The meteoric rise in popularity of England's Premier League soccer in America over the last decade or so is remarkable.
What started with small bands of hardcore fans patronizing early-opening bars has blossomed into a full embrace of the world's most famous soccer league. On any given Saturday these days, it's normal to see TVs in sports bars and living rooms across the nation tuned to Premier League games.
How did we get here?
The big broadcast deal between NBC and the Premier League in 2013 didn't hurt. Neither did the high-profile American ownership of some Premier League clubs—and even a few lower down the English Football Pyramid who have recently hooked up with celebrities like Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney and Tom Brady). Then there's the wildly popular show Ted Lasso, which saw Jason Sudeikis and a cast of loveable characters bring the fictional AFC Richmond to life from 2020-2023, and Welcome to Wrexham, which follows the story of Reynolds and McElhenney's Wrexham squad.
To say nothing of the exciting on-the-field product and ferocious rivalries that have helped fuel the league's growth across the pond.
So, what's this soccer stuff got to do with travel? The Premier League's runaway popularity is also re-shaping travel to London, England's most popular destination.
I know several people who have come over to London specifically to watch Premier League football, and anecdotally, travel advisors have told me that clients now bring up the Premier League regularly when discussing trips to London.
It even came up during my recent appearance on the TravelPulse podcast.
Fresh off my first trip to London to see Premier League football, here's a breakdown of everything you need to know before you or your client heads across the pond to take in some Premier League action.
Soccer ball. (Photo via Flickr/Jarrett Campbell)
The Squads
First and foremost, if you want to see a Premier League game in London (or work with a client who wants to), you need to know which teams call the city home. The good news is that of the 20 teams in the 2024-2025 Premier League season, six are in London.
Here's the kicker (no pun intended), those six teams aren't guaranteed to still be in the Premier League by the time you visit. It may sound crazy to North American sports fans, but in European soccer, a team can be demoted to a lower league if it finishes at the bottom of the standings.
That means that if you were putting together a trip in March with your heart set on seeing a particular team in the autumn, in theory, they could be toiling in the second-tier league called the Championship by the time you arrive. Unlikely as it is, you need to know it's possible.
All London-based teams are listed below with their stadium name and rough location in the city. The first three listed have been playing in the Premier League since its inception in 1992, so they are close to a sure thing to be in the Premier League in the future. It's also safe to say that of the London clubs, these three have the biggest international following.
Arsenal - Emirates Stadium (North London), playing in the Premier League since 1992.
Tottenham - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (North London), playing in the Premier League since 1992.
Chelsea - Stamford Bridge (West London), playing in the Premier League since 1992.
West Ham United - London Stadium (East London), playing in the Premier League since the 2012-2013 season.
Crystal Palace - Selhurst Park (South London), playing in the Premier League since the 2013-2014 season.
Brentford - Gtech Community Stadium (West London), playing in the Premier League since the 2020-2021 season
Fulham - Craven Cottage (West London), playing in the Premier League from the 2022-2023 season.
It's worth noting that two London teams play in the Championship, so they could have moved up to the Premier League by the time you or your client make it to London.
Millwall - The Den (South London)
Queens Park Rangers - Loftus Road (West London)
There are also a couple of teams that play in League One, which is the league that Wrexham currently plays in.
Arsenal Stadium, London. (photo via Pixabay)
The Schedule
Okay, now that you know what teams play in London, it's just a matter of heading over during the season, right?
I'll give it to you straight: the scheduling of games is not as straightforward as you would like from a travel perspective.
In England, it can seem like the soccer season never ends, but it does, and unfortunately for many travelers, it's at the most inconvenient of times.
The Premier League season runs from mid-August until late May, with most games on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. So if you or a client are heading over for a peak summer London experience, Premier League Football will not be a part of it.
And there's another thing you need to know: the Premier League doesn't necessarily play every week either, as games between national teams (there's seemingly always a Euros or World Cup around the corner) force the Premier League to take the week off.
Add to this that the schedule for the following season is typically only released in June, and you have the possibility of some nail-biting before a trip.
This is what happened to me. My friends had booked flights for a London trip in late September, but we didn't know until June if there would be a home game for their favorite team that weekend.
We got lucky, and there was a Tottenham home game, but you can see where things can get tricky.
A view of a game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (Photo Credit: Scott Hartbeck)
Scoring Seats
You've got your flights, and your favorite team is playing at home during your trip, so how do you get tickets?
Here is where it gets a little hazy. You could try to buy tickets from the teams directly when they go on sale in the summer for the upcoming season, but you'll compete with thousands of other fans online and will only have a chance at the tickets left over after season ticket holders and "members".
You can become a member to increase your odds, which incurs a modest cost. Even if you are a member, there are further hoops you will need to go through, and nothing is guaranteed.
My friend was a member of Tottenham, but we still couldn't secure tickets when they went on sale one morning in July. Oh yes, that's another thing to know, almost certainly, the tickets will go on sale during the morning in England, which means you will have to get up very early.
Hopefully, you'll have better luck than we did, and the tickets won't get snapped up before your eyes. If you strike out, there is always a chance to buy tickets on the official resale market or as a package with an authorized reseller, listed on the team's official website. Sold by tour companies, these packages often include perks like lounge access or stadium tours.
There's also a thriving gray market of seemingly reputable websites offering tickets to Premier League games and have hundreds of excellent reviews. By and large, it appears that they are following through on their promise to get fans tickets, but they are not authorized, and if something goes wrong, you will not have anything to show for it.
In short, getting tickets is complicated, but if you act early and are willing to pay, you should be okay.
Team slogan inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Photo Credit: Scott Hartbeck)
Pregame Show
No matter what team you or your client are seeing play, the stadium will be easily reachable by public transportation (Tube, train and bus). Games are typically scheduled in a way so no more than three of the London teams are playing on the same day, a strategy that ensures public transportation can handle the load.
Therefore, it's probably not worth worrying about staying near the stadium as the games only last two hours. You are better off focusing on what you want to do and see during the rest of your time in London and booking accommodations accordingly.
Last but not least, I would recommend finding a pub frequented by home fans to attend before a game, as I had a truly memorable experience "tailgating" with Tottenham fans near the stadium at The Bricklayers pub and the beer garden at No.8 Tottenham.
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