The UEFA European Football Championship™ 2008 will take place in eight stadiums between June 7 and 29. The matches in Austria will be played in Vienna, Innsbruck, Salzburg and Klagenfurt, while the hosting cities in Switzerland are Basle, Berne, Geneva and Zurich. The opening game will be held in Basle, with the final awarded to Vienna by the European Football Association, UEFA.

A survey of the UEFA EURO 2008™ stadiums:

Basle: St. Jakob Park (stadium capacity 40,000). The former Joggeli Stadium was converted into a modern, multi-functional arena in March 2001. The crowd-capacity could be increased by UEFA EURO 2008™. The stadium, where FC Basle play their national and Champions League matches, and located not far from the city centre, also houses a large shopping centre, offices, restaurants, cafés, a fitness centre and an old people’s home with 107 apartments.

Berne: Stade de Suisse Wankdorf (stadium capacity 30,000). The Stade de Suisse was reopened in June 2005. The modern stadium stands on the site of the former Wankdorf Stadium, demolished in 2001, in Berne’s Wankdorf suburb where the 1954 FIFA World Cup™ final between Germany and Hungary (3-2) was played. The stadium includes a shopping centre, restaurants, offices, flats, a school, and is the home of BSC Young Boys, one of the oldest clubs in Switzerland.

Geneva: Stade de Genève (stadium capacity 30,000). The stadium was inaugurated on March 16, 2003. The arena at La Praille, near the French border, hosts matches of the Geneva clubs Servette. Connected to the stadium are a shopping centre with underground parking, a hotel, TV studios, offices and convention rooms, as well as a cultural centre.

Zurich: Letzigrund Stadion (stadium capacity 30,000). The stadium will be newly constructed by the start of UEFA EURO 2008™. Letzigrund Stadium is the home of FC Zurich and site of the famous, annually-held Athletics Meeting in August. This arena, located near Zurich city centre, will continue to include facilities for athletics.

Innsbruck: Stadion Tivoli NEU (stadium capacity 30,000). The Stadium Tivoli NEU, used by FC Tirol Innsbruck, will be extended to increase the capacity from approximately 15,000 to 30,000 spectators. The arena, located not far from the city centre and very convenient for public transport, should be completed by 2006.

Klagenfurt: Wörthersee Stadion (stadium capacity 30,000). Construction of the stadium, designed after St. Jakobs Park in Basle as a multi-functional arena, started in late autumn of 2005 and should be finished in 2007. FC Kaernten is the Klagenfurt club which will play there in future.

Salzburg: Stadion Salzburg Wals-Siezenheim (stadium capacity 30,000). The stadium, located near the city boundaries, has a crowd-capacity of 18,686, which should be extended to 30,000 for UEFA EURO 2008™. SV Austria Salzburg play their matches in the arena.

Vienna: Ernst-Happel-Stadion (stadium capacity 50,000). The traditional stadium was once again modernised in 2005 and now has a crowd-capacity of about 50,000. Additional stands over the athletics running tracks will be in place for UEFA EURO 2008™. The arena, located in the middle of the Prater, Vienna’s amusement park near the Danube, hosts most of Austria’s international matches.