The English Premier League is widely considered to be the best soccer division on the planet, making it a bucket-list activity for any self-respecting fan of the beautiful game.
Combining your vacation to the UK with a football match (you won’t get away with calling it "soccer" for very long here) is a fantastic idea and not as difficult as you might think.
In fact, scratch that, the whole European continent offers brilliant opportunities to turn your trip across the pond into a full-blown soccer vacation.
In this guide we'll outline where every club in the Premier League is based, look at other leagues in the UK and Europe, and explain how you can buy match tickets as a tourist.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Howard Kingsnorth. Image Location: Emirates Stadium (Arsenal), Holloway, London, UK
English Premier League—where is each club based?
The EPL is made up of 20 teams: seven based in London, seven in the north, three in the midlands, one just north of London and two on the south coast.
Here’s how the most prominent cities in England are represented:
- London: Take your pick between Arsenal and Tottenham in north London; Chelsea, Fulham, and Brentford in west London; West Ham in east London; and Crystal Palace in south London. Luton Town is based just north of London in Luton.
- Manchester: Crosstown rivals Manchester United and Manchester City are both based in Manchester, with Burnley located 20 mi north of the city.
- Liverpool: Bitter rivals Liverpool and Everton both call Merseyside home and have stadiums only a stone's throw away from each other.
- Newcastle: Right in the center of the city you'll find Newcastle United’s St James’ Park.
- Nottingham: Recently-promoted Nottingham Forest plays at the City Ground on the banks of the River Trent.
- Birmingham: Aston Villa plays at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, while Wolverhampton Wanderers are northwest in nearby Wolverhampton.
- Brighton: Brighton & Hove Albion plays at the Amex just outside Brighton.
- Sheffield: Sheffield United plays at Bramall Lane in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
- Bournemouth: Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium is in Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Allan Baxter. Image Location: Old Trafford (Manchester United), Manchester, UK
What other soccer leagues are there in the UK and Europe?
If you are adventurous enough there are a host of other divisions further down the English Football League (EFL) system—also known as the football pyramid—where you can take in a more grassroots football experience.
One step down from the Premier League, you'll find the EFL Championship. Here you'll find sleeping giants including the likes of Cardiff, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers, Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Norwich City, QPR, Millwall, and Southampton.
Some former big-hitters like Portsmouth, Charlton Athletic, Bolton Wanderers, Wigan Athletic, and Derby County now ply their trade in League One, while League Two is home to teams such as AFC Wimbledon, Milton Keynes Dons, Notts County, and Wrexham—owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Up in Scotland you’ve got Rangers and Celtic in Glasgow, Hearts and Hibernian in Edinburgh, as well as Aberdeen, Kilmarnock, Livingston, Motherwell, and more.
There are also a host of top football clubs in Europe that are very reachable by train such as:
- Paris: Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain is the big draw in the French capital, while the French national team plays at the Stade de France.
- Lyon: Ligue 1 heavy hitter Olympique Lyonnais plays at the 59,000-seater stadium Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
- Amsterdam: Home of Dutch powerhouse Ajax, the Johan Cruyff Arena is found in the south east of the city.
- Barcelona: Due to renovations to their regular ground the Nou Camp, Barcelona will play their home games for the 2023/24 season at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
- Madrid: Real Madrid plays at the Bernabéu, while Atlético Madrid plays at the Metropolitano Stadium.
- Milan: Both Serie A clubs Inter Milan and AC Milan call the San Siro home.
- Rome: The Stadio Olimpico is another stadium in Italy that is shared by Roma and Lazio.
- Berlin: The capital of Germany is home to Bundesliga outfits Hertha Berlin and Union Berlin.
- Munich: The Bundesliga's best-known club, Bayern Munich, plays at Munich's Allianz Arena.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Siqui Sanchez. Image Location: Camp Nou (FC Barcelona), Barcelona, Spain
How to buy Premier League tickets as a tourist?
Getting your hands on tickets to Premier League matches can be easier said than done as games often sell out, particularly at popular clubs and smaller grounds.
You can purchase tickets safely from the official club websites of the teams you want to watch, as well as at the ticket office in person or over the phone.
Clubs will also provide details of any authorized ticket partners on their official websites and while it isn’t illegal to buy tickets from touts (a British term for a "scalper") or unofficial agents—it certainly is illegal to sell tickets as a tout in the UK, however—you do run the risk of purchasing counterfeit or stolen tickets.
Soccer-crazy
Maybe you've been a fan of European football leagues for years, or you've just been watching Welcome to Wrexham or Ted Lasso and want to learn more. If you want to hit up the locations from the shows, check out our guides to real-life Ted Lasso filming locations in London and Amsterdam and how to see Wrexham AFC play live in Wales. And don't forget to download the Trainline app, and we'll fix you up with train tickets so you're there well in time for kick-off.
Header Image Credit: Getty Images, rolfo