Hosts Germany will have four goalkeepers at Euro 2024 but there were few other surprises in coach Julian Nagelsmann’s preliminary squad unveiled on Thursday.

VfB Stuttgart keeper Alexander Nuebel was named along with Manuel Neuer, Oliver Baumann and Marc-Andre ter Stegen as Nagelsmann otherwise largely showed faith in the players he has used over the past seven months.

“When you have this structure which is still growing but fragile after our performances in March, bringing in new elements could trigger an implosion of that structure and you would have to start from scratch,” the coach said ahead of his first international tournament.

Germany beat France and Netherlands in back-to-back friendlies in March, their best results for some time, and the three-times European champions have not won a major trophy since the 2014 World Cup.

Nagelsmann said having four keepers was crucial for spreading the workload during the tournament.

“We have nominated four goalkeepers and we will go with four to the tournament. Nuebel has deserved the nomination,” Nagelsmann said.

“Why four keepers? You can have goalkeepers in training as well and Manuel (Neuer) does not always have to do it. We can control training and spread the load.

“That means 22 infield players. I can live with that very well. We can still do proper training with at least 20 infield players if some are missing.”

In veterans Thomas Mueller, Toni Kroos and Neuer, there are three 2014 world champions in the 27-man squad which must be cut to 26 before the tournament.

Aleksandar Pavlovic, 20, who missed the March friendlies through injury and is still waiting for his first cap, earned a place following his superb form for Bayern Munich.

Robert Andrich, Florian Wirtz and Jonathan Tah are the Bayer Leverkusen players in the squad having helped the Bundesliga champions go through the season unbeaten across all competitions.

The two most notable absences were Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League finalist Mats Hummels and Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka who narrowly missed the cut.

Germany kick off their Group A campaign in the tournament opener against Scotland on June 14. They also play Hungary and Switzerland in the first stage.

-Reuters

Germany will be hoping for sporting success as host of the 2024 Euros soccer championship kicking off in a month’s time, but it will also be looking for a consumption boost from all the fans guzzling beer and staying in hotels and rented rooms.

Europe’s largest economy is expected to grow around 0.3% this year, slower than other large industrialised countries. The following is an overview of how the tournament could give it a welcome boost.

WHO CAN HOPE FOR BETTER BUSINESS?

There are 2.7 million tickets available for the four-week event from June 14 to July 14. The hosting venues Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Dortmund, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Leipzig and Stuttgart can expect a rush of domestic and foreign guests.

“People are more active when it comes to travelling, for example going to major events and concerts by international stars,” said Norbert Kunz, Managing Director of the German Tourism Association (DTV).

“It could well be that 2024 will be a new record year for tourism in Germany – also thanks to the many enthusiastic football fans who want to experience this event live.”

Breweries can also expect a boost.

“Large football events in the past have shown that more beer is drunk during the tournament than is normal in the summer weeks,” said Holger Eichele of the German Brewers Association. During the 2006 World Cup, which Germany also hosted, beer sales rose around 5% before and during the tournament.

That would be especially welcome as 2023 was a difficult year for the beer industry, with sales in the country falling by 4.5% to 8.4 billion litres, continuing a long-term downtrend, according to government data.

WILL THE TOURNAMENT CREATE A CONSUMPTION BOOM?

“The experience of the World Cup in 2006 shows that major sporting events are not economic fireworks,” said Michael Groemling of the German Economic Institute (IW).

Many consumers are likely to use the tournament as an opportunity to buy a new television or drink an extra beer.

“But they save money elsewhere: bratwurst instead of a restaurant, a TV evening instead of going to the cinema,” said Groemling. “As a result, consumer spending is not necessarily increasing but rather shifting.”

Commerzbank economists say the economy could stagnate in the second quarter – which includes the first half of the tournament – after growing by 0.2% from January to March.

WHO ELSE COULD BENEFIT?

Retail sales could receive a consumption boost if the home team does well on the pitch, said a spokesperson for the industry association HDE.

“Only if the German national team survives the first phase of the tournament can consumer sentiment also benefit,” the spokesperson said. Grocery stores tend to do well during major sporting events as fans stock up on drinks and food while watching together.

The booking portal AirBnB (ABNB.O), opens new tab expects the Euros to provide an additional tailwind for the rental of holiday apartments.

The advertising space marketer Stroeer (SAXG.DE), opens new tab also expects a boost, as well as sporting goods manufacturer Adidas. World market leader Nike (NKE.N), opens new tab has nine teams under contract at the European Championships, Adidas (ADSGn.DE), opens new tab six and Puma (PUMG.DE), opens new tab four.

WHAT ABOUT GERMANY’S IMAGE?

“A major sporting event can brighten the mood and improve the image of the host country,” said the IW’s Groemling, speaking about its allure at a time when foreign direct investment into the country has fallen.

“At the same time, the economy is shaped by expectations and moods – the emotional return from the EM should not be underestimated.”

-Reuters

England can win this year’s European Championship and put an end to their series of near misses in major competitions, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said.

Under Gareth Southgate, England reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, as well as making it to the Euro 2020 final, where they lost to Italy.

Guardiola said England’s performances mirrored Manchester City’s showings in the Champions League, which they won for the first time last season after years of close misses.

“The national team? Really good. But it’s not just the talent of the strikers, it’s the whole package, the whole group. Gareth knows perfectly what he has to do,” Guardiola told reporters ahead of his side’s Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

“I have the feeling, everyone has the feeling, that the England national team, in the last events, the World Cup and European Championships, they made steps. They are on the verge, they are really close. They lost a final and got to a semi-final.

“When you arrive at these stages every two years, it’s going to happen. It’s quite similar to us – we were close and, in the end, we lifted it. Just believe it. If they believe it they can do it, believe it and they can do it.”

England are grouped with Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia at Euro 2024 in Germany, which begins on June 14.