The 12 Most Intimidating Stadiums in the World of Football

Visiting an opponent's stadium is not supposed to be the most pleasant experience out there, but there are a number of grounds which are a joy to visit, and simply fun to go to and see your team play.

On the other hand, there are those stadiums that strike fear into the heart of any visitors, helping the home side win the game before a ball has even been kicked.

Introducing the 12 most intimidating stadiums in world football...

1. Turk Telekom Arena

Galatasaray's home, historically known as the Ali Semi Yen, has coined the phrase "welcome to hell" as a result of the reception it gives to visiting teams. From cut-throat gestures from the fans to choreographed gunfire, many teams and their travelling supporters have left Instabul in a daze due to the sheer hostility they face.

2. Sheriff Stadium

Home to Moldovan heavyweights Sheriff Tiraspol, the Bolshaya Sportivnaya stadium, also known as the Glavnaya Arena, looks like a clear remnant of the Soviet Union and its feel may cause anyone playing there to feel a certain sense of unease. Its effect has worked, with Sheriff FC losing just eight home games in total in the 15 years it has spent at the ground.

3. Anfield

Liverpool's historic base has this magical aura about it on matchdays. The place seems to come alive when the Kop, the stadium's most vocal stand, bellows out "You'll Never Walk Alone" - especially on European nights. A host of key matches have been won due to the Reds' 12th man, just ask Chelsea or Dortmund fans.

4. Stadio San Paolo

In a country full of impressively grand stadiums; the San Siro in Milan and Rome's Stadio Olimpico to name but a few, one Italian football home stands head and shoulders above its rivals in terms of its ability to intimidate. 

The Stadio San Paolo, the humble abode of Serie A giants Napoli, allows its uniquely Neapolitan character to ooze out of the stands and scare opponents to their bones.

5. Lokomotivi Stadium

Owned by the government, the second largest football stadium in Georgia has a fearsome reputation, mainly as a result of a Euro 2004 qualifying match which saw the Republic of Ireland arrive in the capital Tblisi. 

An army of police were needed to calm down the aggressive crowd, with vodka bottles and knives being thrown on the pitch in protest of the former unpopular president's presence at the game.

6. La Bombonera

With police constantly needed to stop objects being thrown on the pitch, La Bombonera's status as an intimidating place to go and play football is easily justified. Always in competition with River Plate's Estadio Monumental, the Boca Juniors ground just about wins the battle in being the scariest stadium in Argentina.

7. The Den

It's not necessarily the structure of the ground, but more those who occupy the seats that makes the Den one of the most notorious football stadiums to visit in England. Home to third tier side Millwall, the club's infamous hooligan supporters make sure to give any fans who consider themselves to be anywhere near as tough as the Lions' faithful an afternoon they'll never forget.

8. Estadio Sao Januario

Not the biggest nor the most aesthetically pleasing stadium in Brazil, but Vasco Da Gama's ancient home is simply electric on matchdays and especially when a Rio de Janeiro derby is on the menu. Fighting in the stands is a norm amongst the crazy Brazilian fans in the stands that were first built in the 1920s.

9. Red Star Stadium

Affectionately known as the Marakana in ode to the mammoth Brazilian counterpart, Red Star Belgrade's home is pretty much a war zone, with fans going all out to either abandon the game when their side is losing or distract the opposition players with use of flares, smoke grenades and all kinds of homemade devices.

10. Mestalla

Forget Barcelona's Nou Camp, Real Madrid's Bernabeu or even Bilbao's San Memes, the home of Valencia is the most atmospheric stadium in La Liga. Due to an extremely steep main stand, it must seem at times for opponent players that fans of Los Che are standing over you, a highly intimidating feeling even for the world's best.

11. Signal Iduna Park

Also known as the Westfalenstadion, Borussia Dortmund's hallowed ground is one of the biggest in Europe and it feels like it is. The BVB faithful in one towering stand have rightfully earned the nickname "the Yellow Wall" on account of the noise they make during matchdays with the impressive choreographed posters and signs they produce.

12. Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium

When a stadium is named after a field marshal who was mortally wounded during the Greek war of independence, it's safe to say that there will be some acts of violence in the stands. Only capable of housing around 32,000 Olympiacos supporters, the Karaiskakis Stadium makes up for it in sheer hostilities, noise and unorthodox fan sequences. 

This article is brought to you by Kong: Skull Island, in cinemas this March