Germany recycles facilities from the 2006 World Cup for Euro 2024. © UEFA Press

With just over 6 months until Euro 2024, which will take place in Germany starting on June 14, the Germans are confident in their preparation, relying on existing stadiums for the pinnacle of European football.

The Germans can boast about their extensive infrastructure in terms of stadiums and transportation, especially after hosting the World Cup just over 17 years ago. With 12 designated venues and no need to build a new stadium for Euro 2024, Germany sets an example of infrastructure reuse and the preservation of existing facilities after major global events like a World Cup or Olympic Games

Although the current performance of the four-time World Cup champion (last achieved in Brazil 2014 by defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra time) is not promising, German authorities trust their team and, in the event of reaching the finals, expect the public to behave excellently, attending the stadiums in what will be a celebration of European football.

For Germany, it is a source of pride that no new stadiums were built before Euro 2024. At a 'One Year to Go' event in Berlin in June, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters: "It is something special that everything does not have to be newly built. The stadiums are there."

Euro 2024 will be the first time it is contested in a unified Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In 1988, it hosted the Euro but as West Germany.   Leipzig will be only one host city from the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany), just like in the 2006 World Cup.

The infrastructure for Euro 2024 is largely based on that of the 2006 World Cup, which still remains a symbol of national pride across Germany 18 years later. Nine of the 12 venues from the 2006 World Cup will host matches in Euro 2024: Berlin, Munich, Dortmund, Stuttgart (the only one with significant renovations), Hamburg, Frankfurt, Cologne, Leipzig, and Gelsenkirchen. Düsseldorf has also joined as a host city.

Sustainability is an important theme in Europe, and it has been in Germany before Euro 2024, especially after criticisms regarding the environmental impact of tournaments held in multiple countries.


It is worth noting that the last European Championship (won by Italy after 53 years)  in 2021 took place  in 11 different countries from Scotland to Azerbaijan due to the COVID pandemic. To limit travel, Germany has created three geographical zones for the group stage of Euro 2024, allowing teams to choose a base camp location.

Teams will play in northern Germany in Berlin, Hamburg, and Leipzig, in western Germany in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen, and Dortmund, or in the southern German host cities of Munich, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt.