Top 10 Cruise Ports of Call for Football Fans
For the sake of this list, we have chosen ports that are great visit even if you don’t like football but that are also improved by been a football fan.
These are places where your time onshore can be built around the sport including visiting a famous stadium including taking a stadium tour, visiting a city district dominated by fandom of the sport or locations that have a strong historical link to the sport.
The very best destinations on this list are a mixture of some, or all those points but just which are, in our opinion, the top 10 cruise ports of call for football fans.
Our Top 10 Cruise Ports of Call for Football Fans
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Football in Argentina is a religion and nowhere is that better showcased than in its capital city of Buenos Aires.
Not only is the city an incredible place to explore but it is the country main turnaround port with itineraries taking in around the horn journeys, sailings up to North America, transatlantic journeys and Antarctic explorations.
From the purposes of this list, it is the cities love of football that can be seen throughout the city and was highlighted by the millions who took to the streets following the country’s 2022 World Cup win.
Buenos Aires is also home to one of the world greatest city rivalries with River Plate and Boca Juniors having a world-famous rivalry that fans can experience with a visit to the Estadio Mas Monumental, home to River Plate and most impressively with a visit to the Boca district.
That is home to Boca Juniors and their colourful La Bombonera ground but the whole district is a reverence to the sport and to heroes of the country including Leo Messi and Diego Maradona.
Istanbul
Football in Istanbul is about so much more than football, with clubs and their fans also having a big impact, for better and often worse, on the political scene of the city and country.
Whilst off the field issues have stopped the clubs enjoying much success continentally, Istanbul sides have dominated the domestic scene with the 3 biggest clubs all based in the country’s leading cruise destination.
Besiktas, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray are known as the big 3 and each have impressive stadiums for fans to visit and are the heartbeats of the districts that they represent.
From a cruising point of view, the city has spent heavily on improving its cruise infrastructure and is now a thriving turnaround port whilst remaining a popular port of call.
Rio de Janeiro
Rio is a bucket list destination for so many holidaymakers and with its iconic attractions such as the Copa Cabana beach, carnival and iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, it is no surprise why.
It is also the leading cruise port in Brazil, which must be one of the first nations that comes to mind when it comes to football.
The country has produced so many stars who have gone on to play for the world’s most famous clubs and the iconic yellow and green shirts of their national team instantly come to mind when you think of World Cups.
Whilst many of those stars made their name in European football, they all started in domestic Brazilian football which is home to a host of famous clubs including the likes of Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco de Gama.
What makes the city worthy of its spot on this list is the opportunity for fans to visit the legendary Maracanã football stadium, a ground that has hosted most of Brazil’s star players and famous matches such as World Cup finals.
Lisbon (Lisboa)
Lisbon is one of Europe’s leading cruise destinations and thanks to a big investment in their cruise infrastructure, more and more lines are using it as a turnaround port.
It is one of our favourite cruise ports in Europe’s and has all we want from a port including a great entrance, a central docking area where you can simply walk off the ship without the need for shuttles and there is plenty to enjoy around the city when ashore.
For this list, it is the city’s love of football that makes it a top pick as it dominates the sporting scene in the city which is best seen by its two main football clubs, Sporting Club and Benfica, who are regulars in continental football competitions and have produced global stars such as Bernado Silva, Eusebio and Ronaldo.
Barcelona
Barcelona doesn’t really need any sort of introduction as cruise port as it is arguably the leading cruise port in Europe, and it is also one of the continent leading holiday destinations.
There is an incredible number of attractions, sights and activities to enjoy when visiting the Catalan capital and one of the most popular places to visit is the Camp Nou.
Home to FC Barcelona one of the most famous football clubs in the world, the stadium is one of the first to come to mind when thinking about football stadia.
Although it is one of the most historic grounds in the sport, that has hosted many of the biggest matches in the game including Champions League Finals and the even the Olympic football tournament final, it is also an ultra-modern stadium thanks to an almost half a billion-dollar renovation.
Most cruise lines will offer tours to the ground and to take in the club’s museum and tour but the Estadio Cornella-El Prat (home of Espanyol) and the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys are also well worth a visit.
Montevideo
This is one for the historians amongst you as whilst football is the major sport in the country, and the city is still home to vast majority of top clubs in Uruguay, it is for the fact that the first ever World Cup was held in the country.
Way back in 1930, Uruguay met Argentina in the first ever final with the hosts coming away with a 4-2 win in a tournament where every match was hosted in the city.
The stadium used for the final, Estadio Centenario can still be visited as can the grounds of top clubs including the likes of Boston River, Defensor, Liverpool, Nacional and Penarol.
The city is also a great place to visit on a cruise thanks to its central cruise port location, great attractions and variety of itineraries it appears on, including ones heading to Antarctica.
Liverpool
Liverpool is one of England’s most famous cities and a lot of that is thanks the cities musical history, including the Beatles, and for its footballing history, including the ferocious Merseyside derby matches of Liverpool FC vs Everton FC.
Fans can easily visit Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium from the city centre cruise port and now cruisers are just a short riverside walk from Everton’s new Bramley Moore stadium that ships sail past before docking.
Liverpool is also a great city to visit and is full of attractions and excursions to take in the northwest of England
Naples
Naples may not quite have the history and famous footballing moments when compared to many on this list, but the passion of the locals for the sport is often unrivalled.
Whilst that has created as many negatives as positives down the years, and you perhaps wouldn’t want to dock there on a match day, the support of SSC Napoli and the idolisation of Diego Maradona knowns no bounds.
The club’s stadium, named after their favourite son, is a throughout back to when Italian football dominated the world and is well worth visiting.
Aside from football, the port is also an incredibly popular one for cruisers and cruise lines alike, with the chance to explore the Neapolitan city one to not miss.
Athens
Greek football is one of the most passionate in the world and sadly that can be a great thing as well as a devastating thing.
It is in and around the nation’s capital city of that has the highest density of huge clubs, with the rivals of AEK, Panathinaikos and Olympiakos all based there.
The impressive Karaiskakis Stadium is based in Piraeus, near to the cruise port and lovers of football can also visit the OAKA Stadium, home to a few clubs and was the main venue of the Greek Olympics.
Athens is also one of the busiest cruise ports in Europe and offers lots of chances to start or end your getaway there as well as been a popular port of call for itineraries sailing around the Eastern Med.
Greenock
Greenock maybe the only port on this list that most won’t associate with football, sorry to any Morton fans, but it is for the nearby city of Glasgow that it is well worth a placing on this list.
That is not to take away anything from Greenock itself as a cruise port, as it offers arguably the best entry of any cruise port in the UK and easy access to popular tourist spots such as Loch Lomond.
For football fans, it is all about the chance to visit Parkhead or Ibrox, the home of the Old Firm rivals of Celtic and Rangers, who have one of the strongest rivalries in world sport, never mind football.
Glasgow is also home to Hampden Park, the Scottish national stadium.
