Footy fans reveal the stadiums they want to visit the most with Real Madrid BEATEN to top spot by rivals, survey shows
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.
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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.
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.
'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.
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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.
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.
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.
'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
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