Football tournament season
1976 UEFA European Under 23 Championship Teams 23 (from 1 confederation) Defending champions Hungary U23's Champions Soviet Union U23's (1st title) Runner-up Hungary U23's Semifinalists Matches played 58 Goals scored 173 (2.98 per match)
The 1976 UEFA European Under-23 Championship , which spanned two years (1974–76) had 23 entrants. Soviet Union U-23 won the competition.
The 23 national teams were divided into eight groups (seven groups of 3 + one group of 2). The group winners played off against each other on a two-legged home-and-away basis until the winner was decided. There was no finals tournament or 3rd-place playoff .
The allocation of teams into qualifying groups was based on that of UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying tournament with several changes, reflecting the absence of some nations:
England 3-1 Czechoslovakia
Portugal 2-3 England
Portugal 2-0 Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia 1-1 England
Czechoslovakia 1-1 Portugal
England 2-0 Portugal
England qualify as group winners
Luxembourg 0-3 Hungary
Luxembourg 1-3 Austria
Austria 2-2 Hungary
Hungary 2-0 Austria
Austria 1-1 Luxembourg
Hungary 4-0 Luxembourg
Hungary qualify as group winners
Yugoslavia 2-0 Norway
Sweden 1-1 Yugoslavia
Norway 0-0 Yugoslavia
Norway 0-2 Sweden
Sweden 2-1 Norway
Yugoslavia 4-1 Sweden
Yugoslavia qualify as group winners
Romania 6-2 Denmark
Denmark 1-1 Romania
Romania 1-2 Scotland
Denmark 0-1 Scotland
Scotland 4-1 Denmark
Scotland 4-0 Romania
Scotland qualify as group winners
Netherlands 3-0 Finland
Netherlands 3-2 Italy
Italy 3-0 Finland
Finland 0-3 Netherlands
Finland 2-3 Italy
Italy 1-1 Netherlands
Netherlands qualify as group winners
France 1-0 Belgium
East Germany 1-1 France
Belgium 0-0 East Germany
East Germany 1-2 Belgium
France 1-2 East Germany
Belgium 2-3 France
France qualify as group winners
Quarter-finals
2-2: Netherlands win 4-3 on penalties
Hungary 3-0 England
England 3-1 Hungary
Hungary win 4-3 on aggregate
France 2-1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union 2-1 France
3-3: Soviet Union win 4-2 on penalties
Bulgaria 2-3 Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia 2-1 Bulgaria
Yugoslavia win 5-3 on aggregate
Semi-finals
Hungary 3-2 Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia 1-1 Hungary
Hungary win 4-3 on aggregate
Soviet Union 3-0 Netherlands
Netherlands 1-0 Soviet Union
Soviet Union win 3-1 on aggregate
Final
Hungary 1-1 Soviet Union
Soviet Union 2-1 Hungary
Soviet Union win 3-2 on aggregate
Soviet Union finish as Champions
Under-23
Under-21
Without host With host Qualification Finals Squads