Sport
Seven football ground shares from around the world
For most teams, having a home stadium of your own gives you an added advantage against visiting teams. However, some sides don’t have that luxury and find themselves in a ground-sharing partnership with another club in their local area. This gives an added edge to clashes between the two sides as they face each other on a truly even playing field. It is a theme shared by clubs in cities all over the world involving some of the most iconic names in world football. Here are seven grounds shares from the world of football.
Top 7 football football ground shares
The Maracana (Fluminense & Flamengo)
The Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro is one of the most hallowed grounds in all of world football so it’s fitting that this epic amphitheatre should host two of Brazil’s biggest sides. Both Flamengo and Fluminense call the Maracana home ensuring that top-flight football is played here almost every week of the year.
Of course, the traditional clash between Rio’s two biggest clubs is the main attraction each year with it often being a tense affair. The “Fla-Flu” derby sees the stadium come alive in a sea of colour, noise, and fireworks as tensions rise both on and off the pitch. It truly underlines why Brazilians see football as a part of life and not just another sport.
San Siro (AC & Inter Milan)
Whilst teams in both Rome and Genoa have ground shares, nothing quite tops the partnerships and rivalries shared by AC and Inter Milan. Two of Europe’s biggest sides call the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza home alternating weeks to play at one of Europe’s most iconic venues.
So much history has been shared between the two sides and the clashes in the Derby Della Madonnina prove to be enticing affairs. With trophies as well as bragging rights on the line, the ground-sharing agreement between these two sides often leads to iconic moments unfolding on regular occasions.
Estadio Azteca (Club America & Cruz Azul)
Having hosted no less than two World Cup finals, the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City is an iconic venue in football history. It’s fitting then that two of Mexico’s biggest sides call it home for their Liga MX matches – Club America and Cruz Azul. Both sides have enjoyed success inside these hallowed walls both domestically and against sides from North & South America leading to many great moments for fans of both sides.
Yet, the clash between these two teams in “The Clasico Juven” brings a carnival-like atmosphere to the pitch. Over 85,000 fans pack the stands in a host of yellow, blue, red, and white as the biggest clash in Mexican football takes place. It’s an atmosphere hard to match anywhere else on the planet and
Cairo International Stadium (Al Ahly & Zamalek)
Egypt’s premier stadium plays host to one of African football’s most intense balancing acts, the rivalry between Zamalek and Al Ahly. Both sides are based at the Cairo stadium yet share an intense hatred for each other leading to intense standoffs.
With fans regularly engaging in violent clashes, it is uncommon to see “away” fans banned for the stadium even if they aren’t going to a difficult stadium. Both sides feature prominently at the top of the Egyptian Premier League adding even more fuel to a very combustible fire. It’s one of the fiercest ground shares found anywhere in sport.
Hammadi Agrebi Stadium (ES Tunis, Club Africain & Stade Tunisien)
Many people state that the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Tunis is one of Africa’s most vibrant stadiums so it’s not surprising that no less than 3 top Tunisian teams call it their home turf. With the three-way ground-sharing agreement in place, there is always something bubbling away in the Tunisian capital providing one of the most passionate places to watch football anywhere in Africa.
Both Esperance Tunis and Club Africain are two of the continent’s most successful teams leading to major continental trophies almost always being up for grabs. It has created a great place to watch football and show how African football has developed with the modern game today.
King Fahd Stadium (Al Hilal, Al Nassr & Al Shabab)
Saudi football has always been able to attract a lot of big-time players to its domestic league and a lot of the top names can be found playing in Riyadh’s King Fahd Stadium. The 68,000-seater stadium boasts three of the Saudi Professional League’s top sides in Al Hilal, Al Nassr, and Al Shabab all competing every week.
It leads to some extremely intense clashes on the pitch proving that more than money is on the line with crowds making passionate screams right from the opening whistle. It’s a hotbed of passion and is some of the most intense football found anywhere in Asia.
NSC Olympiskiy (Dynamo Kyiv & Shakhtar Donetsk)
Politics are best left out of sport yet it has been the very thing that has brought Ukraine’s two biggest sides into one of the more forced ground shares. With Shakhtar’s arena inaccessible due to the internal conflict surrounding their home region, they have turned to the national stadium in Kiev for a temporary home.
With the NSC Olympiskiy being home to arch-rivals Dynamo Kyiv, all eyes generally turn to the stadium when either side competes. It also means that the epic clash between the perennial title rivals now sits on a truly level playing field leading to one of the most intense atmospheres anywhere in European football. It’s a funny old game at times…
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