bundesliga

UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany: the stadiums

21.11.2023

Germany will host the 2024 UEFA European Championship with 10 state-of-the-art Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 arenas set to showcase the continent's summer footballing extravaganza. bundesliga.com presents the stadiums and their spectacular features.

Vote: Which Euro 2024 stadium in Germany are you most excited about?

Allianz Arena, Munich
Club: Bayern Munich
Capacity: 75,024
Games scheduled for Euro 2024: Six, including opening match and a semi-final

The Allianz Arena immediately draws the eye with its 2,760 illuminated, inflated foil air panels. Originally the panels could only be lit up in blue, white or red but in the summer of 2014 they were retrofitted with LED technology and can now shine in all colours to mark any big occasion, such as the opening game of this tournament, one of the semi-finals and, the following year, the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League final.

Watch: Inside the jaw-dropping Allianz Arena

During the conversion, more than 300,000 LEDs were distributed over an area of 26,000 square meters. The light is so striking that it can even be seen on mountain peaks some 75 kilometres away. The cutting-edge technology continues inside the stadium. Blocks 112 and 113 on the south stand are equipped with folding seats that can be lowered into the floor for international games. In addition, the four-storey car park in the south of the arena, replete with around 9,800 parking spaces, is Europe's largest car park inside a football stadium.

Euro 2024 city guide: Munich

Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Capacity: 81,365
Games scheduled for Euro 2024: Six, including a semi-final

When you think of the Signal Iduna Park, you immediately think of the legendary "Yellow Wall". It stands 100 metres wide and 40 metres high. With an incline of 37 degrees - as steep as a ski jump - the south grandstand is not only impressive, but also the largest standing grandstand in Europe with a capacity of 24,454. With more than 80,000 spectators, Dortmund have the highest average attendance of any football club in the world.

Watch: Dortmund stadium experience

What was previously known as the Westfalenstadion was opened on April 2, 1974 with a charity match between Borussia Dortmund and old rivals Schalke. The first Bundesliga game there took place on April 2, 1976 - but without Dortmund taking part. On that day Bochum - who moved to the Westfalenstadion in April 1976 while their new Ruhrstadion was under construction - hosted Schalke. The ground hosted four games at the 1974 FIFA World Cup and another six at the 2006 edition, including Germany's semi-final loss to Italy.

Euro 2024 city guide: Dortmund

Olympiastadion, Berlin
Club: Hertha Berlin
Capacity: 74,649
Games scheduled for Euro 2024: Six, including the final

One of Europe's most iconic venues, Hertha's home is steeped in history dating from when it was the stage for the 1936 Olympic Games. Usain Bolt's 100m and 200m world record runs at the 2009 world championships are perhaps the most memorable events around the stadium's blue track, the colour chosen at Hertha's demand as part of a careful renovation between 2000 and 2004. The route between the pitch and the changing room also includes an escalator, to help rest any weary legs at half-time.

Watch: Get a taste of Olympiastadion history

On the pitch, Zinedine Zidane's playing career ended here with his headbutt during the 2006 World Cup final, while it has also seen a host of teams celebrate DFB Cup final success. Barcelona lifted their fifth UEFA Champions League at Juventus' expense in the German capital in 2015, while U2, the Rolling Stones, Depeche Mode, Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z and Beyonce have all played here too. Which two nations will take to the field on 14 July 2024 to contest the final?

Euro 2024 city guide: Berlin

RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne
Club: Cologne
Capacity: 50,000
Games scheduled for Euro 2024: Five

Formerly the Sportpark Müngersdorf, the stadium was opened in 1923 under an initiative of former German chancellor Konrad Adenauer. At one point it was the largest German sports facility until the construction of the Olympiastadion in 1936. The stadium was rebuilt in the 1970s - when Cologne played their games at the Velodrome - and again in time for the 2006 World Cup.

Watch: Inside the home of Cologne

The hallmarks of the RheinEnergieStadion are the illuminated towers at the corners of the grandstands, which - after the addition of LED lighting in 2016 - can be lit up in varying colours. During Cologne home games, they shine in red and white. Not they can distract from the action that goes on inside the stadium, which pre-match alone involving cheerleaders, raucous singing and, of course, a goat.

Euro 2024 city guide: Cologne

Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Capacity: 51,500
Games scheduled for Euro 2024: Five

Today's arena is the fourth stadium to be built on the same site. The original Waldstadion opened in May 1925. Between 2002 and 2005, the ground was rebuilt in five building phases. The running track was removed and the stadium tiers were moved much closer to the pitch. Before the renovation, spectators sat up to 125 metres away from the action. Now it's a maximum of 60 metres. It's also notable that - in addition to Eintracht - Mainz, FSV Frankfurt, Wehen Wiesbaden, and even local rivals Kickers Offenbach have played at least one home game at the stadium.

