Questions and answers There are still 100 days until the opening game of the European Championship: This is what fans need to know now
Here, Albärt, the plush mascot of the 2024 European Football Championship in Germany, is running across the lawn
© Federico Gambarini / DPA
The countdown is on, the European Football Championship will soon start in Germany. Until then, our players still have a lot to do. How to get tickets, where public viewing is held and which teams are considered favorites
Preparations for the European Football Championship in Germany are taking shape. The groups have been drawn and most of the tickets have been allocated. There are still a few test matches scheduled for the national team, but fans can also prepare. Important questions and answers before the big home tournament from June 14th to July 14th:
Can I still buy tickets for the European Football Championship?
If you don’t have one yet, you’ll need luck: most of the around 2.7 million tickets have been sold. Demand significantly exceeded supply. Another major sales phase is no longer planned. However, the European Football Union Uefa wants to offer a resale platform in March. People who have bought a ticket but cannot or do not want to use it can sell their ticket there. There are also some so-called hospitality packages with tickets for the German national team’s games, but these are probably out of the question for most fans in terms of price.
Venues
Uefa has chosen Berlin as the final venue for the 2024 European Championship – the games will also be played in these stadiums
What does the German team do until kick-off?
On the way to the European Championships, the national team has two important test matches against top-class opponents on the program this month. These are the last games before the European Championship squad is nominated. They are eagerly awaited, and not just because of the planned return of 2014 world champion Toni Kroos. On March 23rd, national coach Julian Nagelsmann’s team will play against France in Lyon, and three days later Germany will host the Netherlands in Frankfurt am Main.
After the end of the Bundesliga season, the DFB team will meet on May 26th for a multi-day training camp in Blankenhain, Thuringia. Two more test games are planned in direct preparation for the European Championships. The DFB has not yet named opponents or venues.
When will the last participants be determined?
The last three European Championship starting places will be awarded in three playoff finals on March 26th. Five days earlier, twelve teams are required to compete in the semi-finals. The winner of the Poland – Estonia game will play against the winner of Wales – Finland for a European Championship ticket. Israel, Iceland, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ukraine will decide on another starting place. On the so-called Path C, Georgia, Luxembourg, Greece and Kazakhstan play for a place in the European Championship.
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Who are the title contenders?
England and France are currently favorites for the European Championship title. The English team with Bayern striker Harry Kane and midfield star Jude Bellingham from Real Madrid confidently won the group without defeat in qualifying – including against Italy. France around Kylian Mbappé recently showed their class in almost all major tournaments, right up to the finals. In 2016, Les Bleus lost at home to Portugal in the European Championship final, in 2018 France became world champions and in 2022 the team lost to Argentina in the World Cup final. Host Germany is already in third place on the EM favorites list for many bookmakers – ahead of Spain. Recently, however, the DFB team played anything but European champions.
Are there fan miles or public viewing events during the European Championship?
Yes. During the 2006 World Cup summer fairytale, pictures of celebrating fans at the public viewing and on the fan miles went around the world – that’s how it should be this time too. There are official UEFA fan zones in the ten venues, where the games are shown on large screens. There will also be numerous other opportunities to follow the games in large groups. Under certain conditions, organizers need a license from UEFA to organize public viewings.
Who will broadcast the games on television?
ARD and ZDF are showing 34 of the 51 European Championship games live on public television. This includes all of the German team’s games, the semi-finals and the final. The opening game Germany against Scotland can be seen on ZDF, the Nagelsmann team’s two other group games against Hungary and Switzerland can be seen on Erste. The two public broadcasters have acquired sublicenses from Telekom, which will broadcast all 51 games – including five matches exclusively – via its paid streaming service MagentaTV. A further twelve games are on free TV on RTL (Transparency note: The star is part of RTL Deutschland) to see.
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