If you ask the question “what is the world’s best sports city?” the answers won’t just be varied but it could also start a huge debate.
Take the United States for example. You have Boston – home of NFL’s New England Patriots, baseball’s Red Sox, NBA’s Celtics and NHL’s Bruins – which was named America’s best sports city in 2020 by Forbes magazine.
Would residents of Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago or New York agree with the Forbes ranking? Of course not, but this is the beauty of such a list, it certainly gets sports fans talking…
In February communications agency Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW) published its 2020 ranking of the best sports cities and it was New York that took top spot ahead of London, Paris, Los Angeles and Lausanne.
Is New York a better sports city than London? Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t…
In this article we’re not going to rank the 30 best sports cities (we think they are all great). However, what we will do is pick out some of the reasons why you should visit these superb sporting destinations.
Starting with the UK and Europe we’ll also select the top sports cities in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, North America, Oceania and South America.
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Embed from Getty ImagesUnited Kingdom
Cardiff, Wales
Why you should visit: if you are ever going to go to the Welsh capital for sport then try and get a ticket to watch the national team in an international rugby union match at the Principality Stadium. International rugby weekends in Cardiff are superb and the Welsh rugby fans are as good as any sporting crowd anywhere in the world.
Cardiff sports tourism information: visitcardiff.com and visitwales.com
Glasgow, Scotland
Why you should visit: the “Old Firm” rivalry between Celtic and Rangers is one of the fiercest in world football. The home of Scottish football, Hampden Park, is also located in Glasgow, but it’s not just all about “fitba” though. The city plays host to major athletics events, has a number of top golf courses and has professional teams in rugby union, basketball and speedway.
Glasgow sports tourism information: peoplemakeglasgow.com and visitscotland.com
London, England
Why you should visit: the English capital city is a must-visit for football fans with 12 professional teams – six Premier League, four EFL Championship, two League One and one League Two – located there. London is an Olympic City having hosted the Summer Games three times (1908, 1948 and 2012) and it’s also home to rugby union’s Twickenham Stadium, Lord’s cricket ground, the Boat Race, Marathon and the grass-court tennis grand slam championship at Wimbledon.
London sports tourism information: visitlondon.com
Manchester, England
Why you should visit: the north-west English city is home to two of world football’s most iconic teams, Manchester City and Manchester United of the Premier League. Stadiums tours are available at both the Etihad Stadium and Old Trafford, while the National Football Museum is also located in Manchester. Hotel Football – which is owned by former Man Utd players Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Phil Neville and Gary Neville – overlooks United’s Old Trafford stadium and is a popular resting place for fans (reds, not sky blues, obviously…) The nearby Emirates Old Trafford, Lancashire Cricket Club’s ground, is used for Test cricket.
Manchester sports tourism information: visitmanchester.com
Europe
Barcelona, Spain
Why you should visit: Barcelona was the host city of the 1992 summer Olympic Games. These days it’s all about FC Barca and their star captain Lionel Messi. Walk about the city and you’ll see hundreds of people wearing “Messi 10” shirts – he’s a sports tourism attraction on his own. Formula 1 and MotoGP races are held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and the city hosts many major sporting events including a marathon and tennis. Before the coronavirus pandemic struck, the Catalan Tourist Board declared 2020 as the year of “sports tourism”.
Barcelona sports tourism information: barcelonaturisme.com
Istanbul, Turkey
Why you should visit: the 2020 Uefa Champions League final was meant to be played in Istanbul but will now be held on Saturday 29 May 2021 at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. Turkey’s largest city hosts a marathon and the opening and closing stages of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey. Is Istanbul in Europe or Asia? It’s in both actually, but as the Atatürk Olympic Stadium is located on the western side of the city, we’ll take Istanbul for the European sports city list…
Istanbul sports tourism information: goturkeytourism.com
Lausanne, Switzerland
Why you should visit: Lausanne is the “Olympic capital”. Not only is the Swiss city home to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters but also The Olympic Museum. Visitors to Lausanne should definitely check out this top tourist attraction, which is regarded as one of the world’s best sports museums.
Lausanne sports tourism information: lausanne-tourisme.ch and myswitzerland.com
Paris, France
Why you should visit: the City of Lights, which is counting down the days to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, is home to many world-class facilities including the Stade de France, AccorHotels Arena and the Parc des Princes. The clay-court French Open tennis grand slam takes place every year at Roland-Garros and other major annual sporting events include the Paris Marathon, Six Nations rugby union matches and the final leg of the Tour de France cycling race.
