The trophy is here

The trophy is here: 84 days before the opening match of UEFA EURO 2024 between Germany and Scotland, the Trophy Tour kicked off on Friday 22 March, in Stuttgart. Tournament director Philipp Lahm and ambassador Celia Šašić personally brought the Henri Delaunay Cup to Stuttgart and presented it to Stuttgart's Lord Mayor Dr Frank Nopper and our ambassador Cacau in the Ehrenhof (court of honour) at the New Palace.

There was a fantastic atmosphere in spring-like temperatures at the start of the Trophy Tour in Schlossplatz, hosted by Tom Bartels (SWR) and Jens Zimmermann, who will be the stadium announcer at UEFA EURO 2024 in the Stuttgart Arena. Many onlookers watched the presentation and applauded when Philipp Lahm and Celia Sasic entered the Stuttgart City Tour bus with the trophy. "We want the Trophy Tour to heighten the anticipation for the European Football Championship, and Stuttgart will show how good that feels. Being so close to such a coveted football trophy is really not something you can take for granted," said the tournament director. "That's what makes it so special." As a two-time European champion, Celia Sasic knows the feeling of winning a trophy like this. "That really stays in your memory. That's what you look forward to, that's what you fight for in a tournament, to then win in the final."

Lord Mayor Dr Frank Nopper was delighted: "We are delighted that Stuttgart is the first host city to present the UEFA EURO 2024 trophy. This is a great honour and together we hope that the splendour of this trophy will point the way to a glittering UEFA EURO 2024 here in Stuttgart. The European Championships should become a great link, uniting people from different social, national and cultural backgrounds." Interior Minister Thomas Strobl described the UEFA EURO 2024 as a "huge opportunity" for the city and the state. "Under the tournament motto 'United by Football – Vereint im Herzen Europas', we want to be a cosmopolitan host and celebrate an inspiring European Championship that will be remembered for a long time – with exciting and successful matches."

Philipp Lahm (left) and Celia Sasic

© Host City Stuttgart Basti Kaspar

From left: Albärt, Lord Mayor Dr Frank Nopper, Interior Minister Thomas Strobl, Philipp Lahm, Elisabeth Seitz, Celia Sasic, Cacau, Guido Buchwald and State Secretary Florian Hassler

© Host City Stuttgart Basti Kaspar

From left: Andreas Kroll, Albärt, Philipp Lahm, Elisabeth Seitz, Celia Sasic, Interior Minister Thomas Strobl, Lord Mayor Dr Frank Nopper, Cacau and Thomas Pollak

© Host City Stuttgart Basti Kaspar

From left: Celia Sasic, Lord Mayor Dr Frank Nopper, Cacau and Philipp Lahm

© Host City Stuttgart Basti Kaspar

A massive European Championship trophy caused quite a stir on Friday morning. Shortly after 7.30 a.m., a giant hot-air balloon in the shape of the trophy took off from the site of the Stuttgart Balloon Sports Group on the Wasen for a fantastic high-altitude flight. The balloon trophy floated from the Neckar Valley over the NeckarPark Stuttgart and the Stuttgart Arena, towards the Rems Valley.

The trophy will be with us in Stuttgart until Sunday. On Saturday, 23 March, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., anyone can take a photo of themselves with it in the Königsbau in Stuttgart. On Sunday, 24 March, it will be presented by the Württemberg Football Association at the district league match between Spvgg Cannstatt and TSVgg Münster.

The EURO Cup was designed by Pierre Delaunay in Paris in 1960 and is a challenge cup. It remains the property of UEFA and is presented to the European champion every four years. The trophy was redesigned in 2008. Its shape has remained largely the same, but the marble plinth has been removed and replaced by a silver base that has been enlarged by 18 centimetres. This was to make it lighter and larger to reflect the growth of the tournament, but the name remained the same. If a national team wins the title of European champion three times in a row or five times in total, the association receives an exact replica of the trophy from UEFA.

The other stops on the Trophy Tour through the host cities: 2/3 April Frankfurt, 5/6 April Cologne, 9/10 April Düsseldorf, 13/14 April Dortmund, 16/17 April Gelsenkirchen, 24/25 April Berlin, 6/7 May Leipzig, 10-11 May Hamburg, 13/14 May Munich.