Hosting UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany: changes in substance-related emergency department utilization
Abstract
Introduction: Mass-gathering events (MGEs) have important public health implications. Large-scale sporting events, which often increase the social acceptance and availability of substances, can amplify consumption behaviors and lead individuals to exceed their usual limits. However, evidence on short-term changes in substance-related healthcare utilization remains limited and heterogeneous in Germany. Accordingly, the Robert Koch Institute analyzed routine ED data from the AKTIN Registry to detect changes in substance-related ED visits during the men’s UEFA EURO 2024 hosted in Germany.
Methods: Three syndrome definitions based on ICD-10-GM diagnoses, chief complaints, and age criteria were developed to identify intoxication patterns: any psychotropic substance intoxication (SATX), acute alcohol intoxication (ATX), and substance intoxication excluding alcohol (STX). Cases during the tournament period (14 June–14 July 2024) were compared with a reference period including pre- (17 May–2 June) and post-tournament phases (15–28 July). Analyses were stratified by sex, age group and triage level. Relative changes (Δ%) were calculated as percentage differences between periods.
Results: Between 1 January 2018 and 9 September 2024, 5.6 million ED visits from 39 EDs were analyzed. Substance-related intoxications accounted for 2.6% (SATX), 1.2% (STX), and 1.1% (ATX) of all visits. During the tournament period, moderate increases were observed across all indicators. Cases were more frequent among males, with further increases during the tournament (SATX: +4.9%; ATX: +5.1%; STX: +3.3%), and predominantly affected middle-aged adults. A moderate rise in less urgent visits (triage level 4) was observed.
Conclusions: Increases in substance-related ED visits were observed during EURO 2024; however, absolute case numbers remained moderate, indicating that an anticipated surge in substance use may not have materialized at the national level across participating EDs.
Key messages: • This study provided a first multicentre perspective on dynamics of substance-related ED utilization at the national level in Germany.
• Findings provide reassurance that the EURO 2024 did not result in an alarming additional burden on participating EDs that would have required immediate public health intervention.
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BibTeX
@article{schlump2026hosting,
title = {{Hosting UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany: changes in substance-related emergency department utilization}},
author = {C Schlump and M Schranz and N Charfeddine and M Rupprecht and A Ullrich and M Diercke and RG Aktin and J Estupinan Mendez},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.238},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.238},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Hosting UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany: changes in substance-related emergency department utilization
AU - C Schlump
AU - M Schranz
AU - N Charfeddine
AU - M Rupprecht
AU - A Ullrich
AU - M Diercke
AU - RG Aktin
AU - J Estupinan Mendez
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.238
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.238
AB - Introduction: Mass-gathering events (MGEs) have important public health implications. Large-scale sporting events, which often increase the social acceptance and availability of substances, can amplify consumption behaviors and lead individuals to exceed their usual limits. However, evidence on short-term changes in substance-related healthcare utilization remains limited and heterogeneous in Germany. Accordingly, the Robert Koch Institute analyzed routine ED data from the AKTIN Registry to detect changes in substance-related ED visits during the men’s UEFA EURO 2024 hosted in Germany. Methods: Three syndrome definitions based on ICD-10-GM diagnoses, chief complaints, and age criteria were developed to identify intoxication patterns: any psychotropic substance intoxication (SATX), acute alcohol intoxication (ATX), and substance intoxication excluding alcohol (STX). Cases during the tournament period (14 June–14 July 2024) were compared with a reference period including pre- (17 May–2 June) and post-tournament phases (15–28 July). Analyses were stratified by sex, age group and triage level. Relative changes (Δ%) were calculated as percentage differences between periods. Results: Between 1 January 2018 and 9 September 2024, 5.6 million ED visits from 39 EDs were analyzed. Substance-related intoxications accounted for 2.6% (SATX), 1.2% (STX), and 1.1% (ATX) of all visits. During the tournament period, moderate increases were observed across all indicators. Cases were more frequent among males, with further increases during the tournament (SATX: +4.9%; ATX: +5.1%; STX: +3.3%), and predominantly affected middle-aged adults. A moderate rise in less urgent visits (triage level 4) was observed. Conclusions: Increases in substance-related ED visits were observed during EURO 2024; however, absolute case numbers remained moderate, indicating that an anticipated surge in substance use may not have materialized at the national level across participating EDs. Key messages: • This study provided a first multicentre perspective on dynamics of substance-related ED utilization at the national level in Germany. • Findings provide reassurance that the EURO 2024 did not result in an alarming additional burden on participating EDs that would have required immediate public health intervention.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -