Heading to UEFA Euro 2024? This Is All You Need to Know
Germany will host this year’s UEFA European Championship for 2024 – a celebration of European football which brings together the best national teams throughout the continent, promising great shows and strong emotion.
The 17th edition of this Championship is scheduled to take place from June 14 to July 14, 2024, and ten host venues scattered throughout Germany will be available for football fans this year.
Millions of football enthusiasts from all over the world will be able to see their national teams and favourite athletes and witness European competitiveness this year; however, these fans should keep in mind some necessary requirements in order to attend EURO 2024.
SchengenVisaInfo.com has compiled a comprehensive list of requirements regarding travel documents, accommodation, and tickets as a guide for those wishing to participate in the biggest European football event of the year.
Who Needs a Visa for Euro 2024?
Three-times winners Germany will be hosting this year’s European Championship – the first time since 1988 when the event was held in West Germany. This means that the Championship will be staged for the first time in the united Germany. The 2006 FIFA World Cup also took place in the country.
Nationals of countries that do not have a visa liberalisation agreement in place, should keep in mind they need a Schengen visa to enter Germany – a Schengen area member.
Fans from 109 countries who need a visa to enter Germany are advised to apply for one as soon as they decide about their journey, as the process to obtain a visa can take time and, hopefully not, can even result in a missed trip altogether.
Applying for a Schengen visa starts by booking an appointment at least two months prior to the travel date, while the earliest time one can file for a visa application is six months before planning to travel.
On the other hand, the latest visa application, although we do not recommend it, can be submitted 15 working days before you intend to travel.
You can start the visa application process by completing the application form with the required information, which includes personal, travel and invitation information, as well as the date and signature of the applicant.
Some of the documents that you need to submit in order to complete the application include a valid passport, two passport-sized photos, travel insurance, a flight itinerary, accommodation proof and evidence of having enough financial support to back yourself during the visit.
Do not get sidetracked enjoying Europe a bit too much by overstaying your visa. Prior to applying for the visa, you should check for how long you want to stay in the area and calculate your legal stay in the EU.
It is important that travellers who come to the EU have at least another three months of validity on their passports, calculated from the date of leaving the EU. In this case, a traveller’s passport must be approximately valid until September.
Purchase Your EURO 2024 Tickets Early
In order to purchase a ticket, those who wanted to attend the event had to apply for it in the first place. The second ticket application process closed on December 12, 2023, and by the end of January 2024, applicants will be informed whether their request was approved or not.
However, the official website says that later in 2024, there may be further opportunities to buy tickets and fans are advised to stay up-to-date with the information from EURO 2024 website.
Your application can be entirely successful, partially successful or not successful at all – i.e., you could be allocated tickets for all, some or none of the matches you have applied for. However, if you are allocated tickets for a match, you will always be allocated the full number of tickets that you requested for that match.
Deutsche Welle in December reported that there have been 2.3 million requests for the final of the event, which will be held in Berlin. Around 1.4 million ticket requests were made for the tournament opener between Germany and Scotland on June 14 alone.
According to German Football Federation (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf, the most requests are from Croatia, Albania and Turkey, whose teams have already qualified.
Host Venues Across German Cities Have a Capacity for Over Half a Million Fans Available
Olympiastadion Berlin, which is the third-largest in the country, has a current capacity of 70,000 seats. Munich Football Arena and BVB Stadion Dortmund, with 67,000 and 66,000 places available, respectively, are the third and fourth-largest stadiums to host football fans this year.
In addition, other host venues for this year’s European Championship include Cologne Staium, Dusseldorf Arena, Frankfurt Arena, Arena Auf Schalke in Gelsenkirchen, Volksparkstadion Hamburg, as well as Leipzig Stadium and Stuttgart Arena.
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Berlin | Olympiastadion Berlin | 70,000 |
| Cologne | Cologne Stadium | 47,000 |
| Dortmund | BVB Stadion Dortmund | 66,000 |
| Dusseldorf | Düsseldorf Arena | 47,000 |
| Frankfurt | Frankfurt Arena | 48,000 |
| Gelsenkirchen | Arena AufSchalke | 50,000 |
| Hamburg | Volksparkstadion Hamburg | 50,000 |
| Leipzig | Leipzig Stadium | 42,000 |
| Munich | Munich Football Arena | 67,000 |
| Stuttgart | Stuttgart Arena | 54,000 |
Here are also all the national teams that have qualified for the final tournament, which was held in Hamburg in December:
| Groups | National Teams |
|---|---|
| Group A: | Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland |
| Group B: | Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania |
| Group C: | Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England |
| Group D: | Play-off winner A, Netherlands, Austria, France |
| Group E: | Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Play-off winner B |
| Group F: | Türkiye, Play-off winner C, Portugal, Czechia |
Kosovars to Attend UEFA Euro 2024 Visa-Free for the First Time
Kosovar nationals will be able to attend the grand sports event for the first time following the visa liberalisation agreement that became effective on January 1, 2024.
Football fans in Kosovo have already filed their ticket requests and are looking forward to attending the event.
Kastriot Limani, a football enthusiast, says he applied for tickets on December 3rd and has already arranged his travel plans.
Now that no visa is required for travel to Germany, I have filed requests for three matches: Berlin, Munich and Dusseldorf. I really can’t wait until I get to see my favourite athletes and, most importantly, my national team playing in the Munich Football Arena.
Travel Insurance Is Essential
In order to avoid unexpected expenses, which can occur due to delayed or missed flights, as well as losing luggage or other circumstantial reasons, travellers are recommended to purchase travel insurance when travelling to the EU countries.
Some of the most affordable and best deals can be found at AXA Travel Insurance, Europ Assistance, Allianz Travel Insurance, Mondial Care, Mutuaide and DR-WALTER, which will enable you to have a great and safe travel time towards Germany.
