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UEFA EURO 2024
 Men's Football Cup in Germany

Ein buntes Bild, auf dem Fußball spielenden Menschen und Fußbälle zu sehen sind. © Goethe-Institut e. V., Tobias Schrank

From June, 14th until July, 14th, Germany will host the UEFA's EURO 2024, the European Cup in Men's Football.  We take a closer look at the importance of football in Germany, historically, culturally, and of course, in terms of sports. Join us, and immerse yourself in “Fußball-Fever”.

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. Foto (detail): © picture alliance/Laci Perenyi/Jerry Andre Foto (detail): © picture alliance/Laci Perenyi/Jerry Andre

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 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.

Miners demonstrate with a poster against the closure of mines at the Ruhrstadion in Bochum © picture alliance / augenklick/firo Sportphoto | Jürgen Fromme © picture alliance / augenklick/firo Sportphoto | Jürgen Fromme

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.

The German men's national football team stands in a music studio around a piano at which the pop singer Udo Jürgens is sitting. © picture-alliance/ dpa/dpaweb | Marcus Thelen © picture-alliance/ dpa/dpaweb | Marcus Thelen

Diversity in football

Tomorrow in the Present

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

Kick off your German skills

On Our Free Learning Platforms

“Fußball”: How well do you know the game? And do you speak the lingo?

Football-themed German exercises on our free learning platform “Deutsch für Dich” on language levels A1 to B2. Register and practice your German football-lingo with more than 500,000 community users, or individually, for free.

A football in the goal-net © Unsplash © Unsplash

The sound of the stadium, football-facts you never knew you needed, and more ...

In our eLibrary “Onleihe”, we have 185+ media about football: From books about football-facts, to short audio-books for children, and much more. Search “Fußball” and browse through our collection. All media are available for free lending. 

Three media covers from the Onleihe

The EURO Cup 2024 on “Deutschstunde”

Get your students involved in the football-fever with interactive German exercises that support learning in writing, speaking, and listening — and discover a treasure trove of teaching materials for all levels and ages. 

A soccer stadium © Goethe-Institut New York © Goethe-Institut New York

Stay curious

A selection of films, series, documentaries

2023, short film, 21 min, OV with German subtitles

Der mit dem Krokodil tanzt

A short film about the extraordinary relationship between Michael and his pet Billy, a spectacled caiman (directed by Leonard Mann).
Watch on ARD Mediathek until 05.04.2026.

Der mit dem Krokodil tanzt © MDR/Leonard Mann © MDR/Leonard Mann

2024, documentary,180 min, OV with German subtitles

Alles außer Kartoffeln: Menschen. Küche. Heimat.

The documentary series follows six migrant restaurateurs who have brought a piece of their identity to Germany with their dishes from their homelands.
Watch on ARD Mediathek until 01.01.2099.

Alles außer Kartoffeln: Menschen. Küche. Heimat. © HR © HR

2015, documentary, 88 min, OV with German subtitles

Vom Glück, ein Frankfurter zu sein

A documentary about the history and development of Frankfurt over the decades.
Watch on ARD Mediathek until 24.12.2025.

Vom Glück, ein Frankfurter zu sein © HR/Simone Jung © HR/Simone Jung

2023, documentary, 94 min, OV with German subtitles

Pumping Beauty

The documentary series follows two female bodybuilders on their journey to the Ms. Olympia competition in Las Vegas.
Watch on ARD Mediathek until 04.08.2028.

Pumping Beauty © MDR/Benjamin Kahlmeyer © MDR/Benjamin Kahlmeyer

2025, documentary, 32 min, OV with German subtitles

Y-History: War mein Uropa ein Nazi?

In this documentary, Adrian Oeser explores how his great-grandfather’s Nazi past has influenced the history and dynamics of his own family.
Watch on ARD Mediathek until 07.05.2030.

Y-History: War mein Uropa ein Nazi? © HR © HR

2025, dramedy, 140 min, OV with German subtitles

Marzahn Mon Amour

The series is based on the autobiographical novel by Katja Oskamp: A writer in crisis dares to make a fresh start as a pedicurist in Berlin-Marzahn. Starring Jördis Triebel, Yvonne Yung Hee Bormann, Deborah Kaufmann (directed by Clara Zoë My-Linh von Arnim).
Watch on ARD Mediathek until 14.03.2026.

Marzahn Mon Amour © ARD Degeto Film/UFA Fiction/Oliver Vaccaro © ARD Degeto Film/UFA Fiction/Oliver Vaccaro

Football culture

in Germany

Football Nation Germany

“A positive shift in the image of Germany worldwide”

Football plays an important role in the way nations are perceived by others and by themselves, says philosopher and football expert Wolfram Eilenberger. He talks in our interview about old clichés and new signals.

German and American fans get together at the Amerikahaus in Munich to watch Germany play the USA in a World Cup group stage match in 2014. Photo (detail): © Picture Alliance/Ulmer, Lukas Coch Photo (detail): © Picture Alliance/Ulmer, Lukas Coch

Germany’s national colours

Reclaiming the flag, or showing our true colours

After decades of a shadowy existence, the black, red and gold of the German flag have become standards signs of national pride at events like the Football World Cup. But fears are also growing that a new wave of nationalism may emerge from the shadows as well.

Black, red and gold as far as the eye can see: football fans at Berlin's Fan Fest for the 2018 World Cup. Photo (detail): © picture alliance / Annegret Hilse/SVEN SIMON Photo (detail): © picture alliance / Annegret Hilse/SVEN SIMON

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. Foto (Detail): © picture alliance/Foto Huebner Foto (Detail): © picture alliance/Foto Huebner

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.

The teams of the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR line up for the anthems in Hamburg's Volksparkstadion on 22 June 1974 before the group match of the World Cup. © picture-alliance / dpa | Werner Baum © picture-alliance / dpa | Werner Baum

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