At the UEFA Euro 2016 football championship, which national team finished as runners up in the final?

Introduction / Context:
This question is about European football and specifically the UEFA Euro 2016 championship. It asks you to remember which national team finished as runner up in the final, which is another way of asking who lost the deciding match.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The question provides the following information.

• The tournament is UEFA Euro 2016.
• We are asked about the runners up, not the winners.
• Options given are Germany, Portugal, France and United Kingdom.

Concept / Approach:
In Euro 2016, the final was played between France and Portugal. France were the host nation and reached the final. Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, also reached the final and eventually won the title with a goal in extra time. Therefore, the winner of Euro 2016 was Portugal, and the runners up were France. Germany did not reach the final, and United Kingdom is not a single national team in UEFA competitions.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the Euro 2016 final was France versus Portugal. Step 2: Remember that Portugal won the match in extra time, securing their first European Championship. Step 3: Since France lost that final, France automatically become the runners up. Step 4: Check the options and identify France as the correct runner up. Step 5: Eliminate Germany and the generic United Kingdom option, as neither represents the losing finalist of this tournament.

Verification / Alternative check:
Another quick way to verify is to recall the emotional images of French players and fans who were disappointed after losing at home, while Portuguese fans celebrated their historic win. Because the match took place in France, the memory of the host losing the final should be quite strong, helping you confirm that France are the runners up of Euro 2016.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A Germany is wrong because Germany was eliminated before the final. Option B Portugal is incorrect because Portugal won the tournament and thus are the champions, not the runners up. Option D United Kingdom is wrong since in UEFA tournaments the teams represent England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland separately and there is no single team called United Kingdom.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to read too fast and think the question is asking for the winner, then tick Portugal without noticing the word runners up. This underlines how important it is to read every keyword in a question stem. Train yourself to pause briefly at words like winner, loser, host, runner up and champion.

Final Answer:
The runners up at UEFA Euro 2016 were France.