#EURO2016 to light up Eiffel Tower

The French telecom company Orange will analyze which team received the most hashtag mentions on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram during the Euro 2016 soccer tournament, and then light up the Eiffel Tower in that country's national colors, UEFA said Thursday.

The campaign will effectively turn one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world into a barometer of social media clout for the 24 teams that will compete.

For Germany, for instance, algorithms will count the number of times #GER or #DieMannschaft or #JederFuerJeden are used. For England, it'll be #ENG or #TogetherForEngland; for Spain, #ESP or #VamosEspana.

UEFA also unveiled loads of official emojis yesterday.

For Twitter, the virtual face-off could be an important measure of the company's popularity as its stock price dwindles and it struggles to grow its user base.

But it's not the only way fans can show their support - soccer fans of all ages are scrambling to fill their Panini sticker albums.

France is also leveraging the ubiquity of smartphones to warn of real or suspected terror attacks, having launched an app on Wednesday that sends phone alerts to users.

For information about each team and which group they belong to, check out DW's photo galleries below.