**France have beaten Turkey and Italy for the right to stage the European Championship in 2016.**France previously staged the tournament in 1960 and were hosts again in 1984, winning it with a team captained by Michel Platini, the Uefa president.
Euro 2016 will feature 24 countries playing 51 matches over one month.
The French government has pledged to help guarantee the projected 1.7bn euro (£1.45bn) cost of building and renovating stadiums.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and former national team star Zinedine Zidane supported their country’s case in a presentation to Uefa’s ruling executive in Geneva on Friday.
France, who have also hosted two World Cups, will become the first country to stage the European Championship three times.
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