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SEThe stunning city of Hamburg is getting ready to welcome fans from across Europe for the 2024 European Championship. The Volksparkstadion will host several vital fixtures, including one of the four quarter-finals.
In this Euro article, we check out the history of the Volksparkstadion, the arena’s capacity for the championships, and the matches it will host during the 17th edition of the famous competition. Get ready to immerse yourself in this summer’s football celebration as Europe’s elite sides battle for the biggest prize on offer in international European football.
Key Facts About the European Championships 2024 Arena in Hamburg
The Volksparkstadion is home to Hamburg, who are one of Germany’s most recognised football clubs. The original Volksparkstadion opened in 1953 and has been renovated numerous times. The current stadium opened its doors in 2000, and Hamburg have played their home games there ever since.
The spectacular Volksparkstadion has witnessed several great moments for Hamburg over the years. The club have been German champions six times and runners-up on eight occasions. They have won the DFB-Pokal three times and have been DFB-Ligapokal winners twice.
In Europe, Hamburg were European Cup winners in 1983 and won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1977. They have also picked up two Intertoto Cups and have reached several major European finals.
Despite most of Hamburg’s success coming in the 20th century, the Volksparkstadion received a significant upgrade in 2000 in a bid to take the club to the next level. It was turned into a category 4 stadium, which now makes it eligible to host major club and international finals.
The Volksparkstadion has been chosen to host games at three major tournaments. One match from the European Championships in 1988 was held in Hamburg, and the venue was used for World Cup fixtures in both 1974 and 2006.
After the 2000 renovation, the Volksparkstadion became one of Germany’s elite football stadia, and the Hamburg arena was picked to host no less than five games at the World Cup in 2006. The likes of Argentina and Italy played at the Volksparkstadion, and one of the quarter-finals took place there.
Three games were played in the World Cup in 1974, including the matchup between East Germany and Australia. One fixture took place in Hamburg in the 1988 European Championship. The semi-final was played at the Volksparkstadion, where West Germany lost 2-1 to Netherlands.
The Volksparkstadion has also hosted several other major sporting events. The famous heavyweight unification boxing bout between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye was held there in July 2011. In front of a sell-out crowd, Klitschko picked up the win by unanimous decision.
Since being renovated into a top-class stadium, the venue has also been used for a whole host of music concerts. The German leg of Live Earth was held in Hamburg, with the likes of Snoop Dog, Eminem, and Cat Stevens performing.
Apart from watching European Championship football this summer, visiting fans can see plenty of sights in Hamburg. St. Michael’s Church is located in the heart of the city, and the Miniatur Wonderland in the Speicherstadt area is well worth a visit.
Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany behind Berlin and the biggest non-capital city in the European Union. Visitors will be spoiled for choice with restaurants and shops, and the atmosphere around the venue will be special.
Seating Capacity at the Volksparkstadion
The capacity of the Volksparkstadion is just shy of 60,000. Hamburg are a 2. Bundesliga team these days, but they still average around 53,000 for home league matches.
The Volksparkstadion’s official capacity for Hamburg’s league fixtures is 57,000. However, safe standing is allowed in German domestic matches, so the capacity will be smaller at the 2024 European Championship finals.
For international matches, including Euro games, the capacity is set to 52,245. That makes it the sixth-highest-capacity stadium at this summer’s tournament. There will be bigger attendances in Berlin, Munich, Dortmund, Stuttgart, Gelsenkirchen, and Frankfurt. However, it will have a larger capacity than arenas in Dusseldorf, Cologne, and Leipzig.
During the World Cup in 2006, there were 50,000 fans at all five fixtures. Four games took place in the group stage, while the quarter-final tie between Italy and Ukraine was also played at the Hamburg venue.
The record attendance at the new stadium was set in January 2009, when there were 57,000 fans at the Hamburg vs Bayern Munich matchup. Hamburg celebrated the record with a 1-0 victory over the Bavarians.
European Championship 2024 Matches to be Held in Hamburg
Five games will be played at the Volksparkstadion during this summer’s European Championship event. Four of those will be group games, while the quarter-final on July 5th will also take place in Germany’s second-largest city.
The opening Hamburg matchup will feature one-time Euro winners Netherlands on June 16th. Oranje are looking to get their tournament up and running with a win. The Dutch will play the play-off A winner, which could be Wales.
With France also in the group, the battle for the top spot in Group D will be fascinating. Austria had an impressive qualifying campaign and will also be gunning for a top-two finish. The standout game will be the Holland vs France fixture in Leipzig on June 21st.
On June 19th, the second group fixture to be played in Hamburg will be the Croatia vs Albania affair. Group B is another cracker, as the Croatians, Spain, and Italy battle it out. The Albanians could cause one or two problems along the way, but those three nations should take the top three spots.
The winners of Path C in the play-offs will take on Czech Republic in the third match of the tournament at the Volksparkstadion. That one will take place in the afternoon on June 24th. The Czechs will face Georgia, Luxembourg, Greece, or Kazakhstan in their second Group F game.
Just four days after their opening fixture in Hamburg, Czech Republic will be back at the Volksparkstadion. This time, Ivan Hasek’s troops will face Turkey. The Turks will be the favourites, but can the Czechs spring a surprise?
Czech Republic could have a tough time, with Portugal and Turkey also in their group. The Portuguese, who won the tournament in 2016, have been tipped to go far with Cristiano Ronaldo at the helm, while the Turks had a strong qualifying campaign and could be a dark horse.
One of the four quarter-finals will also be played at the Volksparkstadion. On July 6th, the second quarter-final between the winner of match 41 and the winner of match 42 will be held in Hamburg.
The Volksparkstadion is no stranger to hosting big football matches. Hamburg’s stunning arena has been used for two World Cups and one European Championship. It has also hosted Champions League fixtures.
The 2010 Europa League final between Atletico Madrid and Fulham was played in Hamburg. In front of a raucous 50,000 crowd, the Spanish team edged past the Londoners at the Volksparkstadion. Diego Forlan was the hero, scoring four minutes before the end of extra time to break Fulham’s hearts.
The vibrant city will play a big role and will be a central hub in the tournament. The atmosphere around the ground will be electric, and the action on the pitch promises to be just as thrilling.
Betting on Football 2024 Matches at the Volksparkstadion with Unibet
Tournament hosts Germany get the 2024 Euro Cup up and running when they welcome Scotland to the Allianz Arena in Munich on June 14th. The following month will be packed full of thrills and spills as Europe’s finest battle for the European trophy.
As you would expect, many fans and pundits alike are backing the Germans to have a strong tournament on home soil. They have been poor in the last couple of majors, but Germany are always a tough nut to crack on their own patch.
France are also right up there when it comes to European Championship favourites. The French won the World Cup in 2018 and were narrowly beaten by Argentina in the World Cup final in Qatar in 2022.
England will be looking to build on an impressive Euro campaign from a few years ago. The Three Lions reached the final but were edged out by Italy on penalties. Can England go one better and get their hands on the European trophy for the first time?
We at Unibet will offer competitive odds throughout the tournament. From backing the outright winner to the number of corners in a single game, we have you covered every step of the way.
Four group matches and one quarter-final will take at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, and we will have an extensive betting market for each match. You can also bet on England’s three group fixtures, along with every Euro game taking place in Germany this summer.
Hamburg is one of the top places to visit in Europe, and Germany’s second-most populous city is ready to host 2024 European Championship matches.
