Sounds and lights at San Siro. The stadium with the highest attendance in Europe, and the only one to host two top clubs. Old Trafford leads the way for league attendances, while the Bernabéu is top when domestic and European cups are also included.
But San Siro fills up every week, once for Inter and once for Milan.
In the league attendance rankings, Milan are second and Inter third. In the overall ranking, including all competitions, Inter are third and Milan 12th (but without European or domestic cup matches). Roma are also doing very well. Serie A remains stable, with almost 11.5 million spectators in 2025-26 (-2%). The Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga, however, are all growing.
Stadiums packed
These are the most interesting figures from the "European Club Talent and Competition Landscape", the report produced by UEFA under the supervision of Andrea Traverso, director of the finance department. It analyses the previous season to identify new trends in European football. One trend is undeniable: the desire to watch football live in the stadium, much like attending rock concerts. This has been particularly evident since the pandemic.
The numbers are impressive. Taking into account all matches involving clubs and national teams, top divisions and lower professional leagues, men's and women's football, the total reaches 242 million spectators. The top divisions account for 116 million, almost 50%, while the lower divisions surprisingly attracted 82 million. The passion starts from the bottom. More than 20 million attended the three European competitions, including 10 million for the Champions League, while domestic cups attracted 13 million and national-team matches 6 million.
England on top
Looking specifically at domestic leagues, the Premier League naturally leads with 15.8 million spectators (+3%). It is followed by the Bundesliga with 13 million (+10%) and La Liga with 11.8 million (+3%). Serie A is fourth with 11.4 million (-2%). In reality, it would be fifth because, as every year, the incredible figures from the Championship, England's second tier, must be considered: 12.2 million spectators, just behind the Bundesliga. Germany's second division also beats Ligue 1, with 8.7 million compared with France's 8.4 million.
German average
Looking at the average attendance per team, the figures are as follows: Bundesliga 42,300 (an 18-team league, meaning two fewer matches), Premier League 41,600, La Liga 30,900 and Serie A 30,100. France are fifth with 27,500, followed by the Netherlands with 20,000.
The attendance figures in England's lower professional divisions are impressive too, with more than 26 million spectators in 2025-26. Italy are also doing well, ranking third with 9.3 million (+11%), a clear reversal of the trend seen in Serie A.
United lead the clubs
It is almost inevitable that a Premier League club tops the club attendance rankings. Manchester United welcomed 1.405 million spectators, the highest figure in Europe. Italy's numbers are particularly impressive: Milan are second with 1.394 million and Inter third with 1.387 million. In other words, San Siro is a weekly celebration.
The two Milan clubs are ahead of Borussia Dortmund (1.383 million), Real Madrid (1.359 million) and Bayern Munich (1.275 million). Roma are eighth with 1.174 million.
For accuracy, the German clubs played two fewer matches, 17 compared with 19, so their average attendance per game would put them in the top two places. Milan filled 97% of their available seats and Inter 96%, while Roma reached 87%. Only Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and West Ham filled 100% of their capacity.
Real move ahead
When all domestic and European cup matches are added, the rankings change. Real Madrid move to the top with 1.891 million spectators, including more than half a million in the Champions League.
They are followed by Borussia Dortmund, Inter and Bayern Munich with 1.866 million. The Westfalenstadion welcomed 59 more spectators than Inter's San Siro and 930 more than Bayern's Allianz Arena. Liverpool are fifth with 1.746 million.
Roma are the first club outside the top 10 with 1.539 million, ahead of Milan, who are 12th with 1.519 million but played no cup matches. Had they done so, they would have entered the top five. San Siro continues to work its magic.
