The biggest wins in Women's EURO history

England surpassed their own record for the biggest winning margin at a UEFA Women's EURO final tournament in 2022 after slotting an unanswered eight goals past fellow Group A rivals Norway.

The Lionesses had made history when they beat Scotland 6-0 at UEFA Women's EURO 2017, but the 2022 hosts thrilled the crowd in Brighton & Hove with an even more commanding display. Overall 16 games have involved winning margins of four goals or more, including six in 2022.

Eight-goal margin – once

2022 group stage: England 8-0 Norway (Brighton & Hove)

Not content with being the only team to have won by six goals at a Women's EURO, England went two better in their second outing as hosts in the 2022 edition. Sarina Wiegman's side had kicked off with a slightly unconvincing 1-0 win against Austria, but the floodgates opened as they faced supposedly their toughest opponents in Group A.

Georgia Stanway fired the Lionesses in front from the penalty spot after 12 minutes and they had amassed a record six goals by half-time, with Lauren Hemp grabbing the next before two apiece from Ellen White and Beth Mead. Though the second half was far more sedate, substitute Alessio Russo headed in England's tournament-record seventh strike, before Mead completed her hat-trick on an unforgettable night.

Six-goal margin – once

2017 group stage: England 6-0 Scotland (Utrecht)

Scotland's journey to reaching their first major tournament had been a decade-long saga of near misses and last-gasp heartbreaks. But they made it to Netherlands 2017 and were rewarded with the most eye-catching of opening fixtures, only to lose several key talents including Kim Little and Jennifer Beattie to pre-finals injuries. That told in Utrecht, as England cruised to victory, three up by half-time. It was the biggest winning margin in a Women's EURO finals until the Lionesses bettered it five years later and Jodie Taylor got the first tournament hat-trick in 20 years, Ellen White, Jordan Nobbs and Toni Duggan also scoring.

Five-goal margin – five times

2022 group stage: Sweden 5-0 Portugal (Wigan & Leigh)

Sweden arrived at the 2022 finals among the pre-tournament favourites but, after an underwhelming start, many were doubting their credentials heading into their third group fixture. Needing a draw to seal a last-eight spot, the Blågult left nothing to chance with a comprehensive win as Kosovare Asllani's set-piece delivery caused all manner of problems. "I had fun today," said the captain and Player of the Match. Unlike Portugal's back line.

2022 group stage: Northern Ireland 0-5 England (Southampton)

England's record 8-0 victory against Norway confirmed their passage into the quarter-finals as group winners with a game to spare, but there was little easing up as the hosts tackled their fellow United Kingdom side. Fran Kirby and Beth Mead registered before the break – Mead scoring her fifth goal of the tournament – and half-time substitute Alessia Russo rattled in two shortly after the restart, an own goal finally leaving the Lionesses with a record haul of 14 group stage strikes.

2013 group stage: Finland 0-5 Sweden (Gothenburg)

Lotta Schelin after scoring Sweden's fourth against Finland in 2013Getty Images

The UEFA Women's EURO 2013 hosts got both their star strikers on the scoresheet, Kosovare Asllani once and Lotta Schelin twice, but their first two goals came from a more unlikely source as centre-back Nilla Fischer's set-piece prowess set up a commanding win to put Sweden top of Group A on goal difference. Finland had no response, substitute Tiina Saario mustering their first shot on target of the night from range on 79 minutes.

2001 group stage: Germany 5-0 Russia (Erfurt)

Russia had held England to a 1-1 draw in the opening game of the finals, and defied all expectations by keeping the hosts and holders out for the first 43 minutes in their second group stage match until Bettina Wiegmann’s goal provided an ominous portent of what was to come. Birgit Prinz extended Germany's lead within five minutes of the restart, Maren Meinert added another and Sandra Smisek scored twice late on, completing an ultimately emphatic win.

1997 group stage: Denmark 0-5 Norway (Lillestrom)

Marianne Petterson, 22, struck twice in each half and remains the only player to score four in a Women's EURO finals match, Heidi Støre getting her side's other goal. Oddly, all three of the 5-0 winners at Women's EURO finals were tournament hosts, with Norway getting their campaign off to a flying start against Denmark only to fail to reach the semi-finals of the inaugural eight-team tournament after a draw against Germany and a 2-0 loss to Italy.

