Dortmund closes fan viewing zones because of storm warning as Turkey plays Georgia at Euro 2024

BERLIN (AP) — A fan zone in central Dortmund and a viewing area in a city park will be closed because of a storm warning on Tuesday as Turkey plays Georgia in the two teams’ opening European Championship match, city authorities said.

The German Weather Service warned of severe thunderstorms in western and central Germany starting around midday. Other Euro 2024 host cities in the region — Cologne, Duesseldorf and Gelsenkirchen — also decided to close public fan zones on Tuesday because of the warning.

Dortmund’s city website said fan and viewing areas in the downtown Friedensplatz square and in the Westfalenpark would stay closed. It called on fans who don’t have tickets for the stadium to stay home.

Turkey and Georgia are due to play in Group F at 6 p.m. local time (1600 GMT). Germany is home to a large community of people with Turkish roots.