Watch: Inside the home of Eintracht Frankfurt

Like many of these stadiums, it was previously used for the 1974 and 2006 World Cups, but also Euro 1988, the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, and was the site of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup final between Japan and the USA. In 2023, it also hosted two regular-season NFL games.

Euro 2024 city guide: Frankfurt

Volksparkstadion, Hamburg
Club: Hamburg
Capacity: 57,000
Games scheduled for Euro 2024: Five

The transformation of the old Volksparkstadion, from an arena with a running track to a pure and simple football stadium, began in 1998. Architect Manfred O. Steuerwald was charged with the rebuild while games continued to be played. Among many remarkable feats was the pitch being rotated 90 degrees. That shift saw the Hamburg fans move from the west stand to the north stand.

Watch: Hamburg's impressive Volksparkstadion

After completion in the summer of 2000, the Volksparkstadion was one of the most modern stadiums in Germany as it was only in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup that most clubs updated their grounds or built completely new arenas. Hamburg's biggest stadium also hosted games at the previous two World Cups in Germany, Euro 1988 and also the UEFA Europa League final in 2010 as Atletico Madrid beat Fulham.

Euro 2024 city guide: Hamburg

Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen
Club: Schalke
Capacity: 62,271
Games scheduled for Euro 2024: Four

Among other fascinating aspects of their impressive ground, Schalke fans can take pride in having the largest video cube in Europe at the Veltins Arena. With a screen area of over 305 square metres, the cube - installed in the summer of 2016 - is more than twice the size of its predecessor.

Watch: Inside the home of Schalke

Schalke's stadium - having moved from their old Parkstadion - also boasts a distinctive touch with the players' tunnel acting as a tribute to the team's tradition as a miners' club. Before taking to the pitch, the stars of the Bundesliga and beyond pass through an artificial coal tunnel, as they did in the 2004 Champions League final between Porto and Monaco, as well as the 2006 World Cup.

Euro 2024 city guide: Gelsenkirchen

Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
Club: RB Leipzig
Capacity: 47,069
Games scheduled for Euro 2024: Four

In 1998, the old Leipzig Zentralstadion was demolished and the new Zentralstadion was built on the same site - in fact within the outline of the previously massive stadium, with terraces still visible - in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup. It hosted five games for that tournament, including France against South Korea in the groups, after which Zidane kicked in one of the changing room doors. It's still on display, dent and all.

Watch: Inside the home of RB Leipzig

The stadium would be named the Red Bull Arena from 2010 as newly formed RB Leipzig made it their home. In the 2016/17 season - Leipzig's first year in the Bundesliga - the Red Bull Arena was a real fortress with home fans only witnessing two losses. Various construction projects have seen the stadium's capacity grow in recent years.

Euro 2024 city guide: Leipzig

MHPArena, Stuttgart
Club: VfB Stuttgart
Capacity: 60,449
Games scheduled for Euro 2024: Five

Stuttgart's modern-day stadium has practically nothing in common with the original ground, which was built in 1933. Now known as the MHPArena, it has already been rebuilt a total of seven times. Stuttgart was one of the host cities for the 2006 World Cup and, in addition to the third-place play-off between Germany and Portugal, five more matches were played there during the tournament.

Watch: VfB Stuttgart stadium experience

The stadium has since received another makeover, with the running track removed between 2009 and 2011 in favour of giving the ground a purely footballing feel. For that to happen, the pitch was lowered by 1.3 metres. More work is currently taking place in preparation for the Euros, including a complete rebuild of the main stand, including new changing rooms, a new media centre and kitchens. There will also be new wheelchair positions and yet more space in the famed Cannstatter Kurve.

Euro 2024 city guide: Stuttgart

Merkur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf
Club: Fortuna Düsseldorf
Capacity: 54,600
Games scheduled for Euro 2024: Five

The Merkur Spiel-Arena was another stadium originally built with a view to the 2006 World Cup, but Düsseldorf ultimately missed out on final selection to host games. The modern arena has a closable roof and a heating system that allows indoor temperatures of around 15 degrees - even when it's below zero outside.

Watch: A taste of Düsseldorf

At the first football game in the new stadium, Fortuna set a record attendance in the regional league, with 38,123 spectators watching a 2-0 win over Union Berlin. Since the 2005/06 season, Fortuna has played the majority of their home games in the arena. It remains a multi-use stadium, having hosted the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest, numerous concerts and even motor racing.

Euro 2024 city guide: Düsseldorf