Whether you are simply eager for entertainment or you are looking for a smart bet to place, it is useful to know which countries are the most free scoring during the European Championships. You may ask how historic data has any bearing on how a present day team performs but there is more to it than you might think.
Certain countries have particular play styles or philosophies that live on even in spite of managerial and squad changes. How long have Italy, for example, been famous for their commitment to organised defending? Some nations also have a real knack for producing a particular type of player. Spain for instance are known for producing footballers that possess great technical ability, as this is a something stressed at grass roots level.
So, while countries are not bound by the performances of their former squads, previous data is of some value especially when the data set is large. It is also simply quite interesting to find out who has been able to hit the back of the net most when the pressure is on. In some cases, the results are quite surprising. Ahead of the delayed Euro 2020 for example, Wales actually top the list having scored 10 goals from just six games during their sole previous appearance (Euro 2016). Their goals scored average of 1.67 is better than any other nation on the continent. One for the stats fans out there!
Although there is a case to be made for including such examples in our main list, we will first only consider teams that have played at least 14 European Championship matches. By setting the limit here, we can avoid teams that have skewed numbers thanks to their minimal involvement on the biggest continental stage. To ensure such nations are not completely ignored though, we will highlight these special cases at this end of this piece.
Highest Average Goals Ranked By Country
(Minimum 14 Games)
So, without further ado, here is the list of the best scoring nations at the European Championships (1960 to 2016), as measured by goals per game …
| Team | Goals Per Match | Matches Played |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 1.63 | 35 |
| France | 1.59 | 39 |
| Serbia | 1.57 | 14 |
| Germany | 1.47 | 49 |
| Portugal | 1.4 | 35 |
| Spain | 1.38 | 40 |
| Czech Republic | 1.31 | 32 |
Netherlands – 1.63 Goals Per Match
You may be surprised that an average of 1.63 goals per game is enough to top the list. After all, in domestic club competitions it is not at all uncommon to see the deadliest teams in the league average above, or close to two goals per game. You have to factor in though that these national tournaments tend to be fairly cagey due to what is at stake and their infrequency.
Additionally, the quality of teams competing is generally high, although the widening of the tournament in more recent years has made this less true. In the early days just four sides made the finals, with the Euros expanding to eight, 16 and finally 24 between 1980 and 2016. Clearly when so few teams compete at the finals there are rarely easy games where nations can really rack up the goals. Indeed, Euro 2000 is the only renewal this century that has seen an average higher than 2.5 goals per game and the three tournaments before this averaged 2.06, 2.13 and 2.27 respectively.
Although other countries boast a better record in the competition than the Netherlands, no team has scored more goals per game over the years. The regularly entertaining Dutch are used to putting on a show at a continental level. Marco van Basten singlehandedly scored five goals on the way to lifting the trophy in 1988, with one of them being his impossible looking volley in the final against the Soviet Union. With context included, it would be scandalous to argue against this being the best goal ever scored in the history of the tournament. As well as Van Basten, forwards such as Ruud van Nistlerooy and Patrick Kluivert have a fine scoring record in the competition, both tied in joint fourth place overall with six goals.
Despite going all the way in 1988, this was not the Netherlands’ most prolific Euros appearance, far from it in fact. The eight goals netted during their victorious effort was surpassed by the 13 goals they scored in as many games during the 2000 European Championships. Thriving from being one of the host nations, the Dutch averaged a whopping 2.6 goals per game, in part thanks to a 6-1 crushing of Yugoslavia.
France – 1.59 Goals Per Match
Given the strength of the French team in the modern era, it may not be long before they replace the Netherlands at the top of our list. In 39 European Championship finals matches, Les Bleus have amassed 62 goals. Almost 15% of these have come courtesy of one man, Michel Platini, and in one tournament. Although his time as UEFA president has rather scuppered his legacy, he was, back in his playing days, a genuinely world class talent. In Euro 1984, he somehow netted nine goals in just five matches and this was back when the tournament featured only the best eight teams on the continent.
As well as nearly topping the goals scored per games list, France are very high up there when it comes to average goals per game (so both scored and conceded). For nations with at least 14 games played, their total of 2.76 goals per game is third behind Belgium 2.83, meaning you usually see action at both ends when watching these French speaking nations.
Serbia (As Yugoslavia) – 1.57 Goals Per Match
Modern day Serbia are yet to feature at the Euro finals but they are seen, in footballing terms, as the direct successors of Yugoslavia. Therefore, SFR Yugoslavia’s four finals appearance (1960, 1968, 1976 and 1984) are considered part of Serbia’s record, as is the sole appearance in 2000 of FR Yugoslavia. If history is anything to go by then, as and when Serbia do manage to qualify for the Euros, which shouldn’t be too far into the future, they are likely to really entertain us.
