As the Three Lions get closer to their opening match in the Euro 2024, the case of England fans in Gelsenkirchen has become a hot topic. Will the English side have enough supporters at the Veltkins Arena? Find out everything you need to know before the 16 June 2024 kick-off in this post.
How many England fans are going to Gelsenkirchen?
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England will clash with Serbia on the third day of UEFA EURO 2024. But before that, a special Euro festival for England fans in Gelsenkirchen has been organized at Trabrennbahn resources, right at the heart of the hosting city.
There will be approximately 40,000 fans at the festival and noting that there will be an estimated England 80,000 fans in Germany, you can expect upwards of 10,000 fans to attend the opening game against Serbia on 16 June 2024.
The Gelsenkirchen festival for English fans will be free. German beer, music, food and public viewing venues are just a few of the niceties to expect at the Gelsenkirchen festival for England fans.
Moreover, all the Euro matches of the day will be screened at the public viewing areas at Gelsenkirchen, which includes the clash with Serbia, Poland vs Netherlands, and Slovenia vs Denmark.
Just 50 days until #euro2024
Itโs estimated that between 55,000 and 80,000 #englandfans will visit at least once during the tournament!
What are your travel plans #englandfans?
Out for the duration? Gambled on knockout stages? In and out for individual games?
#threelions pic.twitter.com/XnRsg47Izr
โ England๐๏ธ (@england_tic) April 25, 2024
Where will Team England fans sit/stand at the Veltkins Arena?
You should know the location of your seat and probably that of England fans at the Veltkins Arena upon receipt of your ticket via the UEFA EURO 2024 ticketing app. Note that seats are allocated randomly at the time of booking, so choose an ideal location for yourself and your friends. Seats ticketing at the Veltkins Arena is divided into categories such as Fans First, Category 1-3 and Prime Seats. Moreover, there are Easy Access and Wheelchair User options.
If you book several seats in a single ticketing order, there is a good chance they will be next to each other. However, that depends on the availability and pricing at the time of booking.
Veltins Arena is popular among England fans who were in Gelsenkirchen to watch the 2006 FIFA World Cup live at the venue. The Three Lions lost to Portugal in the quarterfinals in a fully parked Arena Aufschalke.
And now, with thousands of England fans in Gelsenkirchen expected to attend the opening Euro 2024 clash with Serbia, perhaps it is an opportunity for the Three Lions to re-write history after the painful defeat in 2006.
Full fansโ matchday guide for Serbia vs England
England fan group Free Lions have organised a full matchday guide for Serbia vs England, plus dedicated support for those attending the game or in and around the area.
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๐๏ธ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ค๐England fans will have access to the Trabrennbahn Gelsenkirchen, the racecourse, which has capacity for 40,000 people and will open at 11am on matchday and closeโฆ pic.twitter.com/BXq5qPuLlK
โ Free Lions (@WeAreFreeLions) June 9, 2024
Free Lions are the official embassy team for the Football Supporters' Association and have an emergency, 24-hour helpline that fans can contact via Whatsapp or phone on +44 7956 121314.
The England Fans' Embassy will be located outside of the main station in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday 15th June (around 11am-4pm) and on Sunday 16th June (around 10:30am-5:30pm). ESTC staff have arranged to join the Free Lions on matchday, 11am-1pm.
The Free Lions advise that England fans carry a valid form of ID with them at all times and that supporters must get their ticket validated by a steward at the security perimeter at the stadium, otherwise the ticket won't scan at the turnstiles.
The 10,000 Serbia fans attending have their meeting point at Sankt-Urbanus-Kirchplatz in Buer, so it is highly recommended that England supporters avoid this area.
Where to eat & drink for England fans in Gelsenkirchen
With EURO 2024 soon kicking off, a sip of German cuisine and Bavarian beer has become highly sought-after. But do you have an idea about where to go and drink the best beer in Gelsenkirchen?
For England fans who would fancy nightlife in Gelsenkirchen with a taste of beer, Buer, just two tram stops from the Veltins Arena, is an ideal location to experience the pub culture. Heinrich-kong-Platz and WeberstaBe in Altstadt are another great option for a night out, sipping on the best local beer.
Notable popular local food and beer in Gelsenkirchen include Doner, taxiteller, and Currywurst. The best places to go for local beer are Bochumer StraBe and Uckendorf.
Ticket collection info for England fans in Gelsenkirchen
All Euro tickets for England fans in Gelsenkirchen will be mobile, so printed tickets are not accepted. This means that if you have booked your ticket for the Serbia vs. England clash, UEFA should deliver it at the end of May or in the final week leading up to the game via the official ticketing mobile application.
More information will be made available on the UEFA ticketing portal if England progresses beyond the EURO 2024 group stages.
Note that the UEFA ticketing app allows you to download, keep, and even transfer tickets anytime and anywhere. However, you can only transfer tickets via the app by entering the guest's email address.
Those who were successful in the ticket lottery should receive theirs sooner. If you have not booked, head over to the booking platform to reserve your seat at the Veltkins Arena for as low as โฌ30. You can book tickets by city or schedule. Fans First tickets for the Serbia vs England start from โฌ30 while category 3 goes for โฌ60. Category 2 and 1 tickets cost โฌ150 and โฌ200 while Prime Seats go for โฌ400.
How to get to Veltkins Arena: Guide for England fans in Gelsenkirchen
Getting to Veltikins Arena in Gelsenkirchen should not be a problem if you have the right travel guide. Euro ticket holders in Gelsenkirchen will get discounted travel packages using a 36-hour travel pass for both local and international train rides within and around the city.
For starters, you can use a train from the surrounding cities and alight at the Gelsenkirchen Central Station. It is the city's main rail hub, noting that there at at least 30 trains that leave the station daily for more than 300 destinations.
If you opt for a flight, a plane at the Dusseldorf Airpot, a nearby city, is the best option. It is only 40 kilometres Southwest of Gelsenkirchen. Once you alight at Gelsenkirchen, England fans can take the RE3 or RE2 train lines or take a taxi. The cost of the trip is โฌ100.
A word of caution for England fans in Gelsenkirchen is that you should avoid using a car for travelling during the EUFA EURO 2024 as it will not be time-saving. Note that the city centre will get very busy once the event kicks off and there will be limited parking at the stadium. But if you must use a car, access the city via A2, A52, A42, and A40.