Madras Times - Germany to host 2029 women's Euros

Germany, the record eight-time winners of the Euros, beat off competition from Poland and a joint Sweden-Denmark bid, and will host the tournament for the third time, just five years after doing so for the men's Euros.

It is a measure of compensation for Germany, who missed out on hosting the 2027 women's World Cup when FIFA picked Brazil instead.

"Incredible! A dream come true. After 2001, we are once again hosting a Women's EURO in Germany," German football federation (DFB) vice president for women's and girls' football Heike Ullrich said.

In its bid, Germany had vowed to help women's football realise its "enormous potential".

The eight host stadiums include Munich's 70,000-capacity Allianz Arena, Dortmund's 66,000-capacity Westfalenstadion and five more stadiums with between 45,000 and 54,000 capacities.

Germany believes it will be able to sell more than a million tickets to the 31 matches -- compared to 657,291 for this year's tournament in Switzerland.

"We are totally convinced that the tournament in Germany will attract more than a million fans," DFB president Bernd Neuendorf said, adding he felt sure the tournament would generate a profit "for the first time".

Germany highlighted its central European position and strong public transport links in its bid.

Sustainability has become a key issue in bidding processes for major events, given the damaging environmental impact of such tournaments.

Switzerland boasted that 86 percent of ticket holders for its tournament used either public transport, bicycles or walked to reach their venues.

"Hosting such an important tournament is an honour, but it also comes with a great responsibility," Neuendorf added.

"After the wonderful UEFA Women's EURO 2025 in Switzerland, we want to set new standards."

A.Sengupta--MT