Frankfurt am Main was preparing for one of the most important sporting events in Europe - the European Championships 2024. The amount of €30 million that the city has spent covers not only the costs related to the organisation of the matches. It is worth considering whether such an investment will bring the expected benefits to the city.

Matches and fanzone

Frankfurt has invested around €30 million in hosting four group matches and one Round of 16 match at Deutsche Bank Park. In addition, a significant portion of these funds was used to create an impressive fan zone on the River Main between Friedensbrücke and Eiserner Steg.

The plan was to put up a 144-square-metre screen. The Fan Mile display all 51 matches of the tournament on several screens. This zone can accommodate 30,000 people each day.

© Citizen59 (cc: by-sa)

Investment in infrastructure

The other half of the budget has been allocated to upgrading the city's infrastructure, including Waldstadion, which is the stadium of Eintracht Frankfurt. The stadium, renovated before the 2006 World Cup, required another upgrade after 18 years of use. Investments also include improvements to safety, mobility and sustainability. For example, the metro station at Frankfurt Central Station was made barrier-free before the start of the European Championships.

In 2017, when Frankfurt bid to host the European Championships, the estimated budget was between €15 million and €17 million. However, after Germany won the bid in 2018 and finalised concrete plans, the current mayor Mike Josef revised this figure to €30 million. This adjustment was the result of a detailed analysis of the needs and investment plans, which took into account not only the costs of hosting the matches, but also the creation of an attractive fan zone and the modernisation of the infrastructure.

The decision to increase the budget was met with criticism in the city's parliament, mainly from the left wing. Parliamentary group leader Michael Müller expressed his dissatisfaction, claiming that the red carpet is being rolled out here for UEFA. At the same time, he admitted that he understood the need to approve the funds due to the fierce competition between locations demanded by UEFA. Despite the criticism, both Mayor Mike Josef and TCF representatives stressed the urgency and necessity of these investments, especially in the context of the anticipated influx of tourists.

© GMP Architekten

Comparison with other Euro cities

The costs of hosting the 2024 European Championships vary considerably from city to city. For example, Munich planned to spend around €21 million, Cologne €12 million and Düsseldorf €20 million. In Berlin, on the other hand, costs could rise to more than €80 million, which is significantly higher compared to Frankfurt. Hamburg, with a budget of around €30 million, is in a similar range to Frankfurt.

You can find both Frankfurt Arena and other Euro 2024 venues in a video on our YouTube channel. Enjoy!