Stuttgart crowd sets another UEFA record

A UEFA European Under-19 Championship record crowd of 54,689 watched Germany and Italy open this season's finals and continued a remarkable series of attendance bests in competition's over the last season.

The home crowd at VfB Arena in Stuttgart were disappointed as hosts Germany lost 1-0 but made history regardless, with the attendance more than twice the size of the biggest previous U19 record – the 25,100 that saw Ukraine beat England in Donetsk in the 2009 final. There has only ever been one bigger UEFA youth tournament crowd, 72,800 watching the final of the old U18 Championship in 1984 when the Soviet Union faced Hungary in Moscow.

Germany midfielder Max Besuschkow said: "It was an amazing feeling to play in front of such a brilliant crowd, and that makes the result even more disappointing."

The record will definitely stand for the time being as that was the only match in the finals being played in a stadium with the capacity of the VfB Arena. However, unprecedented attendances have been attracted in several UEFA competitions this season:-

• UEFA Youth League: Astana v Benfica, 25 November – competition-record crowd of 17,000
• UEFA Futsal EURO: Arena Belgrade, 2–13 February – competition-record aggregate crowd of 113,820 UEFA
• UEFA Europa League: Manchester United v Liverpool, 17 March – competition-record crowd of 75,180
• UEFA Women's Champions League: Lyon v Paris Saint-Germain, 24 April – competition-record crowd outside the final of 22,050
• UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship: Belarus v Serbia, Minsk, 4 May – competition-record crowd of 4,500
• UEFA European Under-17 Championship: Azerbaijan v Portugal, Baku, 5 May – competition-record crowd of 33,000
• UEFA EURO 2016: France, 10 June–10 July – competition-record aggregate crowd of 2,427,3030, highest average attendance since expansion to 16-team finals of 46,594
• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: Germany v Italy, Stuttgart, 11 July – competition-record crowd of 54,689