Santos Football Planet

When Bayern Munich moved to the Allianz Arena in 2005 and suddenly played 10 kilometres away from the Frauenkirche, people feared that it would lose its connection with the city of Munich. Nothing turned out to be less true. FC Bayern is still all over the city, sometimes visible, sometimes it takes a little imagination.

Het is een wat gek gezicht, op zondagochtend in Leeuwarden. Honderden fans, zo niet duizenden fans komen voorbij in Cambuur-shirts, te voet, op de fiets. Dat is allemaal niet zo bijzonder, maar ze gaan gevoelsmatig precies de verkeerde kant op. Toch is dat niet het geval: vanaf nu moeten ze naar het nieuwe stadion van hun club, precies aan de andere kant van de stad.

The Croatian league is one of Europe's first leagues to start the 23/24 campaign. How fiery Croatian fans are is quite well-known, but how are the stadiums in the Balkan country? These are the biggest stadiums of Croatia, ideal if you have chosen the country to spend your holidays this summer.

Most European leagues are halfway during their summer break, but if you decide to travel up north, you can still see league football in these months. In Norway, with clubs like FK Bodø/Glimt and Rosenborg BK, you won't get bored.

You might haven't noticed it yet, but in the European tournaments, the new season has started. This week, in the UEFA Champions League and Conference League it's time for the first qualifying round, which spreads the beautiful game all over Europe. We would like to highlight the nine most remarkable stadiums of this round.

London is Europe’s football capital. You will not find many places where you can find as much football as you do here. A whopping 21 football stadiums, from Wembley Stadium and Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge to Dulwich Hamlet’s Champion Hill and Welling United’s Park View Road. These are all the football grounds used by the clubs that play in the six highest tiers of English football.

A city trip to Istanbul should be on everyone’s bucket list, especially if you are a football fan because football is life in Turkey and Istanbul is the epicentre of that. It is the country’s football capital, the home of Turkey’s three biggest football clubs and the city where Turkish professional football was born. You cannot miss out on seeing these six stadiums in person.

Tonight, the city of Prague hosts the final of the UEFA Europa Conference League, and the city is flooded with football fans of Fiorentina and West Ham United. SANTOS gives you the best local tips and leads you along the football hot spots of Prague, a city with a great and rich football history.

One club will shed tears, while another will celebrate. Every season a couple of clubs are doomed to relegation in Europe’s top 5 leagues. They are replaced, however, by some cool clubs. Some of which have magnificent stories. Which teams already secured promotion, and which teams are still in the running?

The Dutch Cup final has been held in de Kuip for many years. But where else in Europe are domestic cup finals hosted? SANTOS has created an overview of grounds from Europe’s biggest leagues.

Scotland is not filled with ultra-modern stadiums made for the elite to watch Champions League football in all luxury and comfort. No, in Scotland you will find pure and rough football grounds where the average Joe enjoys their favourite sport, with all its imperfections. Exactly how football is meant to be. These five wonderful stadiums are a perfect reflection of that.

There is a big chance you have never watched the Austrian Bundesliga and have no clue how much the Austrians care about football. Neither do we. But there is one match which we always wanted to visit and that many of you may be aware of: The Wiener Derby, Austria Wien against Rapid Wien. And thus, we packed our bags and flew to Vienna, the heart of Europe.

Hidden in Spain’s semi-professional leagues you will find many football clubs who recently still played in the top flight. SANTOS has created a list of special grounds, including the stadiums of a former La Liga winner and of the country’s oldest football club. Onto the football temples of faded glory and hope!

Along the coast, in the mountains or hidden in a bustling city. SANTOS has created a list of eleven stadiums in the most beautiful locations worth visiting. Which football ground will you add to your bucket list?

SANTOS’s editor-in-chief Sjoerd Mossou recently visited the derby of Los Angeles, also known as ‘El Tráfico’, between LA Galaxy and LAFC. The City of Angels on the west coast of the United States has more football culture than you might think. Here are five tips and tricks.

‘Pas de match le 5 mai’, no matches on the 5th of May. For years, these words could be found on banners in French football stadiums. But why is there no football being played on May 5th? Well, it all dates back to one of football’s darkest days in 1992.