Paris sports tourism information: parisinfo.com
Rome, Italy
Why you should visit: Gladiators no longer battle at the Colosseum, but there’s enough sporting action going on in Rome to keep the crowds happy. Serie A football teams AS Roma and Lazio both play their matches at the Stadio Olimpico, which also hosts Six Nations rugby fixtures. Annual sporting highlights in the Eternal City include the Rome Marathon and Italian Open tennis.
Rome sports tourism information: turismoroma.it
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Africa
Cape Town, South Africa
Why you should visit: with its magnificent Table Mountain National Park and location next to the coast, Cape Town is a true outdoors city and a haven for walking, cycling, hiking and water sports. Club and international rugby union is held at Newlands Stadium while Newlands is also the name for the city’s cricket ground. Cape Town Stadium, built for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, hosts football and rugby union matches. Major events include the Cape Town Cycle Tour, the Cape Town 10s and the Two Oceans Marathon.
Cape Town sports tourism information: capetown.travel
Nairobi, Kenya
Why you should visit: Kenya is known worldwide for its amazing long-distance runners so it’s no surprise that the Nairobi Marathon always has such a high quality field. Africa’s premier rugby sevens tournament, the Safari Sevens, is held in the Kenyan capital as is the Magical Kenya Open, an event on golf’s European Tour.
Nairobi and Kenya sports tourism information: magicalkenya.com/nairobi and magicalkenya.com
Asia
Tokyo, Japan
Why you should visit: Japan hosted the 2019 Rugby World Cup and in 2021 Tokyo will host the summer Olympics and Paralympics, following a year’s delay. If you can’t get to Tokyo for the Games, there’s plenty of other sporting attractions to see, including Sumo, baseball, football and a world-class marathon.
Tokyo tourism information: gotokyo.org
Beijing, China
Why you should visit: after hosting the summer games in 2008 the Olympics will return to Beijing in 2022 for the winter games. It’s worth going to China’s capital city just to see the Beijing National Stadium – aka the “Bird’s Nest – in person. What a piece of architecture and design that is!
Beijing sports tourism information: visitbeijing.com.cn and beijing2022.cn
Seoul, South Korea
Why you should visit: K-Pop is all the rage in Seoul, but there’s also loads of sporty things to see and do in the 1988 Olympic host city and where the opening match of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/ Japan was held. While taekwondo is the national sport of South Korea, baseball is also very popular. Seoul has two main professional baseball teams: the LG Twins and the Doosan Bears. Meanwhile, K-League football team FC Seoul play at the World Cup Stadium. If it’s esports you’re keen on then Seoul is one of the world’s leading cities for professional gaming.
Seoul sports tourism information: visitseoul.net
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Middle East
Dubai, UAE
Why you should visit: Dubai, one of the seven emirates in the UAE, has many sporting attractions and major events, including the Dubai World Cup horse race at Meydan, the Dubai Sevens rugby tournament and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship. Golf is a huge draw for visitors to Dubai, not just amateurs but also professionals. The Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club is part of the European Tour’s “Desert Swing” and the Tour’s season-ending event, the DP World Tour Championship, is held at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Dubai sports tourism information: visitdubai.com and dubaisc.ae
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Why you should visit: for the past few years Formula 1 fans have had their eyes on Yas Marina Circuit, which hosts the final race of the F1 world championship season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Yas Island is also home to Ferrari World, the new Etihad Arena and the Yas Links Golf Club. The European Tour’s annual Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is played at Abu Dhabi Golf Club while Zayed Sports City hosts the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. The UAE capital’s beaches, coastline and desert offer loads of sporting activities.
Abu Dhabi sports tourism information: visitabudhabi.ae
Doha, Qatar
Why you should visit: in 2022 the biggest festival of football – the Fifa World Cup – will be held in Qatar and the majority of the stadiums will be located in and around the Doha area. The Qatar Masters European Tour golf tournament is held at Doha Golf Club while The Qatar Open tennis tournament also takes place in the city.
Doha sports tourism information: visitqatar.qa
North America
New York City, USA
Why you should visit: New York is a dream city for sports travellers. Fans can watch games in all the major professional leagues and the city is also home to so many great sports bars which show US and international events. The US Open tennis grand slam is held annually at Flushing Meadows in Queens and the New York City Marathon, which goes through all five boroughs, is the largest in the world.
New York City sports tourism information: nycgo.com
Boston, USA
Why you should visit: it’s not just Forbes that rates Boston as one of the best sports cities. With five Super Bowls, seven World Series, six Stanley Cups, and 17 NBA Finals winners’ banners, “few cities across the country can say they have what Boston does”, says The Athletes Hub. As well as having teams in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MBA, Boston also has one of the world’s best marathons and hosts world-class sporting events.
