Germany to bid for Euro 2024

The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed that it will be bidding for Euro 2024.

The 2006 World Cup hosts will be seeking to be the sole host of the tournament. Four years earlier, the finals will spread around the continent with no one country hosting more than three matches.

“18 years after the magnificent 2006 World Cup, the time is ripe for another summer fairytale in Germany,” said DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach, who has already informed UEFA president Michel Platini of Germany’s intended bid.

“Germany last staged a European Championship in 1988 and we fancy our chances because the DFB have always made good impressions to FIFA and UEFA when staging major events in the past.”

The bid is in its preliminary stage, having been agreed upon only on Wednesday at a DFB board meeting in Nuremberg.

It will be interesting to see how Germany’s bid is received by Platini. It was he who introduced the concept of the continent-wide finals for Euro 2020, claiming that a single country in austerity-riven Europe could no longer afford to host a multi team tournament. It sounded baloney at the time and now that Germany – admittedly a country that has done quite well out of European austerity – has thrown their hat in the ring, a return to the traditional final format looks assured.