Sport
Football in Berlin for visitors: Union, Hertha and amateur grounds
More and more visitors plan their Berlin weekend around a football match: check the fixtures, pick the best game, go. In Berlin there are three ways to do it, with very different chances of getting a ticket. Here is where to find which match, how to get there, and why the best football afternoon sometimes happens at a ground with a charcoal grill.
Bundesliga 1. FC Union Berlin, Stadion An der Alten Försterei, Köpenick
2. Bundesliga Hertha BSC, Olympiastadion, Westend
Tickets Union almost members only, Hertha usually on general sale, amateur games at the ground
Fixtures Club websites for the pros, fussball.de for all amateur leagues
The classic
Bundesliga at the Alte Försterei
The city's most famous atmosphere, but almost impossible for visitors to get a ticket.
Kieznah tip
Berlin-Liga with a grill
Tickets at the ground, specialities from the charcoal grill and a clubhouse with a terrace.
01 1. FC Union Berlin · Köpenick
about 19 minutes on foot from Köpenick S-Bahn station (S3)
Directions in Google Maps · More on berlin.de
In 2026/27 Union is playing its eighth Bundesliga season, at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei in the Köpenick woods. The stadium holds 22,012 people, 18,395 of them standing, and that is exactly what makes the atmosphere. The downside: according to the club, Bundesliga tickets are first raffled among members, and in practice there is never a general sale. As a visitor you have very little chance of a home game. The venue will change soon: the Alte Försterei is being expanded, initially to 34,500 places. For that, Union moves to the Olympiastadion at the start of 2028 for around a season and a half, returning to Köpenick probably for the 2029/30 season. The traditional Christmas carol singing in December 2027 is planned as the last event in the old stadium for now.
02 Hertha BSC · Westend
about 14 minutes on foot from Olympia-Stadion U-Bahn station (U2)
Directions in Google Maps · Official site
In 2026/27 Hertha plays in the 2. Bundesliga, at home in the 1936 Olympiastadion with around 74,000 seats. For visitors this is the easiest way to see a professional match in Berlin: the stadium is rarely sold out, and tickets are available online and in the club's fan shops. The stadium itself is an experience, with its history and the view from the upper tier. If you come early, you can explore the area; ideas around Westend are in Ringbahn part 4.
03 Where to find the fixtures
For the pros, at first only the matchdays are fixed; the league sets exact kick-off times a few weeks in advance. If you are planning a trip, check the club websites. For amateur football there is one site for everything: fussball.de lists all matches in the Berlin leagues, from the Berlin-Liga down to the district leagues, with ground and kick-off time, searchable by club or league. During the season there are matches at weekends in many districts.
04 Amateur football with a grill: SFC Stern 1900 · Steglitz-Zehlendorf
about 10 minutes on foot from Rüdesheimer Platz U-Bahn station (U3) to the entrance at Kreuznacher Straße 29
Directions in Google Maps · Official site
If you want to see real Berlin club football, you are better off at an amateur ground than in front of a TV in a sports bar. One example we know well is SFC Stern 1900: the first men's team and the first women's team play in the Berlin-Liga, and the under-19s even play in the Regionalliga Nordost. The entrance to the sports ground and to the club restaurant "Sternstunde" is at Kreuznacher Straße 29. When the first team plays there are specialities from the charcoal grill, and in summer a large sun terrace. The restaurant is open Monday to Friday from 3 to 11 pm and at weekends from 10 am to 8 pm. Food at the ground is not a given in amateur football; here it is part of the deal.
To be upfront: I play for Stern 1900 myself, in the recreational team. There is no money or anything else in return for this mention, but you should know why I know this ground so well.
Daniel
Good to know
Only buy tickets from the club or through its official channels. Which bags are allowed into the stadium and whether your match ticket is also valid on buses and trains is stated by each club. And if the match you wanted is sold out, plan B is in Sunday in Berlin.