In May 2025, Tottenham Hotspur brought home the Europa League to finally end 17 years of trophyless pain. Having fallen short so often since their EFL Cup triumph in February 2008, there will have been profound joy and relief that their hoodoo is over at last.
Ange Postecoglou endured a largely dismal second season at Spurs in 2024/25, but the club’s European campaign may yet reignite his tenure, amid plenty of poor performances in the Premier League, with Spurs dropping way short of expectations.
But after a dazzling night in Bilbao against Manchester United, European nights are set to continue with Spurs back in the Champions League.
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Spurs have a rich history on the European stage, and here, we have taken a look at the 11 best European matches in Spurs’ history.
11 Tottenham 3-0 Inter Europa League last-16, first leg (2012/13)
This victory over Inter wasn’t as seismic as the one from their maiden Champions League campaign in 2010/11, but it proved that Spurs could perform at their very best in Europe.
Having finished second in the group stage behind Serie A side Lazio, Spurs progressed to the knockout stages.
An impressive 3-2 aggregate victory over Lyon in the last 32 set up a tie against Inter, and the first leg at White Hart Lane certainly didn’t disappoint.
Goals from Gareth Bale, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jan Vertonghen gave the home side a 3-0 win over the 2010 Champions League winners with one of the club’s finest European results.
They lost the second leg 4-1, but progressed on away goals before losing to Basel in the quarter-finals.
10 Tottenham 2-0 Bayern Munich UEFA Cup third round, second leg (1983/84)
Having won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963 and the UEFA Cup in 1972, Spurs were going for their third European trophy during the 1983/84 season.
The Lilywhites lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their third-round clash against the Germans, meaning all was to play for in north London.
Steve Archibald levelled the tie with 40 minutes left before Mark Falco netted a late winner, taking Spurs into the quarter-finals.
They reached the final and defeated Anderlecht 4-3 on penalties, marking the last European trophy won by Spurs.
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ByBarney LaneFeb 12, 2025 9 Man City 4-3 Tottenham Champions League quarter-final, second leg (2018/19)
While this may have been a defeat on the night, Spurs’ gritty display at the Etihad saw them qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League in dramatic fashion.
The first leg finished 1-0 in favour of the north Londoners, and was followed by a frantic start to the second leg, as Man City went into half-time leading 3-2, trailing on away goals.
Sergio Aguero finally put City ahead in the tie during the second half, but Fernando Llorente levelled things up on aggregate once more to hand Spurs the advantage.
Entering the final minutes, City were desperately searching for a winner, and it looked as though Raheem Sterling had put the club through with in the last minute, only for VAR to incredibly rule it out as Spurs reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time.
8 Milan 0-1 Tottenham Champions League last-16, first leg (2010/11)
Spurs had enjoyed a wonderful debut season in the Champions League group stages. Not only had they defeated defending champions Inter, but they managed to lose just once on their way to reaching the last 16.
Their reward? A tie against Milan. Harry Redknapp set his team up well at the San Siro that evening as a goal from Peter Crouch secured them a 1-0 victory. The game will be best remembered for the clash between Joe Jordan and Gennaro Gattuso on the touchline.
7 Tottenham 3-1 Inter Champions League group stage (2010/11)
Earlier in the 2010/11 season, Spurs played host to Inter at White Hart Lane in the Champions League group stages. Gareth Bale had scored a stunning hat-trick in a 4-3 defeat to the same team a few weeks prior, but this was a different story.
Bale was the star of the show yet again, but this time, Spurs won. Goals from Rafael van der Vaart and Peter Crouch gave the home side a two-goal advantage before Samuel Eto’o reduced the arrears with 10 minutes to go.
Bale assisted Roman Pavlyuchenko to seal a wonderful 3-1 win that put the club on the brink of qualifying for the last 16 on a night that seemed to rekindle the famous “Glory Glory” nights in north London.
6 Tottenham 1-0 Manchester United Europa League final (2024/25)
In truth, this wasn’t the greatest of European spectacles, but the euphoria pouring out of the stands at the final whistle more than made up for it as Spurs won their fourth European trophy.
Tottenham entered the Europa League final in terrible form, placing 16th in the Premier League (ironically one place above opponents Manchester United) and in the last chance saloon in terms of breaking their run of seasons without silverware.
But having gained a reputation for becoming chokers when it mattered most, Ange Postecoglou’s side delivered a winning performance after 17 years of waiting, with Brennan Johnson’s scrappy effort settling a tense finale against United.
The Red Devils were largely toothless throughout, with Rasmus Hojlund’s goalbound effort the closest they came to an equaliser, but Micky van de Ven’s sensational acrobatic clearance denied a route back into the game for Ruben Amorim’s side.
Spurs had their backs against the wall for much of the second period, determined not to let another opportunity slip away. A key stop in the dying moments from Guglielmo Vicario effectively secured glory for the Lilywhites, and nearly two decades of failure were over in a flash.
5 Tottenham 1-1 Anderlecht UEFA Cup final, second leg (1983/84)
Spurs reached their third UEFA Cup final in 12 years as they took on Anderlecht over two legs.
The first game in Brussels saw the teams draw 1-1, leaving the tie finely poised for the second leg in north London. That game also finished 1-1 thanks to a late goal from captain Graham Roberts and the match drifted into extra time.
No more goals were scored, with Spurs eventually winning the game on penalties to claim their second UEFA Cup.
4 Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Wolves UEFA Cup final, second leg (1971/72)
The 1971/72 season saw the inaugural edition of the UEFA Cup take place. It became the third competition organised by UEFA and was fairly similar in structure to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which had been played between 1955 and 1971.
Spurs would go on to play Wolverhampton Wanderers in the final of the competition, and enjoyed a relatively stress-free route to the final, defeating Milan in the semi-finals.
Spurs won the first leg 2-1 at Molineux before sealing their first UEFA Cup by drawing 1-1 with the Old Gold at White Hart Lane in the second leg.
3 Tottenham 5-1 Atletico Madrid European Cup Winners' Cup final (1962/63)
During the first half of the 1960s, Spurs were arguably the finest team in England. They became the first club to win the league and FA Cup double in the 20th century during the 1960/61 season, before retaining the FA Cup the following season.
The 1962/63 campaign saw Bill Nicholson’s side fail to win any domestic honours, but they did reach the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup after defeating Rangers, Slovan Bratislava and OFK Beograd to set up a final showdown against holders Atlético Madrid.
The Spanish side weren’t quite up to the level of their city rivals, Real Madrid, but still posed a challenge. However, Nicholson’s side sent them packing with a stunning 5-1 victory.
Captain Danny Blanchflower rallied his side as doubles from Jimmy Greaves and Terry Dyson, plus a strike from John White, secured the club their first European trophy.
In the process, Spurs became the first British side to triumph in a European competition.
2 Tottenham 3-1 Real Madrid Champions League group stage (2017/18)
Mauricio Pochettino was building something special at Spurs, and the 2017/18 season was their second in the Champions League under his leadership.
They crashed out in the group stages during the 2016/17 season, but the following year was very different indeed.
Despite being in a group containing Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and APOEL, Spurs won five of their six matches, including a wonderful 3-1 win over Madrid.
A brace from Dele Alli and a goal from Christian Eriksen gave the home side a 3-0 lead before Cristiano Ronaldo netted a consolation.
Considering Madrid had won the competition in the previous two seasons – and would go on to secure a historic victory against Liverpool that year – this is arguably one of the best results in Spurs’ history.