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The UEFA EURO 2024 trophy tour has made its final four stops, with fans in Berlin, Leipzig, Hamburg and Munich getting to see the iconic Henri Delaunay Cup.
There is now less than a month to go until UEFA EURO 2024 kicks off with hosts Germany facing Scotland in Munich on 14 June, and the trophy tour has come to an end after its journey through all ten host cities.
Starting in Stuttgart and making its way through western Germany, the trophy tour then moved east to the capital, Berlin, and Leipzig. It then made its way north to Hamburg, before a final trip all the way south to Munich, wrapping up on May 14.
Celebrations in the capital
Kicking off the final leg of the tour was a visit to Berlin, where the trophy arrived at the main railway station and was met by 2014 World Cup winner Sami Khedira as part of a Deutsche Bahn welcome event.
It was later presented at the Rotes Rathaus, Berlin’s town hall, by mayor Kai Wegner and mascot Albärt, with tournament director Philipp Lahm also in attendance. A media event at the Olympiastadion – home to six EURO 2024 matches, including the final – followed, where Lahm and Wegner took part in a panel discussion alongside other local guests, including host city ambassador Kevin-Prince Boateng.
The next day, the trophy was paraded through the capital and took in all its sights, including the Reichstag building, Oberbaum Bridge and Berlin’s cathedral. Albärt accompanied the trophy on its journey around the city, and fans were given the chance to take photos with him and the silverware when it stopped outside the Brandenburg Gate.
The Berlin leg ended with a football tournament for local youth teams at the Lichterfelde stadium, organised by the Berlin Football Association and FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin, with the children getting to meet Albärt and see the iconic cup.
Leipzig and Hamburg host the trophy
From Berlin, the cup travelled to Leipzig, where it embarked on a photo tour of the city, including the Battle of the Nations Monument, Leipzig Zoo and Leipzig Stadium, which will host four matches during the tournament, including a huge Group D clash between Netherlands and France.
The zoo was the focus of the second day in Leipzig, with mayor Burkhard Jung meeting Lahm for a public trophy presentation and media event.
The penultimate leg of the trophy tour was in Hamburg, where festivities kicked off with a photo tour through the city. Stops included Heiligengeistfeld, home to the city’s fan zone, which will be showing every match live, and the Miniature Wonderland museum, where a specially created EURO-branded Volksparkstadion was on display.
While the trophy was in Hamburg, the city was celebrating the 835th Hamburg Port anniversary, with 1.5 million people visiting over four spectacular days of maritime shows, open-air concerts and firework shows. On Saturday 11 May, the Henri Delaunay Cup was on display at the festival, where fans were able to take photos with the silverware.
One month to go in Munich
Nearly two months after the festivities began in Stuttgart, the trophy tour came to a special conclusion in Munich on May 13/14, marking one month to go until the opening match of EURO 2024.
On the first day, the trophy took a ride on the Ferris wheel with Albärt before visiting Munich Football Arena – set to host six EURO 2024 matches – where it was met by host city ambassador and elite referee Felix Brych for a media event. Next was the town hall and a photo stop with Lahm and Munich mayor Dieter Reiter.
The day ended with two football-focused events as the Olympiastadion involving children from local football clubs, who will receive 800 new balls as part of the Footballs for Clubs campaign. That was followed by a pro-am tournament on a rooftop mini-pitch at Bellevue di Monaco Dachbolzplatz, with Lahm and other special guests taking part in a panel discussion.
The final day of the trophy tour took place at Munich’s Stadium of Dreams, a cultural and theatre venue that will host football-themed performances and concerts by local artists throughout EURO 2024. Located in the Fat Cat cultural centre, fans were welcomed throughout the day for photos with the famous cup.
After ten stops in 53 days, the trophy tour is over, with fans across the country treated to an early taste of the tournament. The countdown is now well and truly on for the opening match between Germany and Scotland on June 14.
