Footy fans reveal the stadiums they want to visit the most with Real Madrid BEATEN to top spot by rivals, survey shows
FAN VIEW Footy fans reveal the stadiums they want to visit the most with Real Madrid BEATEN to top spot by rivals, survey shows
FOOTBALL fans have revealed the top 20 stadiums they want to visit, with Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu taken over by a rival.
Barcelona's Camp Nou has topped the list of stadiums footy fans most want to visit, pipping their great rivals Real Madrid to yet another title.
Advertisement
4
Camp Nou is the home stadium of famous FC Barcelona with a seating capacity of 99,354 - the largest in Spain and Europe
4
Santiago Bernabeu has undergone renovation and has the second largest seating capacity at 83,186
Credit: Getty
4
Liverpool's Anfield Stadium made the top five list with its capacity of 61,000
Credit: Getty
A poll of 2,000 lovers of the beautiful game crowned Barca's ground with an approximate capacity of over 99,000 the most sought-after venue outside the UK to watch a match, while the Bernabéu came second.
The San Siro ranked third, reigning supreme in Italy, as the Milan clubs beat out rivals Juventus — whose 41,000+ seater stadium came 16th in the top 20 list.
It also emerged 35 per cent of footy fans have a bucket list of grounds they dream of visiting, with 18 per cent of these having as many as five earmarked to tick off one day.
Domestically, Liverpool fans had something else to cheer after winning the Premier League this season, with Anfield ranking fourth — the highest of all English venues.
Advertisement
The research was commissioned by OLBG ahead of the new football seasons kicking off across Europe, which also plotted the top 10 grounds into an interactive map for fans.
Jake Ashton, football editor for the brand, said: 'Football stadiums are becoming more impressive, and across the globe they offer very different experiences.
'It's great to see the two Spanish giants go head-to-head again, with Barcelona this time pipping Real Madrid to the top spot.
'The variety and pull for fans to travel and see the beautiful game played out in different grounds looks as strong as ever, based on the number of pitches on people's bucket lists.
Advertisement
'With Anfield making the top four, it also shows the UK isn't being left behind when it comes to iconic stadiums in world football.'
It's not just Liverpool's home the fans want to visit domestically — Wembley came in sixth, Manchester United's Old Trafford ranked seventh, and their City rivals just six miles away at the Etihad finished ninth.
Buffalo Bills' new stadium revealed
Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, which opened in 2006 and holds approximately 60,000 supporters, rounded off the top 10.
Away from Europe, the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro — home to both CR Flamengo and Fluminense FC and considered a national landmark in Brazil — came in 12th.
Advertisement
Staying in South America, La Bombonera — home of the iconic yellow and blue of Boca Juniors in Argentina, and the last club Diego Maradona played for before retirement — came 20th in the table.
When asked about the most important factors in creating the world's best footie stadiums, excellent views of the pitch (52 per cent) and comfortable seating (50 per cent) topped the list.
Another 46 per cent said it was all about atmosphere and crowd noise.
When fans were asked to rank grounds purely on their understanding of matchday atmosphere, Anfield came out on top, followed by the Camp Nou and the Santiago Bernabéu.
Advertisement
Half of those respondents attributed the buzz in these arenas to the passion of the home fans, while others cited the quality of football (47 per cent) and near-capacity crowds (45 per cent) as key contributors.
More than a third (38 per cent) of supporters polled, via OnePoll, also admitted to backing a team outside the UK, with 85 per cent of those saying it's a dream to one day watch a game at their chosen ground.
Jake Ashton from OLBG added: 'When it comes to football stadiums, the design, location and the team playing there are all key to their popularity.
'But a ground is nothing, it seems, without the fans who flock there week in, week out.
Advertisement
'At stadiums like Anfield here in the UK, and others across Europe and South America, that passion is plain to see — even for those who haven't experienced it first-hand.'
TOP 20 FOOTBALL STADIUMS FANS WOULD LOVE TO VISIT:
1. Camp Nou – FC Barcelona
2. Santiago Bernabéu – Real Madrid
3. San Siro – AC Milan, Inter Milan
4. Anfield – Liverpool
5. Allianz Arena – Bayern Munich
6. Wembley Stadium – England National Team
7. Old Trafford – Manchester United
8. Parc des Princes – Paris Saint-Germain
9. The Etihad Stadium – Manchester City
10. The Emirates Stadium - Arsenal
11. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Tottenham Hotspur
12. Maracanã – Flamengo, Fluminense, Brazil National Team
13. Signal Iduna Park – Borussia Dortmund
14. St James' Park – Newcastle United
15. Stade de France – France National Team
16. Allianz Stadium – Juventus
17. Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta United (USA)
18. Wanda Metropolitano – Atlético Madrid
19. Lusail Stadium – Qatar
20. La Bombonera – Boca Juniors
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
The Premier League circus is back, but after a summer of splurges who'll be laughing when the curtain comes down in May?
