Many football fans choose to travel to different cities to watch matches in some of the world’s most iconic stadiums. But a lot of factors play a part in this decision – such as hotel conditions or how accessible its stadiums are.
With this in mind, VoetbalTravel.nl scraped data from Tripadvisor to establish which European city is best for football fans across a range of categories, including number of teams, quality and price of hotels, travel options and stadium reviews.
Key Findings
- Rotterdam is the best European city for football fans, with an overall score of 9.9/10.
- Istanbul is the European city which houses the most first division teams (eight).
- Berlin is the worst European city for football fans, with a score of 3.6/10.
Here are the top 10 best European cities for football fans, ranked…
| Rank | City | Number of First Division Teams | Average Hotel Value Rating (/10) | Average Travel Time Rating (/10) | Average Stadium Review Rating (/5) | Overall Score (/10) |
| 1 | Rotterdam | 3 | 6.8 | 8.6 | 4.4 | 9.9 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 2 | 9.5 | 8.2 | 4.5 | 8.3 |
| 3 | London | 7 | 6.3 | 1.8 | 4.4 | 8.2 |
| 4 | Piraeus | 2 | 10 | 7 | 4.4 | 8.1 |
| 5 | Manchester | 2 | 9 | 7.2 | 4.5 | 7.9 |
| 6 | Madrid | 3 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 7.6 |
| 7= | Athens | 3 | 2.6 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 7.5 |
| 7= | Glasgow | 2 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 4.5 | 7.5 |
| 9 | Edinburgh | 2 | 5.3 | 9.3 | 4.4 | 7.3 |
| 10 | Istanbul | 8 | 3.7 | 0.2 | 4.4 | 7.1 |
Please find the complete data sheet in this folder.
VoetbalTravel.nl can reveal that Rotterdam is the best European city for football fans. The Dutch port city is home to three teams in the Eredivisie (first division) – Feyenoord, Sparta Rotterdam and Excelsior. The stadiums for these clubs boast an average review rating of 4.4 out of 5.
With an average travel time from city centre to stadium of 10 minutes by car, 18 minutes by public transport and just under an hour on foot, Rotterdam finishes with an average travel time rating of 8.6 out of 10.
This, combined with the city’s above-average hotel value rating of 6.8 out of 10, leaves Rotterdam in first on our table, with a near-perfect overall score of 9.9 out of 10.
Liverpool ranks second on the list, with an overall score of 8.3 out of 10. The iconic home of the Reds and the Toffees excels particularly in the field of hotel value, with an average rating of 9.5 out of 10.
London follows in third, with an overall score of 8.2 out of 10. The English capital is one of football’s most iconic hubs, housing the stadium of a whopping seven Premier League teams. Many London matchday commuters won’t be surprised, however, to see the English capital finish with a poor average travel time rating of only 1.8 out of 10.
Finishing at the bottom of the table, with a 3.6 out of 10 overall score, is Berlin, home to the Bundesliga’s Hertha BSC and Union Berlin. Though its stadium reviews on average are good, the German city is weighed down by a low average travel time rating of 2.5 out of 10 and an abysmal average hotel value rating of 0 out of 10, owed to its pricey accommodation options.
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