Eight nations qualified as
Euro Cup 1980 Participating Teams. After getting short listed by virtue of points in the qualifying round, consisting of 31 countries, teams like Belgium, England, Czechoslovakia, West Germany, Greece, Netherlands and Spain qualified for the final phase of 1980 Euro Cup. Italy was automatically selected as the host nation.
Defending champion Czechoslovakia was one of the hot favorites of the tournament with players like Panenka and Nehoda. The eventual winners, West Germany, benefited by the class of players like Karl Heinz Rummeniege, Hrubesch and Klaus Allofs. The surprise package of the tournament was the Belgium team. The Belgian side had players like Jean Marie Pfaff and Eric Gerets. The host Italy raised hopes of the home crowd but lost in the semifinals. Players like Altobelli and Franco Baresi became superstars after this tournament.
