Estimates suggest that nearly 14,000 additional sex workers arrived in Germany’s Euro 2024 host cities for the tournament.
Euro 2024 will conclude on Sunday with the final match between England and Spain in Berlin.
The month-long tournament has provided an economic boost for businesses such as hotels and restaurants across Germany’s 10 host cities, including the sex industry, which has also seen increased activity.
It is estimated that more than 100,000 sex workers have been operating in the country during Euro 2024.
The erotic service Erobella says that almost 14,000 sex workers travelled to Germany specifically for the football tournament.
Most of them come from Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Poland, according to Gerhard Schönborn, a social worker based in Frankfurt. “They sell themselves here simply because of poverty,” he argues.
Janne Valentin, a sex worker who’s been in the industry for 26 years says it’s easy to find clients in central Berlin: “Guests staying in hotels buy escort services when they want dinner company. Or they call and ask for a girl to their room”.
Prostitution has been legal in Germany since 2002, including brothel-keeping, which now requires registration and licensing under new laws. However, HIV and STI testing is not mandatory for operating such businesses, according to the Global Network of Sex Work Projects.
