Germany will host football's 2024 European Championship

Germany won the right to host soccer's 2024 European Championship on Thursday, beating Turkey following a politically charged campaign.

Germany, which successfully hosted the 2006 World Cup, was the long-time favorite and won the UEFA executive committee vote 12-4. There was one abstention.

"Every democratic decision is the right decision," said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who has been closely allied with German soccer federation president Reinhard Grindel as European colleagues on the FIFA Council.

UEFA relies on its signature competition to help fund 55 member federations.

Revenue from the 24-team Euro 2016 in France was almost 2 billion euros ($2.35 billion). UEFA got 850 million euros ($1 billion) in profit.

Germany should have about 400,000 more tickets to sell than the Euro 2016 organizers, while also having 300,000 more seats than Turkey's bid.

The UEFA voters were given confidential revenue projections for each candidate's plan.

Germany plans to use 10 stadiums for the 51-game tournament and play the final in Berlin or Munich.

Germany will look to recapture the positive feeling of its month-long 2006 World Cup, which became known as the nation's "Summer Fairytale."

A well-liked and underrated national team helped Germans express a fresh pride in their national identity and symbols more than a decade after reunification with East Germany.

Europe's signature competition was hosted in 1988 by West Germany, one year before the Berlin Wall came down.

The election victory on Thursday is a welcome revival for the German soccer federation and its leader after four months of turmoil.

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