Stunning volcanic landscapes, heavenly white sandy beaches and a perfect climate. The sunny Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean is not only a fantastic holiday destination for those who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life but also for those who love football. Two massive clubs and a plethora of football stars: Welcome to the islands of eternal spring.

Everywhere you go in Europe you are likely to find a football stadium. But some grounds are so large that it is impossible not to spot them. On top of that, visiting a match in these gigantic stadiums is not always that difficult given their capacities. That’s why SANTOS has listed the seven largest football stadiums in Europe for you.

On the outskirts of the city centre of the Belgian city Mechelen, you will find the characteristic Oscar Vankesbeeckstadion from the local cult club Racing Mechelen. A beautiful historic stadium with unique details and a stunning view of the city. You won’t find a more charming stadium than this one in Belgium’s lower divisions. But visit it soon, because the club is planning to build a new and modern arena.

The world is filled with beautiful football grounds. Some are shining in history, whilst others are modern and futuristic domes. But some stadiums are so special or played such a significant role in football’s history that every football lover must visit these in their lifetime.

When Bayern Munich moved to the Allianz Arena in 2005 and suddenly played 10 kilometres away from the Frauenkirche, people feared that it would lose its connection with the city of Munich. Nothing turned out to be less true. FC Bayern is still all over the city, sometimes visible, sometimes it takes a little imagination.

With 'Finalissima', a new competition appeared on the international calendar: a match between the winner of the Copa America and the winner of the European Championship. A new prestigious prize or a practice game in disguise? We went to investigate.

Tomorrow it’s time for the Europa League Final in Seville. The city in the south of Spain will be flooded with fans of Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers FC, both known for their massive away support. A largely estimated number of 100.000 fans will travel to Seville, with just a minority of them with an actual ticket for the stadium. For these fans, we put together a quick guide to Seville: what are the things you absolutely can’t miss in this beautiful football city?

A couple of years ago photographer and stadium lover Marco Magielse travelled through the Netherlands and visited all 18 Eredivisie stadiums to portrait them in his own style. The legendary Kuip couldn't be excluded, of course: a home game of Feyenoord like you've never seen before.

Now available in our shop: SANTOS #22 Fanatics - The world’s greatest football crowds. A journey around the world along fanatics in all sorts, captured in a gigantic book.

Whether you're in Glasgow, Madrid, Milan or Belgrade, the rivalry between two teams from the same city has been around for decades and has been passed down from generation to generation. Not so in Berlin. SANTOS headed to Germany's capital for a derby that is getting fiercer by the year, but until recently, wasn't a derby at all.

Following your team to Copenhagen? There is plenty to do in the Danish capital, both in terms of football and related matters. SANTOS lists the coolest places for you.

At the bottom of the steps in front of the Stade Vélodrome, the ultras of the Virage Nord set off flares, and among hundreds of fans, rockets are fired. A few metres away, a boy wheelies between the honking traffic on the busy Boulevard Michelet. Every few minutes, a cobra is set off under the flat opposite, which can be heard all the way downtown. Welcome to the organised chaos that is Marseille.

Do you want to take a football trip with your son, daughter, partner, father or mother? Put your prejudices (poor, boring, not a football city) aside for a while. Paris Saint Germain meets all the conditions for a perfect family trip and we've got six reasons why.

“Are you a United fan?” the man sitting next to me asks at Turf Moor's Jimmy McIlroy Stand, ahead of Burnley – Manchester United. When we explain to him that we are just coming to see what there is to do in Burnley, he laughs. "Then you've already seen what there is to do in Burnley." Yet, later that evening, we go home with a big smile.

For the second time in three years, Volkskrant reporter (and SANTOS editor-in-chief) Bart Vlietstra went to a Union Saint-Gilloise match, currently playing at the highest level in Belgium. 'It's my favourite stadium in Benelux.'

Carmen had to stay. Because at Rayo Vallecano, everything must remain as it is. In November 2014, the club were on world news when the then 85-year-old Carmen Martínez was prevented from being evicted from her house next to the stadium in the Madrid working-class district of Vallecas. Due to the initiative by Rayo Vallecano coach Paco Jémez, the club raised 21,000 euros and the elderly widow could breathe a sigh of relief. Three months later, Martínez transferred 10,000 euros to the relatives of former Rayo goalkeeper Wilfred Agbonavbare, who died of cancer at the age of 48 just before that. She said they needed the money more than she did.