Barcelona is a world-class sporting city that hosts some of the best annual events in European sports and which has teams competing in the first division in every sport, from football to roller hockey.
To the most casual sports fans, only two things come to mind: FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi. Football is king in Barcelona and because the football season is upon us, here’s how you can watch the best live football in this city.
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FC Barcelona
Photo via Visualhunt
FC Barcelona is one of the largest and richest football clubs in the world, being a five-time Champions League winner and the biggest flag-bearer for Catalonia in the global stage. Watching FC Barcelona and the best player in the world, Lionel Messi, on their elite Camp Nou stadium is a luxury only a few can afford but it gets a bit easier if you prepare beforehand.
If you’re living in Barcelona, you might want to think about purchasing a season ticket. An FC Barcelona season ticket will give you entry to La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey matches. These can cost as little as 130€ and as much as 800€. You have to get on a waiting list to get one of these tickets since they sell out very quickly.
Your best bet would be buying singular match tickets. These can run from 25€ to 500€. The cheapest tickets are in the stands behind the goals and in the third tier of the stadium, but if you want to get one of those you have to plan ahead. Our suggestion would be to buy the tickets a few weeks (or days, depending on availability) before the event and to try to aim for Copa Del Rey or Champions League Group Stage matches as those are harder to sell out.
Related article: FC Barcelona: The new sheriff in town
RCD Espanyol
Photo by wonker via Visualhunt
If FC Barcelona isn’t your cup of tea, Cornellà de Llobregat holds the other historic Barcelona team playing La Liga football – RCD Espanyol. RCD Espanyol plays in a brand new stadium, the RCDE Stadium, and is a former UEFA Cup finalist and four times Copa del Rey winner. Espanyol is often portrayed as the club of Barcelona residents who share Spanish ideals, contrasting with FC Barcelona’s Catalan identity.
RCD Espanyol season ticket prices run from 100€ to 500€. Singular match tickets go from 25€ to 400€, but unless Espanyol is playing against Real Madrid or Barcelona you can get good seats from around 50€. Like always, we advise you to plan ahead, but for less important matches you can get tickets at the gates.
Related article: The other FC Barcelona
Lower League Football
If La Liga football is too glamorous for you and you’re looking for a more genuine (or a cheaper!) experience, you can try lower league football in Barcelona. Head to the 7000-seater Nou Sardenya to watch CE Europa play in the Tercera División, the fourth division of Spanish football. You won’t pay more than 10€ and you might just make a few friends.
Other lower league experience that might be interesting and equally cheap is going to the Mini Estadi to watch the development team of Barcelona, Barcelona B. We invite you to write back to us if you find the next Lionel Messi.
Check ShBarcelona if you’re interested in short-term rentals for this football season.
Hi Carlos,
I will be visiting Barcelona during World Cup in Russia and would love to watch games with Spanish team. could you tell me how does everything organized in Barcelona, are there places or parks with big screens to watch and cheer up the team?
Thanks