Domestic flight - Nagelsmann takes off: by plane to the Denmark duel
After the bus journeys to the EURO group matches, the German football team will change the means of transport for the round of 16 against Denmark. Due to the greater distance of approximately 400 kilometers, the DFB squad will travel from Nuremberg to Dortmund on Friday afternoon by airplane.
After the game on Saturday (21.00 CET/ZDF and MagentaTV), they will return to Franconia in the night. It is still open whether a special permit for Dortmund airport will be granted or if the DFB team will first go to Cologne, where there are no night flight restrictions.
The German Football Association chose the tournament headquarters in Herzogenaurach for the logistically favorable location to the venues. For the group matches against Scotland, Hungary, and Switzerland, the national team coach Julian Nagelsmann and his players traveled one day beforehand with the team bus to Munich, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt, respectively. After the final whistle, they never returned to the so-called Home Ground. The UEFA called for particularly high ambitions for ecological sustainability for the EURO.
In case of success, only Dortmund and Berlin by plane
The schedule in the knockout phase suits the German team well. In case of success, the quarterfinals (5. July/18.00 CET) and the semifinals (9. July/21.00 CET) will again take place in Stuttgart and Munich. Bus journeys are then possible again. Only for the final on 14. July (21.00 CET) in Berlin will a domestic flight be chosen.
In the past, there have been criticisms of the travel habits of the national team. In 2020, they flew to a national team match in Basel from Stuttgart, which was a short distance. Since then, the DFB has adapted its travel modalities. The team often travels by train. For flights, the switch was made from charter planes to scheduled flights.
Schedule of the German National Team DFB-Squad EURO Game Plan
- despite the change in transportation for the round of 16, the German Football Association has maintained a commitment to ecological sustainability during the EURO, as urged by UEFA.
- Following their game against Denmark, the German national soccer team will fly back to Nuremberg, considering the possibility of obtaining a special permit for Dortmund airport or adhering to night flight restrictions in Cologne.
- For the group stage matches, Julian Nagelsmann and his team traveled to Munich, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt utilizing the team bus, demonstrating the DFB's adjustment in travel modalities since facing criticism for flight habits in 2020.
- The German team's successful progression through the knockout phase would necessitate air travel, as the quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled to take place in Stuttgart and Munich, while the final will occur in Berlin by domestic flight.
- In 2020, the DFB attracted criticism for flying short distances — specifically for a national team match in Basel from Stuttgart. Since this, the association has adopted more environmentally-friendly travel practices, such as frequently using trains for transportation and exclusively employing scheduled flights for flights.
- In the EURO game plan for the DFB-Squad, Munich, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt are selected as three of the logistically advantageous destinations for the national team, due to their proximity to group match venues.
- Travelling by team bus was the preferred transportation method for Germany's group matches in EURO, with the squad journeying one day prior to each match to Munich, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt.
- The German soccer team exhibited a patterns of not returning to their so-called "Home Ground" after group stage matches, as they instead proceeded directly to their subsequent destinations.
- In a strategic move, the DFB elected to establish the tournament headquarters in Herzogenaurach, selecting a location that afforded logistical benefits to the team's interactions with various EURO venues.
- Julien Nagelsmann and the German national team will covet victory during the EURO, aiming to reach the quarterfinals and semifinals in Stuttgart and Munich, as well as securing flight transportation for the final in Berlin.