Four-goal margin – nine times

2022 semi-finals: England 4-0 Sweden

Already on this list twice for comfortable victories at the 2022 finals, England booked themselves another place – and in the semi-finals no less. Sarina Wiegman's side were perhaps fortunate not to concede early on against Sweden, but Beth Mead's opening goal – her joint-record sixth of the tournament – settled the hosts, who then cruised to victory via further efforts from Lucy Bronze, Alessia Russo and Fran Kirby.

2022 group stage: France 5-1 Italy (Rotherham)

Les Bleues gave a serious display of their title potential with a blistering first-half performance against the Azzurre. Grace Geyoro got the party started in the ninth minute and later racked up the first Women's EURO hat-trick completed before the interval, while France struck a total of five goals in that fearsome opening half – also a first for the tournament.

2022 group stage: Germany 4-0 Denmark (London)

Germany's bid for a seventh title in eight tournaments got off to an impressive start at UEFA Women's EURO 2022, in a match where they also struck the woodwork three times. "We played ourselves into a frenzy; what a first game!" said Lea Schüller, one of four scorers alongside Lina Magull and substitutes Lena Lattwein and Alexandra Popp.

2013 quarter-finals: Sweden 4-0 Iceland (Halmstad)

There was an air of inevitability about this last-eight encounter from the moment Marie Hammarström sent the vast majority of the Örjans vall crowd into delirium after just three minutes. Sweden had failed to win a UEFA Women's EURO knockout match since 2001 but made light of such statistics as Josefine Öqvist swiftly consolidated their lead. Lotta Schelin rounded off the first-half scoring and inflicted the final wound on a bedraggled Iceland shortly after the break.

2009 final: England 2-6 Germany (Helsinki)

Finland 2009 was possibly the peak of Germany's imperial phase in women's football. Birgit Prinz's 20th-minute opener was instantly added to by a long-range Melanie Behringer thunderbolt. Karen Carney pulled one back, and although Kim Kulig made it 3-1 just after half-time, Kelly Smith's tremendous effort gave England hope again. Not for long, as Inka Grings soon struck her record-breaking fifth and sixth goals of the finals before setting up Prinz to put the seal on victory.

2009 group stage: Germany 4-0 Norway (group stage, Tampere)

In a rematch of the 2005 final, won by Germany, Linda Bresonik's first-half penalty put the holders in front but they were unable to add to the lead, and Norway were even pushing for an equaliser until a late collapse in Tampere. Fatmire Bajramaj made it 2-0 in the 90th minute and fellow substitute Anja Mittag found the net two minutes later in added time before Bajramaj struck again to seal a convincing opening Group B win.

2009 group stage: France 1-5 Germany (Tampere)

Germany began their goal-filled 2009 campaign with a 4-0 defeat of Norway (see below) before making similarly light work of France. In the first nine minutes, Inke Grings scored and Annike Krahn struck from distance, and Melanie Behringer got the third just before the break. Early in the second half Linda Bresonik converted a penalty and although Gaëtane Thiney swiftly replied, substitute Simone Laudehr made it 5-1 in added time.

2005 group stage: Italy 0-4 Germany (Preston)

Germany celebrate Conny Pohlers' goal against Italy in 2005Bongarts/Getty Images

Defending champions Germany delivered a finishing masterclass to seal qualification after just two games. Birgit Prinz opened the scoring in the 11th minute, dispatching Anja Mittag's elegant back-heel, before Conny Pohlers made it two with a right-foot thunderbolt. Steffi Jones added her name to the scoresheet in the 55th minute before Anja Mittag wrapped it up in the 74th minute after her penalty had been saved by Carla Brunozzi.

2001 group stage: Sweden 4-0 England (Jena)

Central defender Jane Törnqvist headed Sweden in front from a corner in the third minute, and they maintained relentless pressure, going 2-0 up midway through the first half as Kristen Bengtsson sent a curling shot past Pauline Cope and into the far corner. The prolific Hann Ljungberg made it 3-0 in the second half and further indignity followed for England as substitute Sofia Eriksson scored Sweden's fourth direct from a corner.