IT'S opening night at football's multi-billion dollar circus and spending has gone through the big-top roof. So despite an almighty spree of his own, Arne Slot believes his Liverpool side will face tougher competition than ever if they are to retain their Premier League title. 8 Arne Slot admits he will do well to keep his hands on the Prem trophy Credit: Getty 8 Florian Wirtz has been brought to Anfield as part of a massive spree that may not be over yet Credit: Mark Pain / Premium Sports Images 8 Chelsea will be looking to challenge after spending nearly a quarter of a billion Credit: Getty 8 Could Viktor Gyokeres be the missing piece for Arsenal as they chase a long-awaited title? Credit: Getty Play Dream Team now! Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season Free to play Over £100,000 in total prize money Play in Mini Leagues against your mates Submit a team for Gameweek 1 to enter £5,000 prize draw Play via Dream Team's app or website today! England's biggest five clubs have already shelled out more than £1billion between them this summer, in a whopping total spend of £2.1billion — or £2.5bn including deal add-ons. And as the defending champions roll up to Anfield to face Bournemouth, kicking off another season for the greatest show on Earth, the Dutchman expects the title battle to be fiercer than ever. Liverpool's imminent signing of Giovanni Leoni would take their summer outlay to around £300m — with deals for Alexander Isak and Marc Guehi still possible. But world champs Chelsea have spent another quarter of a billion, followed by Manchester United (£200.5m), Arsenal (£181.8m) and Manchester City (£150.1m for a total of £324m in the calendar year). READ MORE FOOTBALL MOR THE MERRIER Utd line up £50m move for Sporting's Morten Hjulmand if Baleba bid fails And Slot said: 'The reason why it's so difficult lies mainly with the fact there are so many that can win the league over here. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS 'To win it once is very special, if you can win it twice in five years like us — and City did even better — then that is unbelievable. 'And probably this year's going to be harder than any year before because every team brings in new players. Our main competitors definitely did as well. 'The challenge in the Premier League is always the teams. We start with Bournemouth — the most intense in the league in terms of running and also playing style — and after that it's Newcastle and Arsenal. 'That sums up this league and the challenges we have.' If winning the title is a serious achievement, retaining it is far tougher — only Pep Guardiola's City, Sir Alex Ferguson's United and Jose Mourinho's Chelsea have won back-to-back Premier League crowns. Meet the Premier League's newest wags after their star partners transfers including nurse, lawyer & make-up expert 8 Slot would be walking among giants if he wins a second title in two seasons. And while the signings of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez provide a major platform, he still wants Newcastle striker Isak as well as Guehi, the England defender who skippered Crystal Palace to beat the Reds in Sunday's Community Shield. Perennial runners-up Arsenal are in a major recruitment drive too — adding Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Cristhian Mosquera ahead of a critical campaign for Mikel Arteta. As ever, Chelsea have bought in bulk — with strikers Joao Pedro and Liam Delap joining wingers Jamie Gittens and Estevao Willian, left-back Jorrel Hato and midfielder Dario Essugo at a club powered by its own brand of chaos. Guardiola's City — four-in-a-row champions before last term — have made four big signings in Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and James Trafford, to add to their January quartet. With United's attacking overhaul bringing Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in, never before have all of England's major clubs seen such change. Europa League winners Spurs have spent £100m-plus, with more to come — with even promoted Sunderland well over nine figures. The league is increasingly competitive. The Liverpool-City duopoly — when two near-perfect teams needed close to 100 points to take the crown — is over. No longer does one defeat spell disaster, yet fewer fixtures are a formality for any title-chasers. With Liverpool making so many changes, Slot faces a different pressure to when he inherited Jurgen Klopp's squad last summer. He said: 'I took over a team with only two weeks to prepare due to the Euros and Copa America. 'This year we've brought in very good, intelligent players who need to integrate. Bournemouth will bring a big challenge but everyone is looking forward to it.' Roll up, roll up — tonight's the night we begin to find out if they all have more money than sense. 8 Man United fans will be praying that Sesko hits the ground running Credit: Getty 8 Guardiola has spent around £150m in a bid to get the title back to the Etihad Credit: AFP
The 42
6 hours ago
- The 42
Wales wing Rees-Zammit returns to rugby with Bristol after NFL dream ends
