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Football has been the most watched sport for centuries now. With an estimated fan-base of 3.5 Billion people now, this beautiful game has one billion additional fans more than Cricket or Field Hockey or Tennis.
For a football fan, the stadiums are not just a venue which host a game. There are countless emotions and memories interwoven for a fan with their home stadium. The stadiums encapsulate those memories and travel time taking it to multiple generations.
Here is the list of five stadiums which has the most average attendance in Europe this season.
#5 Real Madrid - Estadio Santiago Bernabeu
Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium has been the home ground of Real Madrid F.C. since 1947. The capacity of the stadium varied from 1,25,000 to 81,044 over 70 overs. Currently, the stadium has a capacity of 81,044.
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The stadium is one of the most famous football venues ever. It has the prestige of hosting the FIFA World Cup final too. The final was hosted in 1982.
The fans of Real Madrid are as famous as their team and their home ground. Known for their high expectations, the fans always want their team to perform to their best on all occasions. The have even criticized and booed legendary players like Cristiano Ronaldo, David Bechkam, Zinedine Zidane when they had a rough patch.
The fans will flood the stadium for every El-Clasico against Barcelona and it will be full-capacity every year. With an average attendance of 63,489 fans per match, Santiago Bernabeu stands fifth in the list of stadiums with most attendance.
There has been a steep decline of average attendance this season compared to last season. Last season, the average attendance was 69,426. With Cristiano Ronaldo now moved to Juventus, Bernabeu had its lowest crowd (48,466) in 10 years for their opening home La Liga home.
The European giants will have to figure out a way to attract more viewers to the stadium.
#4 Manchester United - The Old Trafford Stadium
With a capacity of 75,643, Old Trafford is the largest club football stadium in England. Nicknamed as "The Theatre of Dreams" ,Old Trafford has been Manchester United's home ground since 1910.
Manchester United has one of the biggest fan-base in the world. The 13-time Premier League champions haven't won a league since 2012/13 season. Despite their slump after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, the fan-base is still growing for the Premier League Juggernauts.
Manchester City has started dominating English Premier league since 2011-12 season. Still, the Etihad stadium struggle to understand Old Trafford's pull. It is very clear that City's attempts to overthrow United will take more than just splashing cash on players.
United are currently 8th in the league. Still, they have the same attendance like last previous glorious years. The bond between Old Trafford and its fans should be a case study for many aspiring football clubs who aim to reach the elite-list.
#3 Bayern Munich - Allianz Arena
Allianz Arena is the home ground for Bayern Munich since 2005-06 season. The stadium hosted the 2006 World Cup final and is considered as one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world; credit to the architects and designers for its stunning luminous exteriors.
Bayern Munich have been a dominant force in Bundesliga. Since its inception in 1963, the current Bundesliga champions have won 27 of the 54 seasons which is a record shattering figure. This sheer dominance in the league has given Bayern a huge fan-following in Germany.
Bayern Munich have not been at their best in Bundesliga this season. They are placed 2nd in the league with two uncharacteristic losses. However, Bayern fans have not deserted their club.
All the games played in Allianz Arena have been sold-out this season.
#2 Barcelona - Camp Nou
Camp Nou has been the home stadium of F.C Barcelona since 1957. The stadium has a seating capacity of 99,354 which makes it the 3rd largest football stadium in the world.
With such a huge home fans, any team would struggle at Camp Nou. It’s hulking, generally filled to full capacity for important games. It's not just a stadium for the Catalans. It is the symbol of proud Catalonia and their Independence.
They have had a record attendance of 120,000 during a Champions League game against Juventus in 1985-86.
There were 93,365 fans present for the recently concluded El- Clasico match where Barcelona destroyed by 5-1 scoreline. If Real Madrid struggle there, imagine the state of other teams at Camp Nou.
Without any doubt, Camp Nou can be called as one of the most intimidating football grounds in the world.
#1 Borussia Dortmund - The Westfalenstadion
The Westfalenstadion (often called as Signal Iduna Park for commercial reasons) is one of the most famous stadiums for its electrifying atmosphere. It has a seat capacity of 81,365 and is the seventh-largest stadium in Europe.
The club holds the record for average fan attendance (2011–12 season) with an average attendance of 80,588 per game.
The fans of Borussia Dortmund are known for their loyalty. After the clubs form dipped in 2014/15, one would think the fans visit to the stadium will go down too. They finished 18 points behind Bayern Munich last season. However, Dortmund trounced all other European giants in attendance as they boasted an average attendance of 79,653 last year.
This year, the number slightly increased to 79,886 as the club which is nick-named as die Schwarzgelben is leading the Bundesliga title race this season.
