Key Takeaways
Europe’s top football stadiums have been ranked by factors like capacity, ticket prices, and disabled access.
British stadiums, including Ibrox and the Stadium of Light, make the list, while Manchester United’s Old Trafford makes the top five.
Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund takes the top spot, beating out iconic stadiums like Santiago Bernabeu and Camp Nou.
The beautiful game that is football is enjoyed around the globe, with Europe being a hotbed for the sport. The venues that host some of the biggest games in the continent have been ranked from best to worst.
A study, carried out by James Stagman on behalf of Stasher, took factors such as stadium capacity and average ticket prices into account along with several others. This has led to results displaying the best grounds to visit and soak in the atmosphere that comes with the wonderful sport.
Ranking Factors
The study notes that the factors taken into consideration when attempting to rank the 50 iconic stadiums in order are as follows, with an overall score being generated as a result:
Stadium capacity (the higher the better)
Average ticket price (the lower the better)
Cost of a pint (the lower the better)
Ease of access (via public transport)
How good the disabled access is (accessible toilets, elevators, ramps, wheelchair-accessible seating etc.)
Online reviews (specifically Google ratings)
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50 – 41
Sunderland’s Stadium of Light is a surprise inclusion
The United Kingdom is very well represented within the top 50, with Sunderland’s Stadium of Light and Ibrox of Rangers narrowly making the cut. The latter has been home to many special European nights in recent years as the Gers stormed to the Europa League final in 2022. In terms of atmosphere, the ground can compete with the very best on this list on the big occasion.
Porto’s Estadio do Dragao also just missed out on the top 40 with a score just shy of 4.40. Bayer Leverkusen went a full league campaign unbeaten last term and did so inside the 50th-best stadium in Europe. Spain brags many top football grounds, including Estadio El Madrigal, the home of Villarreal.
The Ataturk Olympic Stadium holds many fond memories for Liverpool supporters as their famous Champions League final comeback against AC Milan was staged inside the Istanbul-based venue. Its score of 4.36 has it level with Sevilla’s Estadio La Cartuja in these rankings.
Europe’s Best Football Stadiums (Ranked)
Rank
Stadium
Location
Score
41
Luzhniki Stadium
Moscow, Russia
4.40
42
Ibrox Stadium
Glasgow, Scotland
4.39
43
Estadio do Dragao
Porto, Portugal
4.38
44
Ataturk Olympic Stadium
Istanbul, Turkey
4.36
45
Estadio La Cartuja
Seville, Spain
4.36
46
Stadium of Light
Sunderland, England
4.36
47
Estadio El Madrigal
Villarreal, Spain
4.36
48
King Baudouin Stadium
Brussels, Belgium
4.35
49
Ljudski Vrt
Maribor, Slovenia
4.33
50
BayArena
Leverkusen, Germany
4.32
40 – 31
The Euro 2024 final venue makes the top 40
The venue of the thrilling Euro 2024 final between Spain and England – the Olympiastadion in Berlin – can only make it to 39th in the rankings. Germany’s own Veltins-Arena is among the higher-ranked grounds, as it is home to a sleeping giant in Schalke 04.
St Jakob Park in Switzerland is the biggest hitter in this section. FC Basel’s home ground narrowly beats off competition from three stadiums that all ended up with a 4.53 rating. Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Krestovsky Stadium and the Friends Arena couldn’t be separated by the ranking factors put in place.
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Stadio San Nicola of Italy finds itself among strong company as it breaks into the top 40. Meanwhile, the ground BSC Young Boys call home, Stade de Suisse, also makes it into this section.
Europe’s Best Football Stadiums (Ranked)
Rank
Stadium
Location
Score
31
St. Jakob-Park
Basel, Switzerland
4.59
32
Friends Arena
Stockholm, Sweden
4.53
33
Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena
Tbilisi, Georgia
4.53
34
Krestovsky Stadium
Saint Petersburg, Russia
4.53
35
Veltins-Arena
Gelsenkirchen, Germany
4.51
36
Spartak Stadium
Moscow, Russia
4.51
37
Stade de Suisse
Bern, Switzerland
4.49
38
Stadio San Nicola
Bari, Italy
4.44
39
Olympiastadion
Berlin, Germany
4.43
40
OAKA Stadium
Athens, Greece
4.43
30 – 21
The Etihad’s reputation continues to grow
While there are always Premier League fans ready to poke fun at any empty seats that can be spotted at the Etihad, Manchester City’s home ground boasts a respectable score of 4.71. This means the home of the current English champions is only just pipped to the post by Valencia’s Estadio Mestalla, De Kuip of Feyenoord and the Olympic Stadium in Ukraine.