Boston sports tourism information: bostonusa.com
Chicago, USA
Why you should visit: Chicago has professional teams in American football (Bears), ice hockey (Blackhawks), NBA (Bulls), women’s NBA (Sky), Major League Soccer (Fire), women’s soccer (Red Stars) and two in Major League Baseball (Cubs and White Sox). Located on Lake Michigan in Illinois, Chicago also has a world-class marathon.
Chicago sports tourism information: choosechicago.com
Las Vegas, USA
Why you should visit: for years Las Vegas never had a major league sports team, but now there are three. Established in 2017, ice hockey’s Vegas Golden Knights play their home games at the T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip. The Las Vegas Aces women’s NBA team, established in 2018, plays at the Mandalay Bay Events Center and the city’s newest team, the Las Vegas Raiders, will play their NFL debut season in 2020. The Raiders’s home ground is the 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium, which opened in July 2020 and cost a reported $1.84bn. Vegas is also the world’s boxing capital and home to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) headquarters.
Las Vegas sports tourism information: vegas.com
Los Angeles, USA
Why you should visit: Los Angeles is gearing up to host the summer Olympic Games in 2028 and the city’s greater area is home for 11 major league professional teams. In 2022 a professional women’s soccer franchise, which is named “Angel City” for now, will play in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
Los Angeles sports tourism information: discoverlosangeles.com
Philadelphia, USA
Why you should visit: although running up the “Rocky Steps” is on the must-do list for many visitors, there’s so much more for sports fans to see in Philadelphia. The city hosts half- and full marathons, boating regattas, the Penn Relays at the University of Pennsylvania and in 2026 the MLB All-Star Game will take place in Philadelphia during the 250th anniversary (Semiquincentennial) of American Independence. Philly is also one the few cities which have a professional franchise in five major league sports.
Philadelphia sports tourism information: discoverphl.com
Toronto, Canada
Why you should visit: the city in Ontario, Canada, has professional teams in a number of the US major leagues, including the Blue Jays (MLB) and Raptors (NBA) and Toronto FC (MLS). Ice hockey team the Maple Leafs, who play in the NHL, are “essentially a religion in Toronto”, and a team with “many devout supporters”. The Hockey Hall of Fame is also located in the city.
Toronto sports tourism information: seetorontonow.com
Vancouver, Canada
Why you should visit: Vancouver, in British Columbia, Canada, hosted the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In summer the city is fantastic for golfing, cycling, mountain biking, running and hiking, and in the snowy months you have to hit the slopes for skiing and snowboarding. The NHL’s Vancouver Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena in the downtown area of the city.
Vancouver sports tourism information: tourismvancouver.com
Oceania
Sydney, Australia
Why you should visit: the city in New South Wales was host of the 2000 Summer Olympics and also boasts teams in sports such as rugby league, Super Rugby, Aussie Rules, cricket, football and netball. However, if you really want to experience Sydney, then head to the beaches. Surfing and watersports are hugely popular, so grab your board and hit the waves.
Sydney sports tourism information: sydney.com
Auckland, New Zealand
Why you should visit: Auckland was named an Ultimate Sports City by SportBusiness magazine in 2018. The New Zealand city regularly hosts major events in sailing, triathlon, running and cycling as well as having teams in provincial rugby union and the Super Rugby competition.
Auckland sports tourism information: sportauckland.org.nz and aucklandnz.com
Melbourne, Australia
Why you should visit: Australians are sports mad and Melbourne is a sporting hotbed. The city’s big horse race, the Melbourne Cup, is held every November and it is so popular that the day is a public holiday for all workers within the metropolitan area. The city’s other major event is the Australian Open, the first grand slam of the tennis season.
Melbourne tourism information: visitmelbourne.com
South America
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Why you should visit: if you thought Glasgow’s football rivalry was fierce, then say hello to Buenos Aires. The Argentine capital is football crazy and has more than 20 professional teams. Two of its biggest clubs are River Plate and Boca Juniors who play in the country’s Primera División. River Plate’s iconic Estadio Monumental stadium (top image) will host four matches in the 2021 Copa America. If there’s one reason to watch a football match at El Monumental it’s to hear the River Plate fans sing Si Señor. Absolutely epic.
Buenos Aires sports tourism information: turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Why you should visit: football, beaches and extreme sports attract thousands of tourists to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Watching the beach soccer players kick around the sands on the Copacabana beach is worth a visit to Rio alone. However, investment in sports tourism has been stratospheric, leaving a lasting legacy from hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup final match at the legendary ‘Maracana Stadium’ and host city of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Rio de Janeiro sports tourism information: riodejaneiro.com and visitbrasil.com