BRISTOL HAVE signed Louis Rees-Zammit following his return to rugby union after the Wales wing gave up on his 18-month-long bid to break into the NFL. English Premiership side Bristol said Thursday that Rees-Zammit was joining with 'immediate effect' ahead of the new league season. No further details about his contract were disclosed. The 24-year-old dramatically left rugby union in January 2024 to pursue a career in American football and was on the training squads of the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, but did not play in a regular-season game. Earlier this month, Rees-Zammit, who made his name in rugby union with Gloucester, a fierce local rival of Bristol, said he was returning to the 15-a-side code. He spent last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, having been cut by the Chiefs the previous campaign, but failed to make an NFL appearance for either franchise as a wide receiver after originally switching sports by joining the NFL's International Player Pathway Program in 2024. By then, he had already scored 14 tries in 32 Tests for Wales and been selected for the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa. Advertisement Bristol, who reached the Premiership semi-finals last season before losing to eventual champions Bath, are one of the most attacking teams in English rugby's top flight. Their 95 tries was the joint-highest in the division during the 2024/25 campaign, and Rees-Zammit said their approach made them an 'obvious choice'. - 'One of the best' - 'The style of rugby the team play — all about entertaining the fans and growing the game — perfectly aligns with how I want to play and how I express myself on and off the field,' Rees-Zammit said in a Bristol statement. 'I want to get fans out of their seats, create exciting moments and help people fall in love with the game. I'm excited to return to rugby at a club that demands those values.' Bristol's opening match of the new Premiership season is against Leicester on 28 September. Rees-Zammit made his Gloucester debut soon after turning 18 and went on to score 42 tries in 77 matches for the Cherry and Whites during a six-year stint at Kingsholm. His first Wales cap came in 2020, aged 19, with his speed and finishing ability making him a rising star of the sport. Bears boss Pat Lam has no doubt Rees-Zammit, who will join the squad on Saturday, is an ideal fit, saying: 'He has the drive and ambition to be one of the best back-three players in the world, and his goals align perfectly with our ambitions as a club. 'At just 24 years old, we know the athlete and competitor he is. The way we play and the way he wants to play fit seamlessly together, and we're looking forward to working with him.' Wales' new coach, Steve Tandy, has already said Rees-Zammit could be in contention for a Test recall as soon as the November internationals. – © AFP 2025
The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Arne Slot claims Liverpool are the ‘most honest team' in the Premier League and wishes his stars fell over more
Slot took a sly dig at the officials for the Community Shield too 'BIT WEIRD' Arne Slot claims Liverpool are the 'most honest team' in the Premier League and wishes his stars fell over more ARNE SLOT claims his Liverpool team are too 'honest' for their own good — and should embrace football's dark arts. The Anfield chief believes his champions are the fairest team in the Premier League and he sometimes 'blames' them for refusing to go down when fouled. 3 Arne Slot has said his team is too honest Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 3 Slot reckons Cody Gakpo could have made more of a shove in the back in the Community Shield Credit: Getty Slot says referees tell him players will not get free-kicks unless they fall over, as he referenced two incidents from Sunday's Community Shield defeat by Crystal Palace on penalties. One was key as Cody Gakpo was shoved in the back in the build-up to Ismaila Sarr's equaliser for 2-2. Dutchman Slot, whose side host Bournemouth in the Premier League opener on Friday night, said: 'If there is one team who, in my opinion, is by far the most honest team, it's us. 'I sometimes blame them that they never try to make a foul look a little bit more, like Cody against Palace, he got a push in his back but he was far too clean. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL MUS-CLING IN Shock Prem side considering HIJACKING Rasmus Hojlund's loan to AC Milan "Sometimes, like against Palace, if I talk to the officials about Florian Wirtz, they held him clearly but he was so fair that he didn't fall over. 'The referee said 'Yeah, if you didn't fall, I'm not going to give you a free-kick' which is a little bit weird. 'A fraction later a Palace player fell down in a moment which wasn't even a foul and the referee said 'Oh, you fell down, so it is probably a foul'. 'We had much more ball possession than Palace but we made 13 fouls and they made five fouls and that tells you something about who we are. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 'We are a very fair team, I think that's clear but that's also a reason why we won the league, so why change if things went well?' Slot made the incorrect claim Ryan Gravenberch's suspension for tonight's season-opener was due to a yellow card for diving. SunSport's Martin Lipton gives his verdict from Wembley as Crystal Palace beat Liverpool on penalties in Community Shield While the midfielder was booked for going down in the final match of last term, he was then handed a straight red for a tactical foul. But Slot said: 'If there is one team in the league that never dives and never time-delays and those kinds of things — then it's us. 'And we have a suspension now for a player diving, that's what he got his first yellow card for.' Having chosen to bring up the issue, Slot then suggested he did not want his Reds to change their honest ways. The Kop boss said: 'For me the best games were the games against Paris Saint-Germain — that was so high intensity, both teams were there to play and not to pretend a foul was more, or to try to time-delay. 'I'm also proud of the fact of who we are and we won the league last season because of the team we were, so let us just stay who we are.'
