The Cologne/Rhine/Ruhr Olympic bid aims to attract 17.6 million spectators. The use of soccer infrastructure is expected to make this possible. The basketball tournament is set to be held at Fortuna Düsseldorf’s stadium.
According to calculations by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), Cologne-Rhine/Ruhr—one of three national bidders—could offer the largest ticket allocation ever. As North Rhine-Westphalia’s State Chancellery announced on Friday, this represents an increase of 3.6 million tickets over the previously planned capacity.
“That’s a world record! Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr offers the biggest stage for the athletes’ greatest moment,” said Minister President Hendrik Wüst: “As things stand, this also allows us to offer tickets at affordable prices, specifically targeting young people, families, and volunteers.”
Basketball Games Planned for 50,000 Spectators
The DOSB’s calculation was based on final adjustments to the concept. These include “many large and spectacular sports venues in the immediate vicinity, which either already exist or will be temporarily constructed,” said Wüst: “Swimming at Schalke in front of 60,000 fans, the finals in handball, basketball, and volleyball in front of 50,000 people in Düsseldorf—the Olympics have never experienced such settings in this form before.”
With 17.6 million tickets, Cologne-Rhine/Ruhr would be well ahead of all previous and future host cities. For the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, 14 million tickets are currently planned; for the 2024 Games in Paris, the figure was 12.8 million.
The Cologne-Rhine/Ruhr Olympic bid was approved in April by a referendum with 66.0 percent of the vote. Other national candidates are Munich and Berlin; Hamburg, as in 2015, failed to secure support in a referendum. On September 26, the DOSB will decide which region it will partner with to bid to host the 2036, 2040, or 2044 Games and compete against international candidates.
