Football in Turkey is something that is really beloved by everyone regardless of their age or sex, you can say that is in blood and it is strange and weird when you hear someone who is not interested in football in Turkey. In fact, football in Turkey goes back to the 19th century when some Englishmen who were staying in Istanbul during the Ottoman empire period started to play it, at the beginning and it was forbidden for Turks to play it because people started to waste a lot of time playing it so only Englishmen, Greeks, and Armanian were allowed to play it. As the love of this game grew fast in Turk’s hearts it has outweighed the love for sultan and since then, the football has become officially allowed to be played and became more organized.

Now, you can see how Turkey go crazy when it comes to football when attending one of the matches in Istanbul or any other city, and if you are really thinking of attending one, here are some of the stadiums to visit:

Besiktas Stadium (Inonu Stadium)

Besiktas club was founded in 1903 and it is the oldest club in Turkey. The club plays its home matches in Inonu Stadium which is located in Besiktas District right in front of Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus. The stadium was first established in 1947 and it can hold up to 32 thousands seats for fans and visitors.
The atmosphere at the stadium is absolutely wonderful. In fact, the Times Magazine ranked this stadium among the best 10 stadiums in 2009 in terms of atmosphere, not to mention the comfortable structure of the stadium and various facilities of cafes, restaurants, gift shops, and a museum.

Galatasaray (Turktelekom Stadium):

Galatasaray club was founded in 1905 by Ali Sami Yen who was a student of Galatasaray high school which has and still plays an important role in education in Turkey.

Galatasaray club plays its home games in TurkTelekom stadium which is located in Sariyer District and it is considered one of the 5 most modern stadiums in Europe and usually it is used to host Champions league and European League matches. The stadium’s capacity after reconstruction is 53 thousands seats that are organized in a very modern and professional way to give more comfort and a cooler experience for fans.

Talking about Galatasaray club, the club is considered the most successful club in Turkey as it has won the Turkish championship league more than 20 times and was able to win the UEFA cup in 2000, attending one of Galatasaray club’s games is really fun.

Fenerbahce Stadium:

Fenerbahce club was founded in 1907 and it is the club of Asian Istanbul. This is why it is almost impossible to find someone who is a fan of a different club on the Asian side. Fenerbahce club was named after the lighthouse which you can find once you enter the kadikoy district thus, the fenerbahce stadium is located in Kadikoy district.

Usually and bofer any play at Fenerbahce stadium, the fans gather in kadikoy for eating and drinking and then walk toward the stadium to support their team. probably one of the best things about fenerbahce stadium is that you can walk for a maximum of 15 minutes from the heart of Kadikoy to it.  The stadium was renovated in 2003 to be able to hold around 52 thousand fans and visitors in a very organized way.

Fenerbahce club is the richest club in Turkey thus, the club’s stadium is very cheque and organized all the time.

The wildest game:

Here is a thing, when there is a match between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce clubs, Istanbul city goes literally crazy. We are talking about fans who are ready to die for their teams thus, the atmosphere during this game is absolutely amazing. Everyone is cheering, dancing, and yelling to support their teams, fire plays everywhere and drums sounds are on all the time. So if you want to attend a football game in Istanbul, make sure to attend this one.