Sport
Berlin sports clubs: who plays where and how to get there
In football Berlin is a divided city, and in the arenas a successful one: in 2026 ALBA’s basketball team, the Eisbären and the BR Volleys won the German championship, and the Füchse took the handball cup. If you are in town for a weekend, there is almost always a game. Here is who plays where and how to get there.
Football Hertha (Olympiastadion), Union (Alte Försterei)
Uber Arena ALBA Berlin and Eisbären, by Warschauer Straße station
Max-Schmeling-Halle Füchse Berlin and BR Volleys, Prenzlauer Berg
Football: west versus east
Hertha BSC, founded in 1892, play at the Olympiastadion in the west of the city and are in the 2. Bundesliga in 2026/27. 1. FC Union from Köpenick in the south-east play in the Bundesliga, where, according to the club, tickets go almost exclusively to members. Union’s women were promoted to the Bundesliga in 2025. How to get tickets and why an amateur ground with a barbecue is sometimes the nicer afternoon is in Football in Berlin for visitors, and the stadium itself in Olympiastadion Berlin.
On 1 July 2000 I played for Hertha BSC’s under-17 team in the German championship final, at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark by the Mauerpark. Our opponents were FC Bayern, whose team included Philipp Lahm at the time. Sofian Chahed scored the only goal and we won 1–0. From the very start, a sheet of paper with five words hung on our dressing-room door: I want to, I can! Every one of us tapped it on the way out of the dressing room and on the way back in, our power-up, like the mushroom in Super Mario. After the match we all shouted it together, not a song, more a cry of release and a battle cry. I think of our coaches Michael Wolf and Robert Ristic, who are no longer with us and who enriched Berlin amateur football.
Daniel
01 ALBA Berlin · Basketball
about 12 minutes on foot from Warschauer Straße station to the Uber Arena
Directions in Google Maps · Official site
ALBA is the city’s most successful basketball club and German champion again since 2026: in the fifth game of the finals, on 21 June 2026 in Munich, the team beat FC Bayern 84–81 after trailing by 20 points at half-time. It was the club’s twelfth championship. Almost all home games are played at the Uber Arena.
02 Eisbären Berlin · Eishockey
about 12 minutes on foot from Warschauer Straße station to the Uber Arena
Directions in Google Maps · Official site
In 2026 the Eisbären became German champions for the third year in a row, beating Adler Mannheim in the final. They also play at the Uber Arena, which holds 14,500 spectators, and an ice hockey night is one of the loudest ways to spend a winter evening in Berlin. More ideas for the cold season are in Berlin in winter.
03 Füchse Berlin · Handball
about 14 minutes on foot from Eberswalder Straße U-Bahn station to the Max-Schmeling-Halle
Directions in Google Maps · Official site
The Füchse won their first German championship in 2025; in 2026 they took the German Cup and finished runners-up behind SC Magdeburg. In 2026/27 they play in the Champions League. Their home is the Max-Schmeling-Halle on Falkplatz, right next to the Mauerpark.
04 BR Volleys · Volleyball
about 14 minutes on foot from Eberswalder Straße U-Bahn station to the Max-Schmeling-Halle
Directions in Google Maps · Official site
Berlin’s volleyball team won the German championship again in 2026. Like the Füchse, they play their home games at the Max-Schmeling-Halle. If you are heading to the Mauerpark flea market at the weekend anyway, the two combine well; more in Sunday in Berlin.
And more champions
Berlin is strong beyond the big arenas too: in 2026, among others, the women’s water polo team of Wasserfreunde Spandau 04 and the women’s table tennis team of ttc berlin eastside won German championships. Their games are smaller, cheaper and often close to the action.
Good to know
- Tickets: buy them only from the club or its official channels.
- Fixtures: leagues often set exact start times only a few weeks in advance, so check the club websites shortly before your trip.
- Getting home: buses and trains still run after evening games; how the network works is explained in BVG in 10 minutes.