While not everyone will know what the big deal is about, thousands of cruisers onboard cruise ships will be overjoyed to find that they can still cheer on their country during the 2024 European Championships Football.
MSC Cruises has announced it has purchased the broadcasting rights to show the UEFA Euro 2024 matches that will take place between June 14 and July 14 in Germany. The event is one of the biggest sports happenings in Europe over the summer, together with the Olympic Games in Paris.
To put this in perspective, the 2020 final attracted 300 million viewers worldwide to see the best football players in Europe compete against each other.
Guests will be able to see the games in a variety of venues, which includes a variety of bars and lounges onboard the MSC Cruises ships, focussing on the sports bars onboard, while some vessels will be offering guests the chance to see the games from the pool deck.
The cruise line has also developed various games and activities with the UEFA Euro 2024 in mind, such as penalty shoot-out challenges, table football games, trivia competitions, and create-your-own shirts, where guests can win various prizes.
MSC attracts a huge number of European guests, many of whom would be devastated if they could not cheer on their country during the championships.
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However, broadcasting the event is a significant cost factor for the cruise line, a decision the cruise line likely did not take lightly. While exact broadcasting costs have not been disclosed, broadcasting similar events such as the Qatar World Cup Football have cost anywhere between 1 to 5 million euros for cruise lines.
Where Can Guests Watch The Matches?
MSC has said it will only broadcast the matches onboard the cruise ships operating out of Europe, including Northern and Western Europe and the Mediterranean. This means that guests sailing onboard seventeen different ships can watch the games.
In Northern Europe, these are MSC Orchestra, MSC Euribia, MSC Poesia, MSC Virtuosa, and MSC Preziosa, in Northern Europe.
MSC Orchestra will sail on a 10-night Mediterranean cruise on June 14, the opening day of the tournament from Marseille, France. The ship will call to Malaga, Cadiz, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Alicante, Spain; Port Mahon, Minorca; Olbia, Sardinia; and Genoa, Italy. The final will take place on July 14, while the ship will be in Marseille again.
Guests sailing on the 184,011 gross ton MSC Euribia, will be able to start watching games during a 7-night northern Europe cruise sailing to Hellesylt, Molde, and Flam, Norway; and Kiel, Germany, which departs Copenhagen on June 9.
MSC Poesia guests can watch the games starting during a 14-night cruise to Northern Europe, departing from Warnemunde, Germany on June 2. The ship will make several calls to Sweden, Norway, Germany, Denmark, and Poland, before the tournament starts on June 14, a day before the end of the cruise on June 15.
England supporters onboard MSC Virtuosa, sailing from Southampton, will be able to watch the first England match on June 16, against Serbia, during the 7-night Northern Europe cruise sailing on June 15.Â
German fans onboard MSC Preziosa, sailing from Hamburg Germany, can watch the opening match of the tournament on June 14 against Scotland during the 11-night Northern Europe departing Hamburg on June 6.
Cruise ships in the Mediterranean showing the matches onboard include MSC Fantasia, MSC Grandiosa, MSC Lirica, MSC Opera, MSC Seaside, MSC Seaview, MSC Sinfonia, MSC World Europa, MSC Armonia, MSC Musica, MSC Divina, and lastly, MSC Splendida.
All-in-all, guests onboard the MSC Cruise ships in Europe this summer will not have to miss a minute of any of the matches of the UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany.
