UEFA and German authorities are preparing for over 50,000 Albania fans to attend Saturday’s Euro 2024 match against Italy in Dortmund, sources told ESPN, in what will be the largest traveling contingent of any team other than the host nation.
According to foreign media, such is the interest in the game in the Balkan country, that Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has suspended the works in the country’s Parliament for 10 days, to enable over 100 ministers and parliamentarians to attend the team’s Group B matches against Italy, Croatia and Spain.
Although Signal Iduna Park, Borussia Dortmund’s home stadium, regularly holds over 81,000 spectators for the club’s matches, the venue will have a reduced capacity of 62,000 during Euro 2024 and UEFA sources have said that a large number of neutral section tickets for the Group B opener have been bought by Albanian fans.
Many Albanian residents in Germany have bought tickets for the country’s first appearance at this major tournament since Euro 2016, while reigning European champions Italy are expected to be supported by fewer than 10,000 fans due to the vast majority of tickets being purchased from Albanian fans.
More than 100,000 Scotland fans are expected in Germany during the tournament, while sources have said that England, Holland and Poland will also be followed in large numbers by traveling fans.
And Turkey’s Group F matches against Georgia, Portugal and the Czech Republic will all be dominated by large numbers of Turkish fans because Germany is home to over 7 million people of Turkish heritage.
In relation to this high level of fandom, Prime Minister Rama also reacted through a post on social networks, where he says that Albania has won its European.
Rama’s post:
Of course
50 thousand Albanians and 31 thousand Azzurri tomorrow on the steps of the Dortmund arena, where the famous Yellow Wall of Borussia will be replaced for one night by the Red and Black Wave of Albania.
Albania has won its European and has nothing to lose, so whatever the result of tomorrow’s match will remain not only in the history of Albanian football, but also in the memory of 10 million Albanians.
