Europe

European football stadiums overview

Football Ground Guide currently has a total of 41 guides on stadiums located in the other top five European leagues – excluding England. This means that, whether you are travelling to France, Spain, Germany or Italy, we will most likely have you covered.

In total, we have 10 stadium guides for France, 11 for Spain, 20 for Germany and a further 10 for Italy – all of which be found on this page using the above toggles.

In addition to these 41 ground guides, we also have pieces on several other iconic venues from across Europe, including the likes of the Ataturk Olympic Stadium and Fenerbahce’s Sukru Saracoglu Stadium – both of which are located in Turkey and can be found on our “Others” page.

By Country

Europe is of course home to some of the most Iconic stadiums in football. From the Parc des Princes in France to the San Siro in Italy, every country on this page has multiple famous venues.

Let’s have a look at some of the most iconic in each of the four countries.

France

With PSG’s drastic rise to significance on a European scale in the last decade, their home – Parc des Princes has grown into an important and iconic venue, particularly in the Champions League.

A list of some other iconic venues in France is as follows:

• Stade de France (National Stadium)
• Stade Louis II – AS Monaco
• Stade Velodrome – Marseille
• Groupama Stadium – Lyon

Spain

Spain – the home of tiki-taka and some of the most beautiful and iconic stadiums in world football. Virtually every player wants to call the country home at some point in their career, and many fans are desperate to visit one of its many venues.

A list of the country’s most iconic grounds is as follows:

Wanda Metropolitana – Atletico Madrid

Camp Nou – FC Barcelona

Santiago Bernabeu – Real Madrid

Mestalla – Valencia

Germany

Arguably the country with the best atmospheres in the entirety of Europe, Germany is home to a variety of venues that are widely regarded as some of the best in the world.

A list of the country’s most iconic grounds is as follows:

• Allianz Arena – Bayern Munich
• Signal Iduna Park – Borussia Dortmund
• Olympiastadion Berlin – Hertha Berlin

Italy

Italy has always had a significant role to play in football and has helped to produce some of the most memorable moments in the history of the sport.

Juventus, Inter and AC Milan have all, at some stage, been among the sides in Europe and as a result, their home grounds have long been iconic sites in football – both for supporters and players.

A list of the country’s most famous venues is as follows:

• San Siro – AC Milan and Inter
• Allianz Stadium – Juventus
• Stadio Olimpico – AS Roma and Lazio

What are European Stadiums like?

Well, stadiums differ greatly across Europe, so their design, appearance, and general matchday experience differ greatly depending on which country you visit.

France and Spain are arguably the most similar of the four, with both countries home to some best-looking and historical venues in the continent. The atmospheres at both, while not the best in Europe, are still fantastic. Nowadays, most grounds feature bowl-like designs.

Stadiums in Germany are perhaps the most similar to what we see in England in terms of atmosphere and matchday experience, although in general, it is much better. Tifos are incredibly prevalent in German stadiums, particularly at the Signal Iduna Park.

Finally, Italian grounds are perhaps the unique on this entire page. Due to mass financial struggles in regard to teams in the country, many have struggled to renovate their stadiums for quite some time.

This means that, while the rest of Europe has shifted towards bowl-like designs, most Italian venues remain four-stand facilities that provide a more traditional matchday experience.

Key stats

Biggest stadiums in Europe

Europe has some truly massive stadiums, with multiple venues exceeding the 90,000-seat mark.

<>The largest of all is Barcelona’s Camp Nou with a capacity of over 99,000 –  a figure which will surpass 100,000 when the club completes the ground’s current renovations.

<>A list of the top five biggest stadiums in Europe is as follows:

• Camp Nou – 99,354
• >Wembley Stadium> – 90,000
• Signal Iduna Park – 81,365
• Stade de France – 81,338
• Santiago Bernabeu – 81,044

Best atmosphere

As touched upon above, Germany is widely regarded as being the home of the stadiums with the best atmospheres in Europe.

A standout candidate is of course Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park and the venue’s ‘Yellow Wall’ created by the club’s supporters. There is perhaps no better matchday experience in world football than that provided by the ground.

Other stadiums with incredible atmospheres from across Europe include:

• Stade Velodrome – Marseille
• Ramon Sanches-Pizjuan> – Sevilla
• Stadio Olimpico – Lazio and AS Roma

Oldest and most recent stadiums

Given that England was one of the first places to adopt football in its current form, the vast majority of the oldest stadiums in the world are located within the United Kingdom – Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground was opened in 1807 for example.

Out of the four countries on this page, it is Germany that boasts the oldest venue with VFB Stuttgart II’s Waldau-Stadion, which was first opened in 1905.

At the other end of the spectrum, Atletico Madrid’s new Metropolitano stadium is the most recently built across Europe, having opened in 2017 with a capacity of 70,460.

Past major international tournaments in Europe

Well, it goes without saying that European stadiums have hosted plenty of European Championships, but this section will instead explore some of the most iconic World Cup tournaments to take place on the continent.

1934 World Cup

Taking place in Italy, the 1934 World Cup was the first to be hosted in Europe with the final hosted in the Stadio Nazionale in Rome.

It proved to be a good omen for the country as Italy emerged as champions, beating Czechoslovakia 2-1 in the final.

In total, there were eight hosting venues, which were as follows:

• San Siro
• Stadio Littoriale
• Stadio Nazionale
• Stadio Giovanni Berta
• Stadio Giorgio Ascarelli
• Stadio Luigi Ferraris
• Stadio Benito Mussolini
• Stadio Littorio

1998 World Cup

The 1998 World Cup is iconic for two reasons, the first being that this was the first tournament to feature an expanded format involving 32 teams, rather than 24.
Secondly, it was also the first to introduce the ‘Golden Goal’, although its use was fairly controversial among supporters worldwide.

The final was hosted in the country’s national stadium, Stade de France, in which France secured a 3-0 victory over reigning champions Brazil.

In total, there were 10 hosting venues, which were as follows:

• Stade de France
• Stade Velodrome
• Parc des Princes
• Stade Gerland
• Stade de la Beaujoire
• Stadio Felix Bollaert
• Stadium de Toulouse
• Parc Lescure
• Stade Geoffroy Guichard
• Stade de la Mosson

2006 World Cup

In recent times, the vast majority of the most iconic World Cups have been hosted outside of Europe, think about the 2010 edition in South Africa for example.

However, the 2006 World Cup in Germany was fantastic, even if the host nation being awarded the tournament was highly controversial.

Not only were Germany terrific hosts, but the football on display as magnificent. Players like Thierry Henry were at the top of their game, and two prospering young starts made their World Cup debuts – Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

In total, there were 12 stadiums selected for hosting duties, which were as follows:

• Olympiastadion
• Allianz Arena
• Signal Iduna Park
• Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion
• Arena AufSchalke
• AOL Arena
• Commerzbank Arena
• Fritz-Walter Stadion
• RheinEnergieStadion
• AWD Arena
• Zentralstadion
• Frankenstadion