A Sizzling Summer of Football

This summer, the 13th European Championships will give the whole of Europe (and, for that matter, football fans across the globe) a chance to eat, sleep and think football. With 16 of Europe’s top sides pitted against each other, the tournament is guaranteed to be as hotly contested as ever.

Indeed, the tournament’s tagline – ‘Expect Emotions’ – promises as much. And it seems a good bet given the events of four years ago, when Greece rose from (relative) footballing obscurity to beat the host nation, Portugal, in an astonishing final.

This time around, the joint hosts, Austria and Switzerland, will be hoping to go one better than Portugal and win on their own soil. But with teams like Germany, Italy, Spain, France and outsiders, Croatia, all competing, they’re facing an uphill struggle.

A total of 32 matches will be split evenly between grounds in the two host countries, with the cities of Vienna and Basel, in particular, playing prominent roles. Switzerland get things going on the 7th of June with a match against the Czech Republic, before Austria play Croatia the next day.

For the following three weeks, both countries are absolutely certain to be full to bursting with football supporters (and a fair few backpackers along for the party!) from all over the world, as they come to soak up the vibrant atmosphere and support their team to the very end.

Who will be there come the final in Vienna on the 29th of June? Well, that remains to be seen…

Desperate to experience all the excitement of the biggest matches this summer? Book your hostels in Austria and hostels in Switzerland now!