The UEFA Champions League is the premier club tournament for soccer fans worldwide.
While watching from the comforts of your home is always exciting, it doesn’t come close to watching a game play out in a packed stadium.
Following announcing a new Champions League format for future seasons, the UEFA Champions League recently held its group stage draw in Monaco.
Rather than the traditional structure of eight groups of four, the new format will see 36 teams fight it out in a single “league” with the final scheduled for May 31, 2025, at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
For avid soccer fans worldwide, watching the games live can significantly boost the Champions League experience.
Of course, Munich is no stranger to hosting important soccer matches.
In 2006, the Allianz Arena, dubbed the FIFA World Cup Stadium Munich due to sponsorship contracts, was one of the venues for the FIFA World Cup.
Aside from hosting the opening match, the stadium also played host to a tense semi-final match between Portugal and France.
There are lots of things to do in Munich when you’re not busy cheering for your favorite European soccer club.
To help you prepare for the UEFA Champions League Final in 2025, we’ll be sharing some tips for planning your soccer tour to Munich, Germany:
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The Champions League
Credit: Seán Murray under license CC BY-SA 2.0. No changes were made to the image.
The annual European club soccer competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is one of the biggest events fans look forward to every year.
Today, the Champions League is considered one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world.
It is the third most-watched football competition overall, behind the UEFA European Championship and the FIFA World Cup.
Therefore, fans worldwide are very passionate about supporting the top clubs at home or in person.
The betting culture surrounding the Champions League is huge as fans watch across all continents
Champions League betting odds are available for fans to get more involved in the tournament, especially with the group format changing this season.
Online betting platform Thunderpick lets fans watch and bet on games in real-time using its Live Mode feature.
This feature allows fans to place bets on in-play events easily with a wide variety of betting odds, from Match Winners to Handicaps and Totals.
If you enjoy the high stakes of competitive European soccer, betting on your favorite Champions League teams is one way to elevate the viewing experience and it has helped raise the profile of the tournament over the years.
For the fans who don’t get the chance to head to Munich for the final in 2025, betting on the final is a great way for them to get more engaged on the day of the game.
Appreciating Munich’s Love for the Sport
Munich, Germany, remains one of the best World Cup destinations, alongside other major cities around the world like Madrid, Spain, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Located in southern Germany, Munich is considered the country’s soccer capital and is one of the best cities where beer and soccer meet.
One of the main reasons Munich is a great soccer tour destination is its lively beer garden culture.
The city is sprawling with Bavarian beer gardens, some of which feature outdoor screenings of soccer matches, making them a must-visit for soccer fans in the warm summertime.
While a love for beer may seem like a requirement for most soccer fans, non-drinking viewers can still enjoy Munich’s beer gardens like Die Null, Munich’s first alcohol-free beer garden.
The concept aligns with the rise of alcohol-free drinks in Germany, as well as a trend towards mindful drinking.
So, you can still indulge in Munich’s soccer and beer culture while enjoying non-alcoholic wines, beers, gins, and other alcohol-free spirits.
Beyond Beer and Soccer
Of course, there is lots more to do in the city than just beer and soccer.
This guide to Munich from National Geographic highlights the buzzy neighborhood of Schlachthofviertel and the array of stylish coffee shops, bakeries, and parks.
In this neighborhood, you can find outdoor gear stores for adrenaline-pumping physical activities like indoor climbing to supplement your soccer tour with some alternative options.
There are also museums like the Kunsthalle München, an exhibition space tackling shows from the art of the samurai to the work of Jean Paul Gaultier.
You can also indulge in local culinary offerings from top restaurants and bakeries, from butter-filled pretzels to hearty German grub.
JAN, located in the museum district, became Munich’s only Michelin three-star restaurant a year after opening in 2022.
For the vegans or health-conscious, there are also meat-free options at Bodhi, the city’s first and best vegan pub.
A Special Treat for FC Bayern Fans
Credit: Reubentg under license CC BY-SA 3.0. No changes were made to the image.
Finally, circling back to soccer, fans of German club FC Bayern Munich should make the most of their soccer tour stop in Munich.
One of the most prominent destinations to do this is the FC Bayern Museum — Germany’s largest soccer club museum.
Located in the Allianz Arena, the venue is home to the 100-year history of Munich’s most successful soccer club.
The museum visit can also be combined with a tour of the Allianz Arena for a look at the stadium.
Spanning 3,000 square meters, the museum showcases many exhibits for Bayern fans, including player jerseys, championship trophies, tickets, and more.
For example, fans can find the suit that Jupp Heynckes wore when he won the club the Champions League title in 2013.
Of course, there are also faithful reproductions of important cups and trophies of the FC Bayern, up to the most recent ones.
There is also the Museum Café Gisela, named after the inn where the founding meeting of FC Bayern took place in 1900.
Munich Safety Overview
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Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: LOW
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
- MUGGING RISK: LOW
- TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
- SCAMS RISK: LOW
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