RheinEnergieStadion was another of the stadiums in use during Germany’s hosting of the European Championships in the summer. The 50,000-seater venue has been given a better rating than the Olympic Stadium in Rome, placing it just behind the Etihad in the pecking order.
Europe’s Best Football Stadiums (Ranked)
Rank
Stadium
Location
Score
21
Olympic Stadium
Kyiv, Ukraine
4.76
22
De Kuip
Rotterdam, Netherlands
4.72
23
Estadio Mestalla
Valencia, Spain
4.72
24
Etihad Stadium
Manchester, England
4.71
25
RheinEnergieStadion
Cologne, Germany
4.69
26
Olympic Stadium
Rome, Italy
4.66
27
San Mames Stadium
Bilbao, Spain
4.63
28
Groupama Stadium
Lyon, France
4.63
29
Stadion Narodowy
Warsaw, Poland
4.61
30
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard
Saint-Etienne, France
4.61
20 – 11
Bayern Munich’s home surprisingly misses out on top 10
Celtic vs Rangers is one of the fiercest rivalries in world football. However, there’s no comparison between Celtic Park and Ibrox according to this scoring system. Brendan Rodgers’ men play in a ground that comes agonisingly close to making the top 10.
It comes as even more of a shock that the state-of-the-art Allianz Arena in Munich finishes in 13th. It’s hosted Champions League finals and seen many trophies lifted inside, but the wonderfully crafted building falls just shy of a 5.00 score.
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Parc des Princes and the Velodrome Stadium proudly represent France with their respectable places inside the top 20. Wales’ national team play at the Principality Stadium in the capital city, Cardiff, and the UK nation are homed by one of the best grounds around.
Europe’s Best Football Stadiums (Ranked)
Rank
Stadium
Location
Score
11
Celtic Park
Glasgow, Scotland
5.04
12
Metropolitano Stadium
Madrid, Spain
5.01
13
Allianz Arena
Munich, Germany
4.99
14
Principality Stadium
Cardiff, Wales
4.97
15
Mercedes-Benz Arena
Stuttgart, Germany
4.92
16
Estadio Benito Villamarin
Seville, Spain
4.89
17
Parc des Princes
Paris, France
4.84
18
Estadio da Luz
Lisbon, Portugal
4.81
19
Velodrome Stadium
Marseille, France
4.81
20
Stadio Olimpico
Rome, Italy
4.78
10 – 1
Four English grounds feature among Europe’s best
The famous Yellow Wall inside Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park may have helped secure the stadium the number one ranking in Europe. It’s seen as one of the grounds fans from all over the continent would love to visit at least once due to its incredible reputation.
It takes a special stadium to get even a slight advantage on the home of the reigning European Champions, Real Madrid. Children grow up dreaming of scoring a winning goal in a Champions League tie in what’s been voted the second-best ground in Europe.
Along with Barcelona’s Camp Nou, there are four English grounds inside the top 10. Wembley Stadium, the Emirates and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium all give London a wonderful reputation when it comes to venues for the beautiful game. Old Trafford is still among the best stadiums around, despite the well-documented issues inside the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.
Europe’s Best Football Stadiums (Ranked)
Rank
Stadium
Location
Score
1
Signal Iduna Park
Dortmund, Germany
5.94
2
Santiago Bernabeu
Madrid, Spain
5.92
3
Camp Nou
Barcelona, Spain
5.73
4
Old Trafford
Manchester, England
5.52
5
San Siro
Milan, Italy
5.44
6
Emirates Stadium
London, England
5.31
7
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
London, England
5.25
8
Wembley Stadium
London, England
5.22
9
Stade de France
Saint-Denis, France
5.09
10
Croke Park
Dublin, Ireland
5.06
