1980 UEFA European Under-21 Championship allocation of teams into qualifying groups was based on that of UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying with several changes, reflecting the absence of some nations: "See 1980 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads" 1980 UEFA European Under-21 Championship The 1980 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, which spanned two years (1978–80) had 25 entrants. Cyprus and the Netherlands competed in the competition for the first time. 1978 entrants Austria did not enter. Due to 'irregularities', Turkey's first two matches were awarded (3-0) to their opponents. USSR U-21s won the competition. The 25 national teams were divided into eight groups (seven groups of 3 +
W.A.K.O. European Championships 1980 weight divisions ranging from 57 kg/125.4 lbs to over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs, with all bouts fought under Full-Contact rules. More detail on Full-Contact's rules-set can be found at the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that the rules have changed since 1980. The medal winners of each division are shown below with future K-1 world champion Branko Cikatić winning his second W.A.K.O. European championships, as did West German fighter Klaus Friedhaber. By the end of the championships, West Germany were the strongest nation in Full-Contact with two golds, narrowly fending off hosts Great Britain who won one gold, three silvers and