At an average of 4.36 goals per match, Serbia are miles ahead of any other team when it comes to action at both ends. As mentioned above, second place Belgium have an average of 2.83 so you can really see the extent of the gap here. Although this is partly because Yugoslavia suffered some extremely heavy defeats like the 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Denmark in 1984, they often replied with goals of their own. Overall, their record is not horrendously bad with 22 goals scored and 39 conceded from a mere 14 games
Germany – 1.47 Goals Per Match
Germany have the highest points per match (assuming knockout games would award points) from the Euros, an average standing at an impressive 1.84. This is not much of a surprise given they have won the tournament the joint most number of times (three) with Spain, doing so twice as West Germany. Back to scoring though and it is interesting that top all-time World Cup goal scorer Miroslav Klose failed to replicate his success on the continental scene. In his defence however, he did only made six appearances in the finals, compared to 24 World Cup outings.
Portugal – 1.40 Goals Per Match
For a nation that has had the age-defying Cristiano Ronaldo at their disposal, you might perhaps expect Portugal to be a little higher up this list. Ahead of Euro 2020, the Madeira man had averaged 0.75 goals per game at club level, or 0.96 if only looking at his time at Real Madrid and Juventus.
While he is responsible for 18% of his country’s goals in this competition, even with him leading the line they have maintained a pretty steady scoring rate. In each of their seven appearances in the finals, the Portuguese have always averaged between one and two goals, never hitting the extreme highs or lows of other nations. In more recent attempts, this is partly because Portugal have struggled to get their star man playing at his best. Ronaldo’s record of nine goals in 21 finals appearances is certainly respectable by normal standards, but below what you might expect for a five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Spain – 1.34 Goals Per Match
Despite being tied with Germany as the most successful country to take part in this competition, three-time winners Spain haven’t found the net especially often. In fact, outside of their two most recent victories (in 2008 and 2012) their ability to find the net has been surprisingly underwhelming. They are nation that has produced a bucket load of technically gifted players, particularly in midfield, but in terms of ruthless strikers, not so much. Never before has a Spanish player won the World Cup golden boot for instance, and their all-time top goal scorer in the Euros is Fernando Torres, on an underwhelming five goals from 13 appearances.
While Spain are not a side you can usually rely on to bag lots of goals in the European Championships, we must at least credit them for recording the most goals scored in a final. Surpassing West Germany’s 3-0 thumping of the Soviet Union in 1972, La Roja fired an incredible four past Italy in 2012 with no reply. It was the most resounding final win the Euros has ever seen and one likely to stand long in the record books and a fitting indication of just how good that Spanish side was.
Czech Republic – 1.31 Goals Per Match
Note that the average for the Czech Republic includes the figures from Czechoslovakia. As simply the Czech Republic, their goals per game average stands as 1.25.
Although we don’t really associate the Czech Republic with scoring goals aplenty at the Euros, some of you may recall their heroics in both 1996 and 2004. On the latter occasion, despite scoring a mere two goals during the entire season for his club Liverpool, Milan Baros did his best prime Ronaldo, impressing during his time in Portugal. After scoring in every single group game, Baros netted twice against Denmark in the quarter finals before a 1-0 loss to Greece in the semis. During their appearances in 1996 and 2004, the Czechs have scored four more goals than they have managed in their four other appearances combined.
Noteable Absentees
Italy, as we pointed out early on, are a nation that has long been known for their defensive steel rather than attacking flair. It therefore does not come as a great shock that their average goals scored per game is an extremely lowly 1.03 from 38 matches, one place behind Denmark (1.11). They do, perhaps even less unsurprisingly, have the best defensive record of any regular in the competition though, letting in just 0.71 goals per game on average.
England, despite their ability to consistently produce talented players, and a thriving domestic league, also failed to make their way onto our main list. Although they have not struggled for goals to the same extent as Italy, their average of 1.29 scored per game is significantly less than other top nations in Europe.
It is a disappointing record made worse by the fact The Three Lions rarely progress deep into this competition, meaning they have played a smaller proportion of “difficult” and generally more cagey knockout ties. The year 1992 was a particularly dire one for England in which, despite having a young Alan Shearer, and their skipper Gary Lineker, the Three Lions only scored once.
