European Football Championship

It's finally happening again: after more than 30 years, the European Football Championship is returning to Germany! From June 14 to July 14, 2024, 24 teams will compete for the coveted trophy. Discover everything you need to know about the tournament in our European Championship special. We'll also take a nostalgic look back at quirky soccer songs, iconic fashion moments, and the historic match between East and West Germany. Enjoy and happy kicking!

European Football Championship © Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

EURO 2024: All you need to know

Pink Jerseys and Green Promises

This summer, everything will revolve around the men’s European Football Championship in Germany – which will involve 24 nations, ten cities and millions of fans. Here you will find out everything you need to know for your next evening at the pub.

Times are changing in football, too: for away matches, the German national squad will be playing in pink during this tournament. Photo (detail): © picture alliance/Laci Perenyi/Jerry Andre Photo (detail): © picture alliance/Laci Perenyi/Jerry Andre

The EURO 2024 stadiums

From a Yellow Wall to a Christening

Which stadium can serve as a wedding venue, which stadium has remote control like a child’s toy and which is home to women’s football? Let us introduce you to the ten stadiums in Germany that will host the men’s European Football Championship.

The “yellow wall” – terraces packed with 25,000 Dortmund fans. Photo (detail): © picture alliance/Foto Huebner Photo (detail): © picture alliance/Foto Huebner

Football and Fashion

Euros Fit-Check

Soccer and fashion: there is no other match as unpredictable as this one. At times a bad pass, at others a volley into the top corner. We have looked back at some of the highlights in the history of the European Championship and tried to find the right words.

Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel celebrates after winning the final against Germany at the 1992 European Football Championships © picture alliance / Laci Perenyi | Laci Perenyi © picture alliance / Laci Perenyi | Laci Perenyi

Football and Music

Football is Our Life

There’s music in football: as we approach the men’s Euro 2024 in Germany, we take a look at football songs, some dodgy and some successful, and the stories behind them.

A completely normal sight for decades: the German national football team in the recording studio - here with Udo Jürgens in December 1989. © picture-alliance/ dpa/dpaweb | Marcus Thelen © picture-alliance/ dpa/dpaweb | Marcus Thelen

East-West German Football History

Separated by Politics, United by Football

Ronald Reng has written a football book that is about much more than football. 1974 – Eine deutsche Begegnung is a captivating portrait of divided Germany in the 1970s.

1974: International match between the FRG and the GDR as part of the Football World Cup © picture-alliance / dpa | Werner Baum © picture-alliance / dpa | Werner Baum

Diversity in football

“Voy, voy, voy, voy, voy, voy”

Girls' teams, clubs for the blind, queer fan clubs: Football shows its integrative potential above all away from the big stage. The movie “Elf Mal Morgen” takes a look at eleven different football stories in Germany.

The female players of Türkiyemspor Berlin in the dressing room Foto (Detail): © Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin Foto (Detail): © Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin

Football in the Ruhr

In the Land of 1,000 Derbies

Matches will also be played at two stadiums in the Ruhr region during the 2024 European Football Championship. It’s not really surprising – this area in the far west of Germany is considered the nucleus of German football, especially away from the bright lights of the modern arenas.

The Ruhr region is characterised by heavy industry. This is also unmistakable in football - here at a demonstration by miners in Bochum's Ruhrstadion in 1997. © picture alliance / augenklick/firo Sportphoto | Jürgen Fromme © picture alliance / augenklick/firo Sportphoto | Jürgen Fromme

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP 2024

A SELECTION OF FOOTBALL DOCUMENTARIES

2021, documentary, 14 min, OV with German subtitles

Die Geschichte des deutschen Fußballs

This episode of MrWissen2go Geschichte explores the history of German football from its origins to the present day. Watch on funk until 05.08.2026.

Die Geschichte des deutschen Fußballs © funk © funk

2020, documentary, 7 min, OV with German subtitles

Bevor Jürgen Klopp berühmt wurde

Der Biograph explores the question of how Jürgen Klopp not only achieved sporting success, but also won the admiration of both players and fans. Watch on funk until 05.11.2025.

Bevor Jürgen Klopp berühmt wurde © funk © funk

2024, documentary, 45 min, OV with German subtitles

Beckenbauer - Triumphe, Affären und Skandale

Franz Beckenbauer - a German football legend and World Cup winner as both player and coach. However, allegations of corruption have clouded his legacy. What public view will remain of him? Watch on ZDF Mediathek until 06.09.2025.

Beckenbauer - Triumphe, Affären und Skandale © ZDF © ZDF

2023, documentary, 30 min, OV with German subtitles

Tore für die Umwelt

In the Bundesliga, the call for more sustainability is ever growing louder. This concerns issues like waste management, mobility, and energy. Watch on ZDF Mediathek until 13.01.2028.

2022, documentary, 19 min, OV with German subtitles

FIFA, Rapper und Trikots - Woher der Hype um Fussball?

This episode of HYPECULTURE is focused on football, rappers, and jerseys: featuring rappers playing football, footballers rapping, and the tracksuit as the street's tuxedo. Watch on funk until 28.11.2027.

2021, documentary, 44 min, OV with German subtitles

Das dunkle Erbe – Nazis im deutschen Fußball

This episode of Terra X-History explores a dark chapter in the post-war history of German football: the legacy of the Nazi era. Watch on ZDF Mediathek until 27.11.2026.

2022, documentary, 15 min, OV with German subtitles

Fußball im Nationalsozialismus

This episode of MrWissentogo Geschichte sheds light on how football was used as a propaganda tool and to suppress specific groups under the Nazi regime.
Watch on funk until 11.08.2027.

2021, documentary, 44 min, OV with German subtitles

Fußballprofi - Traum und Wirklichkeit

This documentary follows young football talents in Germany on their way to becoming professional football players, highlighting the challenges, opportunities, risks and realities of the football industry. Watch on ARD Mediathek until 01.01.2099.

2023, documentary, 9 min, OV

Ein Tag im Leben eines Schiedsrichters!

Einfach Fußball follows referee Felix Zwayer on a match day, providing insights into his daily life on and off the pitch. Watch on funk until 05.10.2033.