The UEFA European Football Championship is about to kick off in Europe, and as the host country, Germany has been preparing eagerly for this grand event. This year, a total of 10 cities across 7 federal states have been selected as venues for the tournament. The opening match will take place on June 14th at the Allianz Arena in Munich, while the final will be held on July 14th at the Olympic Stadium in the German capital, Berlin.
To welcome the European Championship, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin has undergone a major transformation in the past few days. A 24,000 square meter artificial turf has been laid on the Strasse des 17. Juni, extending from the Victory Column towards the city center. The iconic Brandenburg Gate has become an enormous football pitch, with Iris Spranger from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior stating, “The Brandenburg Gate is 63 meters wide and 21 meters high, making it the largest football gate in the world!”
Additionally, a giant screen will be installed in front of the Brandenburg Gate, where fans can gather to watch the matches together in this massive “stadium”. A large area with giant screens has also been set up on the lawn in front of the German Parliament building, where all 51 European Championship matches will be broadcasted.
Spranger mentioned, “We have invested 83.7 million euros for this.”
However, this investment has proven to be worthwhile, as Berlin is expected to generate at least 600 million euros in revenue during the European Championship. It is estimated that there will be 3 million visitors coming specifically to watch the games, with 1,400 volunteers assisting fans and guests on-site.
The celebration will kick off with an opening performance two days before the opening match. On June 12th, Spanish singer Álvaro Soler and German rapper Luciano will electrify the entire Europe with their performance.
It is reported that all 36 group stage matches of the European Championship have been sold out. As the host country, Germany automatically qualifies for Group A of the main tournament. Since 1972, Germany has qualified for the European Championship every edition and has been crowned champions in 1972, 1980, and 1996.