The UEFA Euro 2024 kicked off with the monumental clash between Germany and Scotland on June 14. While it is still too early to determine the event’s overall champion, a few staple teams in the pan-European tournament were already vying for the highly coveted title.
If you’re living under a rock and are missing out on the fun, here are the fun facts about this year’s tournament that you should know.
Germany is the host country
In September 2018, the UEFA governing body met in Nyon to elect Germany as the host country of the 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship in 2024.
The last time Germany hosted the event was in the 1988 edition when the country was politically divided between East and West Germany. Euro 2024 will be the first time that the competition will be hosted by Germany, after West Germany. Germany is no stranger to significant tournament hosting duties as it was appointed host country of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
The Olympic Stadium is the venue for the finals
The Olympiastadion, aka the Olympic Stadium, is the official venue for the highly anticipated final match of the UEFA Euro 2024. The iconic stadium, which opened 20 years ago on August 1, 1936, has a staging capacity of 71,000.
🇪🇸🆚🇭🇷 Olympiastadion 🏟️#EURO2024 | #ESPCRO pic.twitter.com/ecHDa9Pjgt
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 15, 2024
Aside from the final match set to be played on July 14, the Olympic Stadium will host other matches in the Euro 2024 fixture. The events will occur in Spain versus Croatia, Netherlands versus Austria, Poland versus Australia, Round 16, and the quarterfinals.
England v France at Euro 2024
Italy is the current reigning champions of the UEFA European Championships, having defeated England in the 2020 edition. Moreover, the 2024 edition saw the emergence of both England and France as the favorites to win the trophy. Many are rooting for England to avenge their loss in the 2020 Euro finals, while France is the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner.
Both teams have good form and numerous recent achievements in the pan-European tournaments. Both teams are led by the world’s top goalscorers, Harry Kane for England and Kylian Mbappe for France. These are the reasons why both of these teams are most likely to be the last squads standing.
Albart is the official tournament mascot
Euro 2024 will feature an official mascot: an anthropomorphic teddy bear named Albart. We first saw the mascot in June 2023 in a primary school in Gelsenkirchen. The teddy bear was used for the first time in the friendly match between Germany and Colombia.
Albärt making himself at home in the Bayern Munich dressing room 🐻#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/igSDCQ8c1r
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) May 13, 2024
A teddy bear was used as the official mascot of Euro 2024 because it was believed that the toy originated in Germany. In the 2006 World Cup in Germany, a lion named Goleo was used in the tournament, which was somewhat mocked by the public because it doesn’t wear pants.
Group B is the “group of death”
Indeed, Group B, composed of Spain, Italy, Croatia, and Albania, was hailed as the “group of death” in Euro 2024. A group of death is a phrase in football that refers to a group of teams competing with two or more strong teams.
Group B of the Euros includes Italy, the defending champions of the European Championships. However, the group is also composed of Spain and Croatia, both of which clashed in the finals of the UEFA Nations League.
The swan song of legends
The UEFA Euro 2024 is highly notable as the possible swan song of some of the legends of association football. It is reported that the current Euro will be the final international tournament for football superstar Lionel Messi. This comes after Messi’s squad, Argentina, was hailed as the 2022 FIFA World Cup champions in Qatar.
Messi isn’t the only one set to retire after the 2024 Euros. His mortal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, can also bid farewell after many spells playing for his country, Portugal. Other legends set to say goodbye are Tonis Kroos, a German footballer who plays midfield for the La Liga club Real Madrid, and Luka Modric, the star player of Croatia.
Euro 2024 is finally underway, and the finals have yet to start. Knowing the critical facts about the Euro tournament will give us an overview of the competition. Ensure you don’t miss out on the updates about Euro 2024 and watch the thrilling matches until the finals.
