Situation
In January 2025, following a competitive RFP process, Burson was appointed by the German Football Federation (DFB) to lead strategy and communications for Germany’s bid to host the UEFA Women’s EURO 2029. Competing against bids from Denmark-Sweden (combined), Poland, Portugal and Italy (the latter two withdrew during the bid process), Germany needed to do more than demonstrate delivery capability — it needed to clearly articulate why it was the right host at this moment for the future of women’s football, aligned with UEFA’s strategic ambitions.
Solution
Burson led the strategic communications and engagement approach for the bid, working closely with the DFB throughout the campaign. Our work included:
- Developing a compelling bid narrative and messaging framework, including the official slogan Together WE Rise
- Producing and contributing to core campaign materials, including the official bid brochure
- Designing a targeted stakeholder engagement strategy, identifying who to engage, when, where and why
- Delivering extensive research, briefing documents and meeting materials to support senior-level engagement with key UEFA stakeholders
- Implementing a focused international communications approach to sustain visibility and momentum across the bid timeline
Success
On 3 December 2025, UEFA awarded the hosting rights for UEFA Women’s EURO 2029 to Germany with a historic success of 15 out of 17 possible votes. The successful outcome reflected a clear, strategically aligned bid narrative, effective stakeholder engagement, and a cohesive communications approach — positioning Germany as the premier choice to deliver a commercially successful, socially impactful and future-focused UEFA Women’s EURO.