sporting News looks at the largest winning margins the tournament has witnessed, plus the game with the most goals scored.

MORE: Euro 2024 schedule and results, updated LIVE | Who will win Euro 2024? Latest odds and predictions

What is the biggest win in Euros history?

The largest wins in European Championship history have all been by five-goal margins. Five teams have managed this feat, with the first two doing so on the same day.

Biggest wins in UEFA European Championship history

TournamentRoundMatch resultGoal scorers
Euro 1986Group stageFrance 5-0 BelgiumPlatini x3, Giresse, Fernandez
Euro 1986Group stageDenmark 5-0 YugoslaviaArnesen x2, Berggreen, Elkjaer, Lauridsen
Euro 2000QuarterfinalsNetherlands 6-1 YugoslaviaKluivert x3, Govedarica OG, Overmars x2; Milosevic
Euro 2004Group stageSweden 5-0 BulgariaLarsson x2, Ljungberg, Ibrahimovic, Allback
Euro 2020Group stageSlovakia 0-5 SpainDubravka OG, Laporte, Sarabia, Ferran Torres, Kucka OG

The first team to do so were France in 1984, when they defeated Belgium 5-0 during the group stage thanks to a hat-trick from Michel Platini, who ended the tournament with a record nine goals scored. Later that day, Denmark defeated Yugoslavia by the same scoreline.

Fourteen years later, a rampant Netherlands side dispatched Yugoslavia again, becoming the first (and only) team to score six times in a single Euros match. Patrick Kluivert's hat-trick set them on their way, although a consolation goal from Savo Milosevic prevented it from becoming a record winning margin in the competition.

Four years later, Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic got on the scoresheet as Sweden thrashed Bulgaria 5-0 in a group game in Lisbon, Portugal. Then, at Euro 2020, Spain defeated Slovakia 5-0 in their third group game, having drawn their first two.

What is the highest-scoring game in Euros history?

The European Championship game with the most goals came in the semifinals of 1960, when France were defeated by Yugoslavia 5-4.

Les Bleus led 4-2 with 15 minutes remaining only to concede three times in five minutes to lose a quite incredible game — one that at least a little offsets Yugoslavia's later heavy defeats in the history books.

How to watch Euro 2024

Broadcasters from across the world will be showing the best action from Euro 2024.

Below are the key details on how to watch and stream the matches in some of the major global territories.

 TV channelStreaming
USAFox Sports, TUDN, UnivisionFubo, TUDN app/website, ViX
CanadaTSN 1, TSN 4, TVATSN+, TVA app/website
UKITV, STV, BBCITVX, STV Player, BBC iPlayer
AustraliaOptus Sport
IndiaSony Sports Network

USA: Fox Sports will broadcast matches via their network of channels including FS1. Fubo is the place to go for US based fans looking to stream matches with the platform offering a FREE trial ahead of the tournament to new users.

TUDN and Univision are the places to go for Spanish language viewers looking for TV coverage, with Fubo and ViX live streaming options.

Canada: TSN will broadcast matches with streaming options available on TSN+.

French language channel TVA Sports will be providing the coverage this summer on both TV and streaming services.

Australia: Fans in Australia can follow all the Euro 2024 action live and on demand on Optus Sport.

UK: Matches at Euro 2024 will be available on free-to-air services in the UK split between the BBC, ITV and STV in Scotland. Streaming is on the BBC iPlayer, ITVX and the STV player.

India: Euro 2024 matches will be available on Sony LIV in India.

If Euro 2024 is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.

WATCH FROM ANYWHERE: Sign up for NordVPN (30-day moneyback guarantee)

Author(s)
Joe Wright Photo

Joe is Senior Editor (Football) at Sporting News.