Slovakia national team recognized as European football champions. How did this happen?

The history of the Slovakia national team as an independent squad spans just over 30 years, and during that time, they've only featured in the European Championship three times. Yet, UEFA has now listed the team among the continental champions. How did this come to be?

The answer lies in Czechoslovakia's triumph at the 1976 European Championship. The country—and therefore its national team—ceased to exist in 1993, splitting into the Czechia and Slovakia national teams.

Until recently, the glory of that victory was attributed solely to the Czech team, but UEFA has now acknowledged that Slovak players made up the core of the squad at the tournament. In the final, eight Slovaks took to the field, and head coach Václav Ježek was assisted by another Slovak—Jozef Vengloš.

Thus, without a formal announcement on the UEFA website, the Slovakia national team is now officially counted among the European champions.

However, this decision sets a precedent for other nations—take Ukraine, for example, which could now lay claim to the silver medals of Euro 1988. Back then, the USSR squad that reached the final in West Germany was dominated by players from Dynamo Kyiv, led by legendary Ukrainian coach Valeriy Lobanovskyi.