Why is Euro 2024 in Germany?

The 17th UEFA European Championship, set to be hosted by Germany in 2024, is drawing near quickly. Matches at the summer’s crown jewel event will be held in 10 host towns, marking Germany’s return to hosting a major tournament since the 2006 World Cup.

The international soccer schedule is more packed than ever before due to the postponement of Euro 2020 and the relocation of the Qatar World Cup to last winter. What this also indicates is that the next Euros are going to be here soon.

Euro 2024 will happen in Germany after the 2023-24 domestic season concludes in about one month. This differs from the 2022 World Cup, which put European play on a monthlong hiatus. Therefore, it will be business as usual for the Premier League and the other major European leagues.

Friday, June 14, at Munich’s Allianz Arena, marks the beginning of the 51-game competition. In the first encounter, Scotland, coached by Steve Clarke, will face off against hosts Germany. Following the completion of the group stage on Wednesday, June 26, the knockout stage will begin on Saturday, June 29. The final match of Euro 2024, scheduled for Sunday, July 14, at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, will cap off a monthlong tournament.

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Why did UEFA choose Germany as host?

Ahead of the initial bids deadline of March 3, 2017, UEFA confirmed five days later that two nations—Turkey and Germany—had declared their desire to host the event. Germany also had early plans to host Euro 2020 in its entirety, but the country never officially expressed interest until May 2012. It dropped that interest once UEFA elected to spread Euro 2020 across multiple countries.

For Euro 2024, UEFA used an anonymous balloting system to choose the host of the tournament. Only seventeen members were granted the opportunity to cast their ballots as to what country would host Euro 2024, as Germany only battled Turkey for hosting duties. The selection of the host took place in Nyon, Switzerland, on September 27, 2018. At twelve votes, Germany was far ahead of Turkey’s four. Therefore, Germany won the right to be the sole host of the European Championship in 2024.

Which cities and stadiums will host matches in Germany for Euro 2024?

This year’s event will take place at ten different locations, including the Düsseldorf Arena and nine of the stadiums used during the 2006 World Cup.

In a first, the Munich Football Arena will host matches for the second consecutive European Championship. The home field of Bayern Munich was one of eleven venues that hosted games in the 2020 UEFA European Championship. Most fans know this stadium as Allianz Arena. Yet, for UEFA’s purposes, no sponsorship names are allowed, so it is known as Munich Football Arena.

Many of the stadiums in use for Euro 2024 belong to the top clubs in Germany. Frankfurt, Cologne, Gelsenkirchen, Leipzig, Stuttgart, and Dortmund are among them, along with Berlin and Munich.

The following locations are hosts:

• Berlin: Olympiastadion Berlin (current capacity: 71,000)
• Cologne: Cologne Stadium (43,000)
• Dortmund: BVB Stadion Dortmund (62,000)
• Dusseldorf: Düsseldorf Arena (47,000)
• Frankfurt: Frankfurt Arena (47,000)
• Gelsenkirchen: Arena AufSchalke (50,000)
• Hamburg: Volksparkstadion Hamburg (49,000)
• Leipzig: Leipzig Stadium (40,000)
• Munich: Munich Football Arena (66,000)
• Stuttgart: Stuttgart Arena (51,000)

PHOTOS: IMAGO