As the final hours passed before the start of this summer’s European football championship final tournament in Austria and Switzerland, travelling fans have provided most of the excitement so far, although the residents of the two Alpine countries seem to be getting into the spirit of things, if reports in international media are anything to go by. Come June 7, when the tournament will officially kick off with Switzerland taking on the Czech Republic in Basel, the party will be in full swing.

Already thousands of fans have flocked to the small towns and resorts used as their temporary headquarters by the 16 participant teams. Open training sessions have proven immensely popular, with Portugal watched by 12 000 paying fans on June 3. With an estimated five million people expected to visit the two countries in the three weeks of the tournament, the party will only get bigger.

Tickets have long ago been sold out, but tens of thousands of fans will be able to watch the games in fan areas set up in each of the eight towns and cities that will host matches. The potential for trouble is great, but authorities in the host countries are confident they will manage to keep everything under control, including the prospect of a terrorist attack.

“We are extremely well-prepared and have seen nothing to suggest any large-scale security scenario,” Austria’s interior minister Guenther Platter said on June 3, as quoted by Reuters. Following the example of Germany, which hosted the World Cup in 2006, Austria re-introduced border checks for the duration of the tournament. Switzerland, not being part of the European Union, still maintains check points on its borders. But most foul play, if any, would be restricted to football pitches, the authorities say.