As the whistle blew to signal the start of the opening match of the 17th edition of the European Football Championships, on 14 June in Munich between Germany, the host nation, and Scotland, the Macron the Hero there will be. It will feature on the shirts of the UEFA match officials which, since 2019, has been the “Official UEFA Referee Match Kit Supplier”, supporting referees, assistant referees and VAR officials at its second European Championship following the 2020 tournament. It will feature on the shirts of two national teams for which Macron is the technical partner, Albania e Georgia, which, along with the other 22 teams, will be competing for the trophy. This is the Albanian national team’s second appearance in the European Championship finals, whilst for the Georgian side it marks a historic first.

The’Albania They go into this final stage of UEFA Euro 2024 on the back of an impressive run of form. For the first time in their history, they finished top of their qualifying group with 15 points and a goal difference of +8, having put together a run of positive results that allowed them to Shqiponjat to qualify with one match to spare. Drawn in Group B, Albania will make their debut against the Italian national team on 15 June in Dortmund. They will then face Spain and Croatia.

The qualifying campaign for the Georgia, which secured its place at UEFA EURO 2024 via the play-offs. After knocking out Luxembourg in the semi-final, the Georgian national team went on to beat Greece on penalties in the final, following a hard-fought match that ended goalless after normal and extra time. The victory was celebrated at length on the streets of Tbilisi, marking a historic achievement reached for the first time in the country’s history. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and his team-mates have been drawn in Group F alongside Turkey, Portugal and the Czech Republic. Georgia, like Albania before them, will also make their debut in Dortmund on 18 June, facing Turkey before going on to take on the Czechs and the Portuguese.

For a month, everyone’s attention will be focused on the matches between Europe’s top national teams, who, together with the ‘team’ of referees, will be giving their all. We wish them all the best, hoping that the competition will be characterised by respect, fair play and all those sporting values that the Macron Hero embodies and represents, both on and off the pitch. We wish the UEFA referees every success in fulfilling their difficult and delicate role, and the Macron national teams the best possible results, so they can give their fans unforgettable thrills and memories of UEFA EURO 2024.