2024 will be a sports year of home tournaments for Germany. The handball players kick things off with their European Championship (January 10th to 28th). The tournament opens with a world record game in Düsseldorf. But this should only be the start of further sporting holidays. The European Football Championships will also take place in Germany in June and July. But international highlights also await sports fans with the Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as some world championships.
Handball European Championship in Germany (January 10th to 28th) The starting signal sounds with a very special handball experience. Group A opens the tournament in front of a world record crowd of 50,000 spectators in the Düsseldorf Arena. France will play against North Macedonia at 6 p.m. and host Germany will play the official opening game against Switzerland at 8:45 p.m. The DHB team then continues in Berlin. The main round group, in which Germany would play, will then play its games in Cologne. The knockout games up to the final on January 28th will also take place there. 24 teams play for the title. In total, handball fans can look forward to 65 games in six cities. In addition to Düsseldorf, Cologne and Berlin, Mannheim, Munich and Hamburg are also venues.
The German team wants to use the home advantage and the support of the fans to get into the tournament as well as possible and, if possible, to ensure a handball festival like the winter fairy tale of 2007, when Germany became world champions in Cologne. But the Germans are not favorites. These include Denmark, Sweden, Spain as well as Norway and France.
Toboggan World Championships in Altenberg (January 26th to 28th) There is also a home tournament at the ice rink. The German toboggan team wants to once again prove its supremacy at the World Championships in Altenberg.
Biathlon World Championships in Nove Mesto (February 7th to 18th) While most other winter sports do not have a World Cup this year, new world champions are crowned in biathlon every year. In the Czech Republic's winter sports stronghold of Nove Mesto, twelve world championship titles will be awarded over nine days of competition. 20,000 spectators are expected. The races take place under floodlights in the early evening. Denise Herrmann-Wick became world champion at the 2023 home World Cup. This winter, after a good start to the season, several Germans have a chance of winning a medal – including Franziska Preuß, Benedikt Doll and Roman Rees. The World Championship medals will be at stake in Para-Biathlon a month later (March 5th to 10th) in Prince George, Canada.
Swimming World Championships in Doha (February 2nd to 18th) For Florian Wellbrock and his teammates as well as the international competition, it's all about the World Cup titles early in the Olympic year. The German association is only sending ten athletes to the World Cup and is not fielding any relay teams.
Super Bowl in Las Vegas (February 11) Professional sports have long avoided Las Vegas – now the gambling metropolis is hosting the largest individual sports event in the world. After Formula 1 in November, the Super Bowl in American football is the second big thing in Las Vegas in just a few months; the Nevada desert is increasingly becoming a mecca for sports fans. The NFL will determine the participants for the Super Bowl premiere in the Las Vegas Raiders' Allegiant Stadium in the play-offs at the beginning of 2024. In addition to the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, the favorites also include the Philadelphia Eagles, the Miami Dolphins, the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens.
Ice Hockey World Championships in the Czech Republic (May 10th to 26th) The German national ice hockey team wants to pull off another coup. After the sensational runner-up in the World Cup in 2023, national coach Harold Kreis' team is hoping for similar successes in the Czech Republic. The DEB selection will play the group games against the co-favorites USA and Sweden as well as against Slovakia, France, Latvia, Poland and Kazakhstan in Ostrau. Things would continue in Prague in the semi-finals at the latest.
World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal (March 18th to 24th) For the first time in years, Germany has an ice skating pair that is among the world's best. Minerva Hase has made great progress with her new partner Nikita Volodin. Together they won, among other things, the Grand Prix final at the beginning of December. At the World Cup in Canada they will go onto the ice as one of the favorites.
Para-cycling in Rio de Janeiro (March 21-24) Over four days, the athletes compete in different classes for the world championship title. For many it will also be an important test for the Paralympics.
European Athletics Championships in Rome (June 7th to 12th) After the disappointing World Cup in Budapest without a medal, Germany's track and field athletes want to be back at the award ceremonies at the European Championships. Long jumper Malaika Mihambo, who had to end the World Cup season early with an injury, will also be back at the start. Two years after the summer fairy tale at the European Championships in Munich, when Gina Lückekemper was crowned double European champion, the German team is also aiming for medals in Italy's capital. Para-athletics will be competing for the World Championship title from June 17th to 25th in Kobe, Japan.
European Football Championship in Germany (June 14th to July 14th) German football is hoping for a similar euphoria and football party as at the 2006 World Cup. However, the conditions are difficult, especially given the performance of the German national team. For national coach Julian Nagelsmann's team, it is still important to generate enthusiasm after the weak performances at the end of 2023. The home tournament would be the right time to celebrate success again after two World Cup embarrassments. The DFB selection starts in the opening game in Munich against Scotland.
This is followed by the group games against Hungary in Stuttgart (June 19th) and on June 23rd in Frankfurt against Switzerland. The European Championships will also be played in Hamburg, Leipzig, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Düsseldorf, Cologne and Berlin. The Olympic Stadium in the capital is the dream destination for all 24 participants – the final will be played there on July 14th.
Tour de France (June 29th to July 21st) The cycling world is looking with excitement to see how luxury purchaser Primoz Roglic will fit in with the top German racing team Bora-Hansgrohe. With the transfer, the team demonstrated: We want to have a say in the overall victory of the Tour of France. The competition is considerable given the two-time Tour winners Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar as well as time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel. In any case, the 111th edition of the tour will be historic. The cycling spectacle starts in Italy for the first time. After the Grand Départ in Florence and some demanding mountain stages, the tour does not end in Paris as usual because of the Olympic Games, but with a tricky time trial between Monaco and Nice.
Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon (July 1st to 14th) The prestigious tennis tournament is coming up in London. The best players in the world play for victory on grass.
CHIO in Aachen (July 2nd to 7th) Tens of thousands are again expected in Aachen for the World Equestrian Festival. In particular, the popular show jumping and dressage competitions will again take place in front of full stands. The chances of a German victory are likely to be greatest in dressage.
Olympic Games in Paris (July 26th to August 11th) Between the Eiffel Tower, Stade de France and Versailles, France's capital is planning a superlative sporting spectacle. The opening ceremony on the Seine is expected to delight hundreds of thousands along the river. Paris is hosting the Olympics for the third time after 1900 and 1924. 329 medal decisions were made over 16 days of competition. More than 400 athletes from Germany will be there, including the basketball world champions around Dennis Schröder. Successes will be celebrated in the German House, which will be set up in a rugby stadium in southwest Paris. Many teams and athletes still have to qualify for the games later this year.
Paralympics in Paris 2024 (August 28th to September 8th) The Paralympic athletes also meet in Paris for their most important sporting event. The Paralympics are the Olympic Games for people with a physical disability. Medals are awarded in 22 sports. Germany will also be represented by a large team. The medal chances for German athletes are good in swimming, canoeing, table tennis and athletics, among other things.
Women's Handball European Championship in Hungary/Austria/Switzerland (November 28th to December 15th) In addition to winter sports and the Darts World Cup, there is also a highlight for the handball players at the end of the year. After the good impressions at the 2023 World Cup, the German team now wants to show at the European Championships that they can improve further.
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