The final draw in Hamburg

The draw has been made: On Saturday the 2nd of December , the eagerly awaited group draw for the finals of the European Football Championship in Germany in the summer of 2024 took place. The eyes of Europe were on Hamburg - specifically on the imposing great hall of the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall and the Port of Hamburg.

At the same time as the draw was taking place, 25 impressive shipping containers bearing the flags of the qualifying nations were installed in the Port of Hamburg, not far from the Elbphilharmonie.

The biggest draw of all time

In the run-up to the draw, the containers rolled through the Hanseatic city on trucks, causing quite a stir. The participating nations received a warm welcome as they made their way through Hamburg, building anticipation for the final draw in the city. The containers passed some of Hamburg's most famous landmarks, including the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall, the UNESCO World Heritage SiteSpeicherstadt and the Köhlbrand Bridge.

On Saturday evening, the containers were stacked live by 12 heavy-duty container stackers and 70 port workers. Meanwhile, the EURO 2024 group draw took place in the packed Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall.

It was finally decided which nations would be competing in the next summer. The first match will be played on the 16th of June between the play-off winner A and the Netherlands. This will be followed by exciting matches such as Croatia against Albania on the 19th of June and play-off winner C against Czechia on the 22nd of June. Czechia will play Turkey on the 26th of June and spectators can look forward to an exciting quarter-final on the 5th of July. Get ready for some exciting football by the Elbe!

As another "tiny" highlight, the biggest draw of all time can also be admired in miniature: The Miniatur Wunderland has also set up the containers in its own Hamburg harbor.