Hamburg: Germany's famous football city

Hamburg: One of Germany’s most famous football cities!

Everybody knows that the Germans are crazy about their football and nowhere is that attitude seen more clearly than in Hamburg, Germany’s second largest city. This is a city which is home to two great football teams, the mighty Hamburger SV and passionate St Pauli. With a tour of German national football Hamburg sites you can learn all about this football mad city, from discovering the stadiums to watching the matches and seeing some of the sights connected to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

German national football Hamburg: Hamburger SV

Hamburg SV is the city’s largest team and they compete in the Bundesliga. Even if you are not a Hamburg fan you can enjoy a tour of their stadium. The Volksparkstadion or Imtech Arena holds 50,000 people and was used during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and is now proudly serving as one of the venues for the Euro 2024 football championship. If you can, try to get tickets to see a game because nothing compares with the atmosphere in the stadium on a match day. If you cannot get tickets to the match itself try heading instead to HSV Unabsteigbar which offers as good an atmosphere as you will get without actually being in the stadium.
HSV have played in this stadium since 1963 but it actually dates back to the early 1950s. This site has hosted matches for two World Cups, the European Championships and, in 2010, the Europa League Final so there is a wealth of sporting history to be explored here and it is well worth taking a tour. World Cup winner challengers have played at this stadium and, with the exception of match days, there are usually three tours a day, starting at noon and ending at 16:00. If you cannot take a tour or just want a quick look at the history of the game, check out the Hamburg Museum, which is located within the stadium and is open each day even when there is a game on when it closes 3 hours before kick off. The stadium is located 10 km Northwest of the city centre and can be reached in 25 minutes by taking the S3 train.

German national football in Hamburg: St Pauli Forum

St Pauli are the raucous neighbours of Hamburger SV. Though they play in the second division, their passionate support almost makes them as popular as Hamburger SV. They are one the world’s truly great football clubs, a cult phenomenon for German national football in Hamburg. If you can get tickets to their game then you will have a memorable time. Do not be fooled by the skull and crossbones flag that the supporters wave, you will be safe (so long as you’re supporting the right team!).
St Pauli play at the Millerntor Stadium. Except for match days you can take a tour of their home ground. Getting to any game will be a treat but, if possible, try to see the famous Hamburg Derby when St Pauli take on Hamburger SV. You may need to find tickets on pre-sale and pick them up on arrival but the extra hassle will be completely worth it. The match doesn’t take place often, so consider yourself lucky if it is on during your trip! The stadium is located close to the city centre, taking just 7-9 minutes on the U-Bahn.

German national football in Hamburg: A special trip

Whether you get to meet Dino Hermann, the Hamburger SV mascot, or sing your heart out at a St Pauli match or even if you just catch the game in a packed bar in the centre of Hamburg you will enjoy German football at its finest.

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Author: Ricardo Carvalho

Guest Relation Manager of NH Collection Hamburg City

In Hamburg we say “Moin”! My name is Ricardo Carvalho and I'm a “Hamburg Jung” (Hamburg boy) with Portuguese roots. I was born here, and I live in and love Hamburg.
In order to share my enthusiasm for the city, I started training as a hotel specialist at the NH Hamburg Altona in 2007, and moved to the NH Collection Hamburg City in 2015.
With the philosophy of the NH Collection brand as well as the special service Guest Relations offers I have found my perfect job! I am always happy to show my guests the most beautiful city in the world and enjoy making their visit to Hamburg as memorable as possible.