England fans rejoice as Schalke's 5km 'beer super highway' will keep thousands of litres of booze flowing to supporters in the VELTINS Arena, during Euro 2024 opener vs Serbia

England supporters will be able to enjoy a crisp and refreshing cold beer - and plenty of it - when they travel to Gelsenkirchen for England's Euro 2024 opener against Serbia.

Gareth Southgate will lead his team out at the state-of-the-art Arena AufSchalke on June 16, but visiting England fans will be able to benefit from a high-tech 'beer superhighway' that has been built into the stadium.

In most cases, beer is delivered to football stadiums via kegs, but the VELTINS Arena, as it's also known, is famous for the 5km long network of pipelines that connect the stadium's bars to its cooling and storage chamber.

The issue for Schalke, who play at the 62,271-capacity stadium - which was opened in 2001, was that the 5,000m pipeline can only send beer in one direction. That meant during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 8,000 litres of beer had to be pumped out of the stadium and transported back to suppliers VELTINS, per Business Standard.

The Sun writes that nearly 50,000-plus litres of beer are expected to be sold during England's clash against Serbia on June 16.

But the VELTINS Arena should have the infrastructure to cope with the influx of fans, with the stadium's unique design meaning it is able to store nearly 52,000 litres in the catacombs that sit deep below the football pitch.

'The beer comes directly from the four cooling centres in the arena catacombs, where up to 52,000 litres of beer can be stored. The beer then travels from the central pipeline via docking points to the taps and finally to the cups of the thirsty guests,' the VELTINS Arena website says.

'To ensure it comes out of the tap perfectly chilled even at the most remote kiosk, the pipeline is surrounded by state-of-the-art insulation materials and is of course cleaned and maintained regularly.'

The stadium's beer superhighway is also good news for England fans because the nearest pubs to the stadium are approximately a 25 walk away.

Supporters heading over to Germany will also be delighted to hear that fans looking to get a pint of Bitburger Pils will only have to pay £4.20 (€5) for the privilege.

Half a million British fans are expected to travel to Germany for the tournament but that could rise to 800,000 - depending on how England and Scotland fare during the tournament, with Steve Clarke's side set to take on the hosts, Germany, in the opening game of the tournament.

England fans have been told not to mix with opposing supporters and to be careful when drinking.

The Foreign Office stated: 'Beer can be stronger than in the UK, so drink responsibly, know your limits and respect local laws. You may not be let into the stadium if you drink too much.'

Southgate's side will travel to Germany in the coming weeks and will be keen to undo the woes of their previous defeat at the Arena AufSchalke on June 16.

The last time England played at the stadium in Gelsenkirchen was during the 2006 World Cup, where Sven-Goran Eriksson's side were beaten by Portugal on penalties in the quarter-final.

A special fan park on the Trabrenbahn racecourse in the centre of Gelsenkirchen has been opened for England fans. It is free to attend and the event will feature music, games and food and drinks stalls to help fans get in the mood for the Three Lions' opening game of the tournament.