Road to Berlin: How far will England and Scotland travel during Euro 2024?
Our study shows just how far supporters will travel on the road to glory
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With the 2024 European Championships now just a few weeks away, fans from across the continent are looking forward to a month filled with football excitement.
More than 500,000 British supporters are predicted to make the trip to Germany, with Scotland alone bringing about 200,000 football fanatics to cheer on Steve Clarke’s Tartan Army.
Featuring 10 host cities located across the country and with a land mass 1.5 times bigger than the UK, there will be plenty of travelling involved for English and Scottish fans.
So, if you’re planning to follow your national team around Germany in the hope of seeing them lift the coveted trophy in Berlin, how many miles are you likely to clock up in your used Audi or BMW?
We've crunched the numbers to reveal how far the players and fans can expect to travel throughout this summer’s hotly-anticipated tournament.
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England players
Gareth Southgate’s troupe will be taking over the Weimarer Land Golf Resort and Spa hotel, a luxury 94-room resort nestled in the heart of the German countryside.
Sam Sheehan, our motoring editor, said: “The Three Lions will face Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia in Group C, travelling respectively to (and from) Gelsenkirchen, Frankfurt and Cologne during the early stages of the Euros.
“In total, Harry Kane and his teammates will rack up 1,080 miles in the group stage, with the longest journey being their third and final group game at the Cologne Arena (244 miles).
“Should England clinch the top spot in their group and battle their way through to the final, they will add an extra 1,541 miles to their kilometre.
"A potential quarter-final in the Düsseldorf Arena is set to be the most taxing trip, with a 251-mile distance separating the squad’s resort and the Düsseldorf Arena. If they were to drive it, it would take the players roughly 4 hours and 41 minutes to get to the stadium.”
Interestingly, the shortest trip for the Three Lions would be a journey to the Olympiastadion in Berlin (170 miles), where the Euro 2024 final will take place.
But what if England qualify for the knockout phase as runners-up of Group C? One benefit of coming second is that Southgate and his men will have to cover fewer miles in their route to the final: a total of 1,525 miles (16 miles less than if they win their group).
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England fans
England will kick off their tournament at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen on 16th June against Serbia. For travelling fans, the best option is to hop on a direct flight to Düsseldorf Airport, which is a 43-minute drive (35 miles) from England’s opening-match venue.
From there, fans will make the journey to Frankfurt and Cologne to watch the Three Lions play against Denmark and Slovenia. In total, supporters travelling by road will have clocked up 314 miles attending all three group-stage matches.
Assuming England qualify as group winners, fans will have to drive back to Gelsenkirchen and – if everything goes to plan – make their way to Düsseldorf, Dortmund and finally Berlin. In total, this would bring up their overall tournament mileage to 753 miles.
If England go through as runners-up, travelling supporters will need to take a very different – and longer – route. Overall, they would need to complete an 814-mile journey to reach footballing greatness.
In the round of 16, England fans will have to pay a visit to the BVB Stadion - home of Borussia Dortmund. From Cologne, it’s only a 60-mile trip, which should take driver just over an hour.
After that, fans would need to head to Stuttgart and Munich, before a killer 355-mile journey to Berlin.
Scotland players
Lodging at Hotel Obermühle, a stunning Bavarian resort in the south of Germany, the Scotland team is strategically close to the tournament’s opening venue.
Sam said: “The likes of Andy Robertson and Scott McTominay will inaugurate this year’s Euros against the hosts at the Munich Arena, which is a comfortable 63 miles away from the hotel.
"They will then face Switzerland and Hungary in Cologne and Stuttgart, respectively, racking up their Group A travelling distance to 1,250 miles.
“Nicking the first spot from host nation Germany will be no easy feat, but what if the Tartan Army qualify as group winners? Steve Clarke’s men will need to take a 428-mile trip to Dortmund from Stuttgart. To put things into perspective, that’s nearly a 7.5-hour drive.
“Should the Scots defy the odds and win both their quarter-final and semi-final fixtures, their total travelling distance to Berlin would be 1,731 miles. Bear in mind that the trip from the Hotel Obermühle to Berlin’s Olympiastadion is 415 miles alone.”
But if Scotland earn a ticket for the Round of 16 as runners-up and make history by going all the way, their mileage will increase exponentially. With trips to Berlin, Düsseldorf, Munich and – once more – Berlin, the total road distance will tally up to an eye-watering 2,212 miles.
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Scotland fans
The 200,000 Scottish supporters travelling to Germany are looking to soak up the atmosphere and cause a few sporting upsets along the way.
Scotland kick off the tournament in Munich on 14th June. There are non-stop flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Munich, with the Bavarian airport located a mere 20-minute ride (18 miles) from the stadium. With such a short journey, you’ll have plenty of time to sample the local beers and delicacies ahead of the big event.
If you plan to watch the Switzerland and Hungary clashes in person too, you’ll have to brace yourself for some mammoth road trips.
Driving from Munich to Cologne is likely to be a 6-hour journey, whereas heading southbound to Stuttgart will take just over 4 hours. In short, you can expect to stack up 1,250 miles on the Autobahn.
What if Steve Clarke’s squad smashes its group, qualifies as the top team and reaches an unexpected final?
In a similar vein to flying left-backs Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney, Scottish fans would initially travel down the left flank of the country, stopping in Dortmund and Stuttgart. Completing their knock-out adventure in Munich and Berlin would bring up their total tournament road trip to 1,629 miles.
If you thought that was a long way to travel, Scotland’s path to the final as group runners-up would force their most loyal fans to cover an incredible 2,084 miles.
With each stadium-to-stadium trip lasting more than 5 hours and 40 minutes each, Scottish motorists will end up exploring Germany from top to bottom. Now that’s what you call football fandom.
If you’re planning to city-hop around Germany to follow your favourite national team, arm yourself with patience and be ready to clock up hundreds of miles.
But let’s be honest – if England or Scotland make football history this summer, it will all be worth it in the end.