When you talk about the most passionate fans in world football, you always picture them in filled-out stadiums with scarfs, banners, flares, drums and chants being sung.
This list isn't in any particular order and can certainly be argued, but the teams selected have a proven track record when it comes to the atmosphere created by their fans in the big games. There will be some big names missing from this list, but here goes…
The most passionate fans in world football – our top picks
Borussia Dortmund
The infamous ‘Yellow Wall' is known worldwide. Borussia Dortmund's fans not only create such volume from this particular stand but visually, there is nothing like it in world football. All the flags and banners in yellow and black look like one of nature's warning signs to the opposition's fans and team.
When this intimidating view is combined with structured and loud chants, the ‘Yellow Wall' acts as a 12th man for Dortmund. It certainly played its role in getting Dortmund to the 2024 Champions League final, particularly when the Black and Yellow knocked out Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their quarter-final tie, as a 4-2 victory overturned a 2-1 aggregate deficit.
Napoli
Napoli boasts the third-biggest stadium in Italy, and the Neapolitans are incredibly passionate about football. They never fail to create an amazing atmosphere for the big games in the Champions League, and the Partenopei's passionate fans celebrated a moment of ultimate glory only last year, as their side ended a 33-year wait for the Scudetto.
The 2023/24 campaign didn't bring the same riches, as their title defence never got anything near the required momentum to be successful. But the fans kept coming in droves, and with Luciano Spalletti providing the blueprint to success, there's no reason to think that the good times can't return quickly.
Liverpool
Anfield has a reputation that spreads worldwide, and that is down to the passion of their fans on the big European nights. When the Kop starts singing ‘You'll Never Walk Alone' and the fans have their scarves aloft, the team can feel unbeatable.
That was certainly the case during the many high points of Jurgen Klopp's nine-year stay with the club, especially in May 2019, when the Reds overcame a 3-0 aggregate deficit to Barcelona under the Anfield lights, beating the Blaugrana 4-0 en-route to a sixth European crown:
Klopp's final season brought his reign to a rather drab end, with talk of a quadruple fizzling out during the spring of 2024. But with Arne Slot now in the hot seat, there is a renewed sense of purpose and optimism on the red side of Stanley Park.
Olympiacos
The sound of drums accompanied by red flares fills the Karaiskakis and provides a fearsome atmosphere for any travelling fans. Greek football fans are often linked to Turkish fans, supporting their local teams with so much noise that fear will often drive their own side to success, so you certainly wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of the home support when it comes to the final whistle.
Olympiacos' famed noise went up more than a few decibels at the end of 2023/24, when they overcame Fiorentina in a dramatic Europa Conference League final. With that triumph, they became the first Greek club side to lift a major European trophy:
Boca Juniors
Of course, this list shouldn't be restricted to Europe. A number of Brazilian and Argentine clubs in particular put some European clubs to shame, as do the likes of Penarol and Nacional in Uruguay. And in the CONCACAF region, Mexican side Club America has a huge following of die-hard fans. Our nod goes to Boca Juniors though, with talk of a new six-figure capacity stadium worth $400m still bubbling.
Some have described Boca's current venue, La Bombonera, as the most intimidating football stadium in the world. The Boca Juniors fans are held back by metal fences, and the stadium literally shakes when the crowd is in full flow. Sometimes, their passion oversteps the mark and violence breaks out, which cannot be condoned, but the world would still be much poorer without the passion of the Boca Juniors faithful.
Saint-Etienne
Although they haven't been successful since the 1980s, Saint-Etienne's fans are certainly amongst the most passionate in France. French football has endured a bit of a stigma regarding the passion of its fans lately, and upon Saint-Etienne losing a relegation playoff against Auxerre on penalties in 2022, an angry, flare-ridden pitch invasion only poured fuel on that proverbial fire and tarnished the club's reputation.
Better days should lie ahead though, as in 2023/24, Les Verts secured a return to the top-flight at the second time of asking. That means the true voice of the fans will once more be heard by a wider TV audience, and for the neutral, the Rhone-Alpes Derby against neighbours Lyon is going to be a particularly big spectacle.
Here you can see what a last-minute home victory over Lyon meant to St Etienne fans back in October 2019:
Who are the best football fans in the world?
The only real answers to this question are opinion-based. Even choosing the metrics by which you would make this call are based on an opinion, so there are no correct answers. There are some parameters which can be used to back up an answer though, including four commonly-held criteria:
- Atmosphere in terms of aesthetics and volume (think flares and tifo stunts with loud fans)
- Poor performances but unwavering support
- Average attendance figures per head at away games
- On-pitch success combined with good fan conduct
Any club that meets (or has previously met) all four of these descriptions probably has a good argument. Take Napoli, for instance, a side that has experienced both bankruptcy (and third-tier football) and a Serie A title in this century already. Yet, their fans have never stayed silent, with disorder being rare and attendances staying consistent.
However, to say that Napoli definitely have the best football fans in the world is to rile up those who support other Italian heavyweights – such as Roma, AC Milan and Lazio – all of whom are easily Napoli's equal when a famous European night goes in their favour. Not to mention fans of clubs from elsewhere who have much more silverware…
So ultimately, this is a question that will never be answered with clarity. One thing we can be sure of, however, is who the richest teams in the world are right now, as the world gears up for 2024/25 and a newly-expanded Champions League format.
