Germany is set to host the Women’s Euros in 2029. In a bidding process that saw Italy and then Portugal pull out, Germany emerged victorious on Wednesday over bids from Poland, which was aiming to become the first Eastern European country to host the women’s tournament, and a joint bid from Denmark and Sweden.
In an extremely brief ceremony, UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin appeared on stage in Nyon, Switzerland to announce the successful bid – just five minutes after it was launched.
Bernd Neuendorf, president of the German FA (DFB), said, “It was a long journey and it was not just about all of us standing here, but also a lot of people working at the DFB to achieve this tournament. So thank you to everyone who supported us at the DFB, the teams and elsewhere.”
“I want to thank everyone else in this room, the other bidders, Poland and the Nordics,” he said. “We invite you all to come to Germany. This is a tournament not just for Germany but for the whole of Europe. You are all welcome, we would like to meet you all.”
Germany plans to host the men’s Euros in 2024, but this is Germany’s first women’s tournament since the 2011 World Cup. The last Women’s Euro was even earlier in 2001, a tournament which Germany also won.
This news has come at a good time for women’s football. Although Germany had lost to Spain in the Nations League final a day earlier, the team has shown a lot of promise under head coach Christian Wouk. Therefore, in late October, the DFB pledged to invest €100 million ($117 million) in the women’s game. The bulk of these funds are earmarked to increase the commercialization of the Women’s Bundesliga, and the fruits of that work could be seen by 2029.
A tournament for Europe
The slogan of the tournament is: “Together We Rise.” Eight German cities are to host the matches: Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Hanover, Wolfsburg and Leipzig. According to the DFB’s pitch, the tournament should promote women’s football in every corner of Europe and no country should be left out.
DFB vice-president Heike Ulrich insisted it would be a “very open tournament” and pledged that the German FA would use Euro 2029 to “raise women’s football to a new level for the world”.
A major factor in Germany winning the right to host the 2029 tournament could be the DFB’s pledge to make it the first Women’s Euro to make a profit. This is based on an estimate of over one million tickets sold, financial commitments from each potential host city, and support from German business. UEFA lost an estimated €35 million ($40 million) on the 2025 Women’s Euro in Switzerland. By comparison, the 2024 men’s European Championship in Germany made a profit of €1.3 billion.