Sources: 50,000 Albania fans ready for Italy clash

UEFA and German authorities are preparing for over 50,000 Albania supporters to attend Saturday’s Euro 2024 clash against Italy in Dortmund, sources have told ESPN, in what will be the largest travelling contingent of any team other than host nation.

And such is the interest in the game in the Balkan country, Albanian prime minister Edi Rama has suspended the nation’s parliament for 10 days to enable over 100 ministers and parliamentarians to attend the team’s Group B fixtures against Italy, Croatia and Spain.

Although Signal Iduna Park, Borussia Dortmund’s home stadium, regularly holds over 81,000 spectators for club fixtures, the venue will have a reduced capacity of 62,000 during Euro 2024 and UEFA sources have said that huge numbers of neutral section tickets for the Group B opener have been bought by Albanian fans.

Many Albanian residents in Germany have snapped up tickets for the country’s first major tournament appearance since Euro 2016, while reigning European champions Italy are expected to be backed by fewer than 10,000 supporters due to the vast majority of tickets being bought by Albania supporters.

Over 100,000 Scotland supporters are expected in Germany during the tournament, while sources have said that England, the Netherlands and Poland will also be followed in large numbers by travelling fans.

And Turkey’s Group F fixtures against Georgia, Portugal and Czechia are all set to be dominated by huge numbers of Turkish fans due to Germany being home to over 7 million people of Turkish heritage.