Nielsen Sports study highlights tournament’s highly positive economic and social impact on host country and host cities
According to a holistic study conducted by Nielsen Sports, the world’s leading provider of sports data measurement and fan insight, the economic impact of Uefa Euro 2024 for Germany and the 10 host cities amounts to €7.4-billion.
More than 90% of this sum, was the direct result of expenditure by the 2.7 million ticket holders (44% from abroad), organisers and accredited persons as well as the resulting indirect and induced economic effects. The most significant expenses included accommodation, travel to and within the host cities, and food and beverages outside and inside the stadiums. The study also found that almost two-thirds of ticket holders used public transport within the host cities.
A total of €571m in advertising value was generated for the host cities and the host country combined, thanks to their presence and visibility in the global media.
Uefa president Aleksander Čeferin said: "Uefa Euro 2024 in Germany was an outstanding tournament and an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. The football was exceptional, the fans were delighted, and as this report clearly demonstrates, the tournament had a significant economic and social impact on the host country. This proves that major sporting events are not just a triumph for the football community but for society as a whole. As reflected in our motto - football unites people. We can already look ahead with excitement to Uefa Euro 2028 in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, as well as Uefa Euro 2032 in Italy and Türkiye."
Bernd Neuendorf, president of the German Football Federation (DFB), said: "The study provides impressive evidence that Uefa Euro 2024 has had a wide range of positive effects across the ten venues and the country as a whole. Not only did it provide us with great matches and a fantastic atmosphere in the stadiums; it was also an economic and social success. Thirty-six years after Euro 1988 and 34 years after peaceful reunification, Germany has proven to be a football-loving country, a friendly host and a reliable partner for the organisation of major sporting events.”
Nancy Faeser, German federal minister of the interior and community, said: "We truly turned the European football championship into our “Heimspiel für Europa”, making it a summer of sport in the heart of Europe. I’m very pleased at the study’s findings: an economic impact of €7.4b in Germany exceeds expectations for hosting the tournament in Germany. And I’m especially happy that the economic, social and media impact of the tournament is directly benefitting the host cities. This wonderful tournament would not have been possible without the excellent organisational work and passionate dedication of our host cities.”
The conclusions of the study demonstrate the tournament’s positive impact in several areas:
The 51 matches were attended by 2.7 million spectators. 1.7 million were unique ticket holders, who attended at least one match.
On average, 23% of ticket holders came from the host cities, 33% from the rest of Germany and 44% from abroad.
97% of international ticket holders said they wanted to visit Germany again. On average, 79% of ticket holders said they would recommend visiting the city that had hosted their match.
78% of all ticket holders rated Uefa Euro 2024 as positive, implying positive associations with the host cities and host country by extension.
85% of host city residents said they were proud of hosting Euro 2024.
73% said that Euro 2024 had made a positive contribution to the common good and cohesion in the host city.
More than a quarter of residents said that they had been inspired by Euro 2024 and played more than two hours more sport than before.
Uefa and the DFB made special efforts in the area of sustainability, from the successful bid to host Euro 2024 onwards. Sustainability concepts were integrated into the bid and converted into an environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy for the tournament, backed by targeted measures and investments totalling €32m. In relation to the environment, this encompassed areas such as climate protection, sustainable infrastructure and the circular economy. A comprehensive assessment of all work in the field of sustainability will be published as part of a comprehensive ESG report in autumn 2024.
The Nielsen Sports study was based on surveys of ticket holders, cross-media monitoring and evaluation of data from the host country, host cities and Uefa, as well as additional expertise and knowledge from over 150 similar impact studies successfully conducted by Nielsen Sports.
As well as the 2.7 million people who attended games in Germany, there were a further 6.2 million visitors to the 18 fan zones across the country, where fans not only embraced the festival atmosphere but also took part in potentially life-saving cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training.
More than 190 nationalities were represented among supporters at Euro 2024, even before taking into account the staggering cumulative live global TV audience of 5.4 billion.
The on-pitch excellence had a distinctly Spanish flavour. Player of the tournament Rodri and young player of the tournament Lamine Yamal were two of six Spaniards in the team of the tournament, with Yamal's sensational equaliser against France in the semi-finals named goal of the tournament.
That strike made Yamal the youngest-ever Euro scorer, but the old guard proved their worth, too. Croatia talisman Luka Modrić became the oldest scorer in Euro history aged 38 years 289 days, while the indomitable Pepe became the oldest player to appear at a Euro; the Portugal defender was aged 41 years 130 days for the quarter-final defeat by France.
From the off, Uefa was determined to make sustainability fundamental to the organisation of Euro 2024. Discounted and free public transport schemes helped 81% of spectators use eco-friendly transport to get to stadiums, each of which was committed to the principles of the circular economy – reuse, reduce, recycle and recover waste.
Overall Uefa invested €32m in implementing the tournament's environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, including recruiting a team of 500 volunteers and sustainability managers at each of the ten host venues. A comprehensive ESG report will be released in October to assess Euro 2024's sustainability performance.
Putting on a competition on the scale of Euro 2024 requires a huge logistical effort. Uefa's team services unit helped make things as smooth as possible for the competing teams, servicing the 24 base camps with 168 vehicles, 2 400 bibs and 180 000 drinks.
At the venues, Uefa's pitch consultants worked closely with ground staff to ensure player safety and consistency and even playing surfaces, while every Euro stadium had a Uefa medical team on hand.
Those efforts could not have been achieved without the contribution of the 16 000 volunteers and the 800-strong Eyro 2024 GmbH workforce, a group of dedicated personnel responsible for the logistical aspects of delivering the tournament.
The success of Euro 2024 will be measured not only by the month of footballing action but the impact in Germany and beyond. Over the next four years a record €935m of Euro 2024 revenue will be redistributed between the 55 Uefa member associations through the HatTrick programme. Additionally, €331m has been awarded to associations in prize money and a further €240m given to domestic clubs that released players for the tournament.
In Germany, the infrastructural developments to stadiums will continue to deliver benefits, while 190 amateur clubs and 21 regional associations have received €7m in financial support between them for sustainability projects through the Euro 2024 climate fund.
The feelings of unity, pride and joy generated by Euro are harder to measure but no less significant and will live long in the memory too.
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