Leipzig's Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung, Prof Dr Jörg Junhold as official ambassador for the host city of Leipzig and Stefan Schedler, overall project manager for UEFA EURO 2024 in Leipzig, were guests at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg at the invitation of UEFA. At the end of the evening, Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung was delighted with the luck of the draw: "It couldn’t have been better for Leipzig - these teams are fantastic. When I think of the Dutch in our city for the 2006 World Cup, plus 50,000 French, I'm very happy. We have a lot of Portuguese in our city, the Czech Republic as a neighbouring country will also send many fans and the Italians are known to be crazy about football."
At the same time, a team in Leipzig watched the TV broadcast. In addition to representatives and volunteers from the host city of Leipzig and Leipzig’s EURO ambassador Anja Mittag (Sport and Volunteers), there were numerous "country representatives" present. More than a dozen "Leipzig voters", who are (also) citizens of the qualifying nations, kept their fingers crossed for their team to play in Leipzig in the summer of 2024 (14 June to 14 July). Anja Mittag is delighted: "It was a great draw and we will have some really great teams in Leipzig!"
Fabio Barreto (Mercado dos Sabores Specialities) is backing for Portugal. "Portugal is playing the Czech Republic in Leipzig, which is really nice. We have a large Portuguese community here, and they will support their team and make for a great celebration in the city." Matej Klíma (SC DHfK Handball) was there for the Czech Republic. "This is great news for all fans and I am convinced that many supporters will come from the neighbouring Czech Republic. They are known for their great support, great atmosphere and good beer consumption. Leipzig should stock up!" Domenico Ebner (SC DHfK Handball) was hoping to see his Italian national team in action - and he was able to cheer. "I think it's great that Italy is playing in Leipzig. The Italian fans are cheerful, proud and bring a lot of dolce vita with them! The number of Italian restaurants alone means there are already a lot of fans here and they will want to defend their European title."
About the Leipzig Football Stadium
With a capacity of over 45,000, the Leipzig Stadium is the second largest stadium in eastern Germany and a key venue for UEFA EURO 2024 – excluding standing room, the capacity is 42,000. It is home to the Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and was officially renamed the Red Bull Arena in 2010. Within walking distance of Leipzig city centre, is occupies a prominent position within the Leipzig Sports Forum. Located alongside the Quarterback Arena Leipzig, the Festwiese and smaller sports facilities, the football stadium has its roots in the old Zentralstadion. It was built between 1954 and 1956 as the "Stadium of the Hundred Thousand", it was the largest stadium in the GDR and Germany at the time. Originally used as a central stadium for athletics and football matches, and having hosted more than 50 international football matches, it was closed in 1994 due to deteriorating conditions. A new era began in 2000 with the construction of a modern football arena within the original walls of the old stadium. Inaugurated in 2004 the new football stadium hosted 4 matches during the 2006 FIFA World Cup and now regularly hosts Bundesliga and Champions League matches, as well as other events. Under the motto “Play. Care. Share”, RB Leipzig is supporting the stadium’s journey towards greater sustainability, including reducing the environmental impact of football on match days.
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