So close and yet so far! England have only reached the final of the Euros once in 10 attempts but after the draw for next summer’s competition, can Gareth Southgate’s side go one better than last time out?
England met their group stage opponents for next summer's European Championship on Saturday evening and will be hoping to go all the way in Germany for the first time ever.
While the Three Lions managed to win the World Cup – way back in 1966 – the European Championship was a tournament of misery for England, who reached the final only once.
After a relatively easy draw alongside Serbia, Slovenia and Denmark, Gareth Southgate's side will be hoping to go one better than in the previous competition, where they reached the final but lost on penalties.
It was the furthest they have come since 1996, when a Paul Gascoigne-inspired side fell on penalties to old rivals Germany, the eventual winners.
Here, Mailsport takes a look at each of England's previous Euro campaigns, with a photo summarizing their performances in all ten matches so far.
Gareth Southgate and England discovered their opponents for the upcoming European Championship
During the ceremony in Hamburg, the Three Lions were drawn against Serbia, Slovenia and Denmark
1968
England's debut at the 'finals' came as world champions, at a time when only four countries took part in the final tournament, which was held over six days in Italy.
Bobby Moore and co lost the semi-final 1-0 to Yugoslavia, but secured third place in a 2-0 play-off win against the Soviet Union, with Geoff Hurst securing victory after Bobby Charlton's score opened.
Manager: Alf Ramsey Rounded: Third Champions: Italy
When England made their first appearance at the European Championship in 1968, they did so as reigning world champions
1980
Back in Italy for the first eight-team European Championship, England drew 1-1 with Belgium thanks to a Ray Wilkins goal, but the damage was done with a 1-0 defeat to the hosts.
They signed off with a 2-1 win over Spain – with goals from Trevor Brooking and Tony Woodcock – but that wasn't enough to see them advance from the group.
Manager: Ron Greenwood Rounded: Group stage Champions: West Germany
1988
Gary Lineker fell to the ground in despair after missing a chance against Ireland in England's opening match in Stuttgart.
They lost 1–0 to a Ray Houghton goal and were then defeated 3–1 by the Netherlands and 3–1 by the Soviet Union in a campaign in which they ended on a low note.
Manager: Bobby Robson Rounded: Group stage Champions: The Netherlands
1992
Neil Webb in action during the final group stage match, a 2-1 defeat to Sweden after David Platt's early opener.
That was England's only goal of the tournament after goalless draws against Denmark and France.
A small improvement compared to four years earlier, but we still ended up at the bottom of the group.
Manager: Graham Taylor Rounded: Group stage Champions: Denmark
Neil Webb was part of the England squad that lost 2-1 to Sweden in 1992 before bowing out in the group stages
1996
Paul Gascoigne lashes out at Wembley in the 2-0 win over Scotland in a memorable summer that ended – of course – in despair with Gareth Southgate's missed penalty against Germany.
England finished top of the group after this victory and a 4-1 thrashing of the Dutch team and then advanced past Spain on penalties to reach the last four.
Football wasn't quite at home yet, but the country was captivated from start to finish.
Manager: Terry Venables Rounded: Semi-finals (no third place play-off) Champions: Germany
One of the more optimistic campaigns of recent years ended with heartbreak following Southgate's bossless penalty miss in the semi-final
2000
18 minutes into the opening match against Portugal, England were 2-0 up and starting to dream… but they ended up losing 3-2.
Then, after Alan Shearer secured a 1-0 win over Germany, Phil Neville proved the villain when his late foul gave away a penalty against Romania – leading to a 3-2 defeat and an early exit.
Manager: Kevin Keegan Rounded: Group stage Champions: France
Phil Neville (left) gave away a penalty late in the match against Romania, leading to a 3–2 defeat and an early exit
2004
Wayne Rooney announced his arrival on the international stage at the age of 18 with four goals in the group stage as England recovered from a late defeat to France to beat Switzerland 3-0 and Croatia 4-2.
But Everton's prodigy was knocked out injured after 27 minutes in the quarter-final against host country Portugal and – you guessed it – England subsequently lost on penalties.
Manager: Sven-Goran Eriksson Rounded: Quarterfinals Champions: Greece
During Euro 2004 in Portugal, Wayne Rooney announced his arrival on the international stage
2012
Andy Carroll will battle Italy in the quarter-finals after England finished top of the group thanks to a draw with France, beating Sweden (where Carroll scored) and Ukraine, who co-hosted with Poland.
But more punishment followed, with Ashley Young and Ashley Cole losing as the Italians progressed after a 0-0 draw.
Manager: Roy Hodgson Rounded: Quarterfinals Champions: Spain
2016
One of the lowest points in England's history came in France, with an exit in the last 16 to surprise package Iceland, who won 2-1 after an early Rooney goal.
An uninspiring England had battled out of the group to finish second behind Wales, but no one expected this.
Hodgson immediately resigned, leading to Sam Allardyce's 67-day rule.
Manager: Roy Hodgson Rounded: Last 16 Champions: Portugal
England's 2–1 defeat to Iceland in the second round of the 2016 European Championship was one of the lowest points in the Three Lions' history
2020
England played all but one match at Wembley and came close to winning by beating Germany 2-0 in the last 16 and then getting past Denmark in extra time in the semi-final.
Luke Shaw scored after just two minutes of the final against Italy, but Leonardo Bonucci leveled and – that well-known story – England lost on penalties after misses by Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka. Maybe next summer…
Manager: Gareth Southgate Rounded: Runners-up Champions: Italy
Luke Shaw's early opener against Italy in 2021 gave England hope before ultimately losing on penalties