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Football and technology

A football in a stadium

European Football Championship in Germany!

The European Football Championship 2024 kicks off with the opening match between Germany and Scotland on 14 June. The tournament organised by UEFA is one of the biggest sporting events in the world. 24 countries - more than ever before - will be competing for the title. Host nation Germany will naturally be hoping to finally end its drought at major tournaments, which has lasted since 2016. In front of a home crowd, the chances may not be so bad - we'll see. What is certain, however, is that anyone interested in football will learn a lot of new things around the ball if they click on the DPMA special pages "Football and technology"!

Football is the number one popular sport in many countries around the world, but very little has been published about its technical development. Yet there is a wealth of inventions and a long history of technology behind the "beautiful game".

On our special dossier pages on "Football and Technology" you will find all the developments and inventions that have accompanied and advanced the beautiful game from the very beginning - from the first ball bubble to the screw stud, from the early whistle to the video referee.


This DPMA presentation was first published for the 2006 World Cup. Since then, it has been repeatedly updated and brought up to date with the latest technology. And now again for the home European Championship 2024!

Incidentally, the European "Play Fair 2024" campaign is being launched at the same time as the European Championships. It appeals to fans to stay away from illegal streams and counterfeit sporting goods. Across the EU, counterfeit sporting goods manufacturers suffer losses of EUR 850 million per year.

Picture: iStock.com/xixinxing

Last updated: 19 May 2025