Having a ball: Workers putting the final touches to their Euro 2024-themed backdrop at a hotel in Tanjung Bungah, Penang. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
Though the opening game between hosts Germany and Scotland starts at 3am tomorrow, 19 out of the remaining 35 matches in the initial group stage kick off at either 9pm or midnight Malaysian time. “We’ll start the viewing parties around 7pm each evening with match replays or highlights. If there’s a crowd, we’ll keep the projectors on till the midnight matches end.
“Some might not want to venture out so late at night, so they can still catch every game from the comforts of their rooms,” said the hotel’s general manager Suffian Phoong. Over at a hotel bar along Gurney Drive, the atmosphere promises to be just as exciting, with flags of all participating countries already strung up.