A simple map that helps you locate Madrid’s main football stadiums in no time so you can organize your visit.

- Check the “Madrid Football” map

This original museum for football fans will open its doors in December 2022. In the heart of Puerta del Sol, this space spanning more than 4,000 square metres  is divided into seven floors, enabling visitors to go on a chronological journey through the history of football.  To do so, state-of-the-art technology will be used to enjoy immersive experiences and see more than 4,000 historic objects.

Original objects and pieces can be seen, such as the boots and balls used by the first world champions, as well as the kits of football stars, such as  Maradona, Pelé, Cruyff, Messi, Zidane, Iniesta, Paolo Rossi, Di Stefano or Cristiano Ronaldo, among others. Furthermore, Legends has the LaLiga TwentyNine’s restaurant, a new and revolutionary Sports Bar concept based on innovation and technology. This 600m2 establishment with capacity for more than 180 people is La Liga’s first themed restaurant in Madrid and combines sport, innovation, gastronomy and leisure.

If you come to Madrid, you will be able to visit the Real Madrid and Atlético stadiums (without forgetting a visit to the Spanish National Side Museum) or go and watch a match. In Madrid, it is possible to watch the highest level of football almost all year round. Three teams from the capital (Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, which for the 2021-2022 season is back from Second Division) and one from the Community of Madrid (Getafe) play in the LaLiga Santander, the highest category of Spanish football. Another three teams from the region (Leganés, Fuenlabrada and Alcorcón) are playing in LaLiga SmartBank, the country's Second Division.

The League

The Spanish League kicks off in the second fortnight of August (in 2022-2023 the first matches will be played on the weekend of the 14th of August) and usually finishes at the end of May (in 2022-2023 on the weekend of the 4th of June). Twenty teams participate and play against each other at home and away, accumulating three points for a victory and one point for a draw.

Although the matches that traditionally attract most spectators are those between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid and between these two and their old-time rival Barcelona, all the games of the League tend to be well-attended events.

The Cup

The second most important national competition is the King’s Cup, known as the knockout tournament. In the 2019-2020 season, the system of competition waschanged, whereby all of the clashes until the quarter finals inclusive are a single match (played at the ground of the lower category club).

The big final is a party for Spanish football and a single match is played at a venue that changes each year depending on which teams get through to the final (for the next few years it will be played in Seville). In 2022-2023 the match will be played on 29 April.

Champions League and UEFA Europa League

Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid will both be playing in the 2022-2023 UEFA Champions League (highest European competition for clubs).

- Check out upcoming football matches in Madrid!

- Top spots in Madrid for true football fans

Considered by FIFA to be the most successful football club of the 20th century, Real Madrid is one of the most renowned sports institutions in the world. Founded in 1902, it boasts over 85,000 members and the most impressive track record in international football: the meringues (so called because of their white t-shirts) have won 35 Spanish Leagues, 19 Copas del Rey, 14 Champion Leagues, 2 UEFA Cups, 4 European Super Cups, 3 Intercontinental Cups and 5 FIFA Club World Cups.

Its home ground is the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, which seats 81,044. It hosted the 1964 UEFA European Football Championship final, the 1982 World Cup final and four UEFA Champions League finals. It is currently undergoing a large refurbishment which, among other things, include the installation of a retractable roof.

- Watch Real Madrid games

Madrid’s other big club, the colchoneros (a nickname given in honour of their red and white stripes, the same pattern as in old-fashioned mattresses), was founded in 1903 and boasts an enviable history: 11 Spanish Leagues, 10 Copas del Rey, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, 3 UEFA Europa Leagues and 3 European Super Cups.

Until the end of the 2016-2017 season, its stadium was the Vicente Calderón, which was one of the venues during the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Their home ground is now the Cívitas Metropolitano, which features a full roof over all 68,000 seats. It’s located in the eastern San-Blas Canillejas district (Metro stop: Estadio Metropolitano, Line 7), next to the M-40 motorway and very close to the airport and the Feria de Madrid trade-fair ground. It will be hosting the 2019 Champions League final on 1 June.

- Watch Átletico de Madrid games

Female football has three big teams in Madrid: Rayo Vallecano, Atlético de Madrid Femenino, Madrid Club de Fútbol Femenino and Real Madrid Femenino (formerly the Club Deportivo Tacón).

Atlético de Madrid Femenino plays its matches at its new ground, the Wanda Alcalá de Henares Sports Centre (although it does sometimes play at the Wanda Metropolitano) and its list of achievements includes three League titles (2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019), one Queen’s Cup (2016) and one Supercopa de España (2021).

The club from the Vallecas neighbourhood, which plays at the Ciudad Deportiva del Rayo Vallecano sports complex, have won three Ligas (national leagues) and one Copa de la Reina. They’ve also made it past the Women’s Champions League round of 32 twice, making them the first Spanish women’s team to make it through a qualifying round of Europe’s top tournament.

The Madrid Club de Fútbol Femenino and the Real Madrid Femenino are the other two Madrid teams in the Liga Iberdrola. The Madrid Club, promoted in 2017, after being set up in 2010, is an exclusively female club and plays its matches at the Luis Aragonés Sports Centre.

The Real Madrid Femenino was formerly known as Club Deportivo Tacón (founded in 2014) and played in the highest category for the first time in the 2019-2020 season. They play their matches at the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium in Ciudad del Real Madrid.