Top 10 best Champions League Stadiums

Forget the World Cup and those images of Copacabana beach beamed onto our screens in June, the world’s premier football competition, the UEFA Champions League, is back. The group stages kick off this Wednesday, so here’s our Top 10 best Champions League Stadiums for this season’s competition.

best champions league stadiums

San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao
This will be the first chance to catch Champions League football in Bilbao as this new version of Athletic Club Bilbao’s legendary stadium only opened in September last year. The original San Mamés was Bilbao’s home for 99 years and 11 months; they called it the Cathedral, a place of worship and the shiny modern version is no different. Expect steep stands towering over a pristine pitch that keeps the noise from the Bilbao faithful, decked in a sea of red and white, locked in. The minnows BATE Borisov of Belarus are the first visitors on September 17.
See athletic-club.net

best champions league stadiums

Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Reigning champions Real Madrid will be hard to beat with Ronaldo, Bale and the star of the World Cup, James Rodriguez, in their team. Liverpool, back in the Champions League after a four year absence are the visitors to the magnificent Santiago Bernabeu stadium on October 1, and they’ll have their work cut out. The Bernabeu is the second largest home to a top-flight European club (behind only Barcelona’s Camp Nou) and Real will be roared on by nearly 80,000 ‘Madridistas’.
See realmadrid.com/en

best champions league stadiums

Camp Nou, Barcelona
Perhaps the most iconic European football stadium, Barcelona’s Camp Nou translates as ‘New Field’ although rather than being new, it is steeped in history. Opened in 1957, this behemoth of a stadium seats 99,534 making it the largest stadium in Europe. It has already hosted two Champions League finals and the final of the 1992 Olympics, as well as being home to some of the greatest players ever to grace the game such as Maradona, Messi and the Brazilian Ronaldo. Your best bet for tickets will be when they face Cypriot minnows APOEL Nicosia in December.

If you fancy trying all three of these iconic Spanish stadiums try a tour of Spain to see more of the country between matches? Contiki’s Spanish Spree tour incorporates all three of Madrid, Bilbao and Barcelona as part of a two-week tour. 

best champions league stadiums

Turk Telecom Arena, Istanbul
Galatasaray’s fans are world-renowned for being exceptionally passionate and vocal, so much so that their home stadium in the Sariyer district of Istanbul has a world record: the loudest crowd roar at a sport stadium, recorded in 2011. Arsenal fans, who’ll be visiting in December, will certainly struggle to make themselves heard above the din! While there, make sure you leave time for a trip to the Galatasaray superstore for a chance to purchase one of Gala’s iconic red and yellow striped shirts.
See galatasaray.org/en/

best champions league stadiums

Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon
This 50,000-seater stadium in Lisbon forms the centre of a complex called Alvalade XXI which includes a mall, a 12-screen cinema, health club, the club museum, sports pavilion, clinic and office buildings. So you won’t be stuck for things to do even if you can’t get a ticket for one of Sporting Lisbon’s matches. Chelsea have been drawn in Lisbon’s group and their fans will be greeted with one of the most colourful stadiums in Europe. The unique exterior is made up of multi-coloured tiles with the seats inside arranged in a random-looking colour mix.
See sporting.pt/

best champions league stadiums

Allianz Arena, Munich
Talking of colourful stadiums, the magnificent Allianz Arena in Munich, home to both Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich, is the first stadium in the world to incorporate a colour-changing exterior. Lit up by thousands of tiny lights that change colour dependent on which of the two Munich teams are playing there; when Manchester City visit for the third time in four years, this bowl-shaped ground will glow red and blue for Bayern. To get an even better view, head to nearby Frottmaning Hill on the other side of the Autobahn to revel in the Allianz in its full glory.
See fcbayern.de/en/

best champions league stadiums

Svedbank Stadion, Malmo
There hasn’t been a Swedish team in the Champions League group stages since 2001, and Malmo have never made it this far, so this is a must visit for this year’s competition. With 21,000 seats, the Svedbank Stadion is small and compact (as well as bitterly cold in winter) with most of the noise generated by the North Stand which houses the season ticket holders. Former Malmo manager and current England boss, Roy Hodgson has been given an unofficial tribute with the upper corner of the East Stand nicknamed ‘Roy’s Hӧrna’ (Roy’s corner).
See mff.se

best champions league stadiums

Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam
A short 90-minute flight from the UK is Amsterdam, home to current Dutch champions Ajax. With its retractable roof and 50,000 plus capacity, this impressive arena is host to more than just football, often showcasing gigs by the like of  Madonna, Michael Jackson, David Bowie and the Rolling Stones. It’s also well worth visiting the Ajax Museum located inside the stadium which tells the story of 100 years of Ajax history, including European Cup triumphs and video footage of Ajax’s favourite son, Johann Cruyff.
See ajax.nl

best champions league stadiums

Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool and their iconic Anfield stadium are back in the Champions League after a four-year absence, too long in most Liverpool fans’ opinion. Anfield is steeped in European history, due to them winning five European Cups, including four in seven years from 1977 to 1984. Anfield though is perhaps best known for its iconic ‘THIS IS ANFIELD’ sign in the narrow players’ tunnel, which is designed to both intimidate the opposition and to bring the Liverpool players who touch it good luck. One team who won’t be easily intimidated is Real Madrid who visit in early October. Expect an electric atmosphere for that particular game.
See liverpoolfc.com

best champions league stadiums

Parc des Princes, Paris
Literally meaning ‘Park of the Princes’ or ‘Princes Park’, Paris St Germain’s home stadium located in the southwest of France’s capital has already been host to a number of memorable European occasions, including two Champions League finals, two UEFA Cup finals, one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup final, as well as being the original finish line of the Tour De France. In a country not usually renowned for the quality of its stadia, the Parc des Princes has become an example of a vibrant atmosphere, often described by French journalists as a ‘caisse de resonance’ (soundbox) for the deafening noise created on match days.
See psg.fr/en/accueil/0/home