The best places to watch the Europa League final in Stockholm

Aside from the Friends Arena stadium itself, the best and biggest place to soak up the final atmosphere is UEFA’s Neutral Fan Zone at the Kungsträdgården park in central Stockholm.

Open on both May 23rd and 24th, the Fan Zone has much to offer, including an array of activities and football games to take part in, and the Europa League Trophy on display for photo opportunities.

The park’s location means it’s within walking distance of much of central Stockholm, but if you’re uncertain, take the blue metro line from Stockholm Central Station to Kungsträdgården station, and the Fan Zone should be right in front of you. Expect a great family atmosphere, and an abundance of bars both in the park itself and nearby mean it should be easy to find somewhere to watch the game when it’s kick-off time.

For those who would prefer to skip the pre-match festivities and go straight to a bar with food and beer on tap, O’Learys is a popular choice for the locals. The chain specializes in sport, and all of its locations around the city will be showing the game. Two in particular  – Norrtull Event Center and Tolv Event Center – will be showing it on big screens. The O’Learys at Liljeholmstorget is where the Manchester United fans living in Stockholm gather to watch their team play meanwhile, so that could be worth a visit if you want to meet the local chapter of the Red Devils’ fan club. Detailed location information can be found on the chain’s official website.

For a more local feel, The Dubliner is a popular place to watch football, and the genuine Irish pub on Holländargatan will be playing the game on a projector. The Southside Pub meanwhile on Södermalm is a popular spot among Stockholm’s expat football fanatics in particular, and will be showing the game on their big screens too.

English style pub The Central Bar on Götgatan may not be a bad place to go to either. It’s small, but has a pretty large screen considering the pub’s size, if you’re looking for a calmer atmosphere. Enzo’s, an Italian football themed bar and restaurant at Hornhuset meanwhile, has reserved their big screens for the final too, and the pizza is pretty good, as a bonus.

Other places to watch could be Copperfields English Pub on Kungsholmen, which has a projector on the second floor where the “sports section” is located, or the Retro sports bar chain, of which the one at Sveavägen will definitely be showing the match. Useful tip: it may be worth calling ahead and booking in advance if you want to guarantee a seat at your bar of choice. Swedes like to plan things meticulously…

Separated by water but still in close proximity, each of the two clubs will also have their own separate fan meeting points. The Manchester United one will be located on Rörstrandsgatan and open from lunch until the match begins.

The Ajax fans can prepare for the match at their Flemminggatan meeting point, which will also offer a musical programme. It will be possible to drink alcohol on the premises, but not outside, as alcohol consumption is illegal in public places in Sweden. Like the Neutral Fan Zone, neither of those areas will be showing the match itself, but there are plenty of bars nearby.