The idea for a pan-European football tournament was first proposed by the French Football Federation's Henri Delaunay in 1927.The Henri Delaunay Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the European Football Championship, is named in honor of Henri Delaunay, the first General Secretary of UEFA, who came up with the idea of a European championship but died five years prior to the first tournament in 1960. In 1996 the tournament expanded to 16 teams, since it was easier for European nations to qualify for the World Cup than their own continental championship; 14 of the 24 teams at the1982, 1986 and 1990 World Cups had been European, whereas the European Championship finals still involved only eight teams.
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