World's largest tournament bracket: new container installation in the Port of Hamburg marks the start of the knockout round of the UEFA EURO 2024

A total of 28 containers now make up the tournament bracket for the knockout round of the UEFA EURO 2024. At around 45 metres in width and 10 metres in height, the installation must be the largest tournament bracket in the world. It will remain on display until 20 July. During the championship’s knockout phase, containers will be painted every morning with the national flags of the previous evening’s winners – until only two nations remain for the final on 14 July. The morning after the final, Hamburg will then celebrate the new European champion by placing one final container featuring the flag of the winning nation on top. The installation is located at O’Swaldkai, which is operated by UNIKAI Lager- und Speditionsgesellschaft mbH. Hamburg residents and visitors to the city can best view the tournament bracket from the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg Plaza and the Strandkai in HafenCity Hamburg or during a harbour tour.

Container installation in the Port of Hamburg – great things start here!

The container installation installed in the Port of Hamburg to announce the results of the UEFA EURO 2024 group draw already caused a sensation back in December 2023. At the start of the championship, the containers were then used to depict the first two match days of UEFA EURO 2024. The container installation now forms the world’s largest tournament bracket and serves as a symbol not only of the UEFA EURO 2024, but also of the Port of Hamburg. The cooperation illustrates vividly how different sectors come together here every single day to create great things. “The project with the containers in the port is synonymous with the city as a whole: For us, it is a symbol of hospitality, of how all people are welcome here, and another way we wish to enable all football fans to experience this major sporting event. With this spectacular tournament bracket installation, we draw people’s attention to the European Football Championships time and time again. The EURO 2024 atmosphere thus spreads across the entire city and beyond – and Hamburg becomes a meeting place for football fans from all around the world,” says a delighted Dr Rolf Strittmatter, CEO of Hamburg Marketing.

Hamburg as the “Fan Capital” and a host city of the UEFA EURO 2024

Hamburg has already made a name for itself as the “Fan Capital” and a host city of the UEFA EURO 2024. Around 50,000 spectators were able to witness a total of 12 goals live during the four group matches held at the Volksparkstadion. And some 350,000 visitors from all nations watched almost all of the preliminary round matches in the centrally-located Fan Zone and celebrated together peacefully on the Heiligengeistfeld and neighbouring Reeperbahn. The different nations participating in the championship also gave impressive demonstrations of their enthusiasm for football. Among others, almost 40,000 Dutch fans transformed Hamburg’s streets into an Oranje fan zone and celebrated by jumping from right to left for the first time in the tournament during their first group match. Thousands of Albanian and Croatian fans flew their respective flags at the port and on the Reeperbahn and celebrated their teams before and after the match on 19 June. The group stage concluded in Hamburg with a march along the Reeperbahn to the Hamburg Fan Zone by Turkish fans waving flags before Turkey’s match against the Czech Republic.

The atmosphere in the Elbe metropolis is expected to reach its climax on 5 July when the second quarter-final of the European championship kicks off in the Volksparkstadion at 9 p.m. Which teams will meet here will be displayed in the Port of Hamburg from 2 July.