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Since the beginning of the twentieth century, European football associations have wanted to organize competitions between national teams. However, the European Championship/Henri Delaunay Cup, today the UEFA European Championship, only started in 1960. Despite the reluctance of some western European associations and officials, this invented tradition succeeds and prospers through the playing on and the commercialization of national sentiment. The increase in the number of teams admitted to the final tournament, from 4 in 1960 to 24 in 2016, has raised the business value of the competition and allows UEFA to welcome the small European football nations. However, since 1980 the UEFA European Championship has also become a theater for violent nationalism as a result of the rioting of hooligans.