Highest Average Goals (No Minimum Games)
| Team | Goals Per Match | Matches Played |
|---|---|---|
| Wales | 1.67 | 6 |
| Netherlands | 1.63 | 35 |
| Iceland | 1.60 | 5 |
| France | 1.59 | 39 |
| Serbia | 1.57 | 14 |
| Germany | 1.47 | 49 |
| Portugal | 1.40 | 35 |
| Spain | 1.38 | 40 |
| Hungary | 1.38 | 8 |
| Slovenia | 1.33 | 3 |
As mentioned at the start of this article, the honour of being the Euros’ most prolific side is in fact, rather surprisingly, Wales. They scored 10 times during Euro 2016 as they surpassed all expectations to reach the semi-finals. It was quite the sight for any Welsh fan, especially when seeing Hal Robson-Kanu, recently released by his club Reading FC, bamboozle the entire Belgium defence with one superb turn to score during a 3-1 win.
Trailing Wales as an unexpected name right up there in the goals per game rankings is none other than Iceland. For a country with fewer than 400,000 inhabitants, even reaching the finals in 2016 was an extremely impressive achievement. Much like with Wales though, they seized their opportunity and netted eight times, including two goals against England and France, giving them an average of 1.60.
Lowest Average Goals
Minimum 14 Games
| Team | Goals Per Match | Matches Played |
|---|---|---|
| Romania | 0.63 | 16 |
| Turkey | 0.87 | 15 |
| Greece | 0.88 | 16 |
| Italy | 1.03 | 38 |
| Denmark | 1.11 | 27 |
Although the main focus of this article has been to look at the nations that have been most productive in attack, we felt obligated to point out the most lacklustre attacking nation. In this case the country with the shame of having the lowest number is Romania thanks to their average of just 0.63 goals from five separate Euros involvements. During four of these efforts, the Eastern European side only managed to score either one or two goals before facing group stage elimination.
We should also mention Switzerland and Republic of Ireland here who are not a long way from displacing Romania. Both have a marginally lower average goals per game of 0.62 and 0.60 respectively but they are just a few games short of our 14 game cut off-point (one game for Switzerland and four for Ireland).
No Minimum Games
| Team | Goals Per Match | Matches Played |
|---|---|---|
| Ukraine | 0.33 | 6 |
| Austria | 0.33 | 6 |
| Norway | 0.33 | 3 |
| Albania | 0.33 | 3 |
| Latvia | 0.33 | 3 |
| Northern Ireland | 0.5 | 4 |
| Republic of Ireland | 0.6 | 10 |
We have no country that sits outright as the least dangerous team in Euros history, as things stand anyway. Instead, there are five nations jointly sat at the bottom with an average goalscoring record of just 0.33 goals per game: Latvia, Albania, Norway, Austria and Ukraine. Out of these, Norway are the only side not to have a negative goal difference as all their three games in Euro 2000 were incredibly low scoring or goalless affairs.
We will wait to see how Finland or North Macedonia fare in the delayed Euro 2020 as both are making their tournament debut in the summer. Failure to score across one of their three group games will see them join the very bottom of our list. It is an unlikely scenario but not one entirely out of the question given that this century both Denmark (2000) and Ukraine (2016) have suffered such a disappointing fate.
Appendix: The Full List
Below you’ll find the full list of how many goals each team has scored in the Euros:
| Team | Goals Per Match | Matches Played |
|---|---|---|
| Wales | 1.67 | 6 |
| Netherlands | 1.63 | 35 |
| Iceland | 1.60 | 5 |
| France | 1.59 | 39 |
| Serbia | 1.57 | 14 |
| Germany | 1.47 | 49 |
| Portugal | 1.40 | 35 |
| Spain | 1.38 | 40 |
| Hungary | 1.38 | 8 |
| Slovenia | 1.33 | 3 |
| Czech Republic | 1.31 | 32 |
| Belgium | 1.29 | 17 |
| England | 1.29 | 31 |
| Croatia | 1.28 | 18 |
| Sweden | 1.25 | 20 |
| Russia | 1.15 | 33 |
| Denmark | 1.11 | 27 |
| Italy | 1.03 | 38 |
| Greece | 0.88 | 16 |
| Turkey | 0.87 | 15 |
| Slovakia | 0.75 | 4 |
| Scotland | 0.67 | 6 |
| Bulgaria | 0.67 | 6 |
| Poland | 0.64 | 11 |
| Romania | 0.63 | 16 |
| Switzerland | 0.62 | 13 |
| Republic of Ireland | 0.60 | 10 |
| Northern Ireland | 0.50 | 4 |
| Ukraine | 0.33 | 6 |
| Austria | 0.33 | 6 |
| Norway | 0.33 | 3 |
| Albania | 0.33 | 3 |
| Latvia | 0.33 | 3 |