EURO 2024 – key facts about this festival of football
The EURO final will be held in Berlin on 14 July 2024: Here's everything you need to know about the football spectacle in Germany.
In 2024, Germany will be hosting the men’s Football European Championship, or EURO 2024 for short. Find answers here to the most important questions about this mega event: from participating teams and ticket sales for fans to opportunities to get involved in the tournament yourself as a volunteer.
When is EURO 2024 taking place?
The opening match of the European Football Championship will kick off on 14 June 2024 in front of an expected crowd of 67,000 fans in FC Bayern Munich’s stadium in Munich. The final will take place on 14 July at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, the capital of Germany. It currently has space for 70,000 spectators.
Which cities will host EURO 2024 matches?
Ten cities in seven of Germany’s 16 federal states have been selected as tournament hosts. Besides Munich (67,000 stadium seats) and Berlin (70,000), they are Cologne (47,000 seats), Dortmund (66,000), Düsseldorf (47,000), Frankfurt (48,000), Gelsenkirchen (50,000), Hamburg (50,000), Leipzig (42,000) and Stuttgart (54,000).
How many teams will be taking part in the 2024 European Football Championship and which are they?
20 of the 24 participating teams secured a place at Euro 2024 based on their success in various qualifying groups. Three other teams qualified in a play-off tournament of 12 teams between 21 and 26 March 2024. The groups for the final tournament in Germany were drawn at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
Does the German national squad also have to qualify?
As the host, the German team qualifies automatically and is placed in Group A of the final tournament, which features six groups comprising four teams each. The team of the German Football Association (DFB) will play in the opening match in Munich on 14 June. Germany has made it to the finals of every European Championship since 1972, winning the tournaments in 1972, 1980 and 1996.
When can I buy tickets for EURO 2024?
The 36 matches of the European Championship group stage are sold out. However, fans can still apply for tickets if their team qualifies for the group of 16 knockout stage. That said, the chances of securing any remaining tickets are not all that high. All entrance tickets are issued as mobile tickets. Consumer protection organisations recommend buying tickets from official websites like UEFA’s ticket portal. There is a risk that tickets purchased on unofficial platforms may be fake or invalid.
Can I get involved in EURO 24 as a volunteer?
For the first time in the history of the European Championships, the Union of European Football Associations UEFA and the ten host cities are planning to run a joint volunteer programme for 16,000 people. There are more than 25 areas in which volunteers will be able to work. Applications can be submitted from 12 June 2023. All the details can be found here: https://www.euro2024volunteers.com/
Will climate protection play any role at EURO 2024?
UEFAand Germany are giving particular priority to climate protection at EURO 2024. For example, to keep distances as short as possible for fans and teams, teams and venues in the group stage are arranged according to the regional clusters South (Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart), West (Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Cologne) and North/East (Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig).
The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship in Germany
Will Cristiano Ronaldo or other superstars be playing in EURO 24?
It will only be possible to say which players will be taking part in EURO 24 shortly before the tournament starts. First of all, their teams will need to qualify, and then they will have to be injury-free. Certainly superstars such as the Argentinian Lionel Messi or the Brazilian Neymar will not be taking part because their national teams are not members of the European association UEFA. The good news for fans is that they will be able to follow EURO 2024 on TV all over the world.
Which top sporting events are happening in 2024 apart from the European Football Championship?
Shortly after the European Football Championship ends, the Olympic Games will be beginning in Paris on 26 July. They will end on 11 August. 28 August will see the start in Paris of the twelve-day Paralympic Games – not to be confused with the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.
