Austrian beer and English football: a great combination (and, if I’m honest, better than the other way around). So where can you watch the Premier League or Champions League in Vienna?
- Various pubs across the city show English, European, and international football
- My personal choices: Shebeen, Flanagans, Long Hall, and Shamrock
- Public viewing also popular during international tournaments
- See also:
Exhibition tip: Super Jews (on the Jewish heritage and fan identities of clubs like Ajax and Tottenham). Runs until January 14th, 2024.
Football in bars
(I watched a lot of Champions League football here)
Vienna is home to coffee, culture, classical music, and…an unexpectedly large number of British and Irish pubs.
You can be wandering past a neorenaissance theatre showing Nestroy’s Der Talisman when up pops somewhere offering fish & chips and a full English breakfast.
The pub is an imported phenomenon, mind. Most “native” places to drink in Vienna are bars or restaurants (or a hybrid of the two) and not usually geared up for big-screen football, with some exceptions. Fortunately, the pubs tend to fill that particular hole.
(Purely anecdotally, it seems you have a better-than average chance of seeing football on a screen in Italian restaurants and pizza outlets here, too.)
All-in-all, then, you’re likely not more than a short walk from somewhere showing Premier League, Primera Liga, international matches, and European competitions.
Public viewing?
Many bars and restaurants do dust off their giant TVs or throw up huge screens during the World Cup and European Championships.
Public and private initiatives also set up open-air public viewing areas for those big international tournaments – the Rathausplatz (the large square in front of city hall) sometimes has one, for example. Or try the open-air bars along the Donaukanal river channel in summer.
So, anyway, if you want some specific recommendations for Champions League nights, World Cup duels or English league football, then try these…
My Vienna pub suggestions
I don’t go down the pub as often as before for the football, because I’m now well over 50, tired, and watch my local team instead. But here are my usual haunts.
(All can get busy, especially for the final rounds of big competitions. Consider reserving a table.)
Shebeen
(Big fan of the basket of chips)
Ah, Shebeen! Ever a place in my heart since December 8, 2004, when Gerrard’s late goal against Olympiakos set Liverpool on the path to Istanbul and the Champions League win.
The pub is packed with screens big and small, typically offering a choice of games. Strong selection of beer and decent food.
A few years back, Shebeen was full of ex-pats and immigrants like me, but it seems to have become popular with locals as well. It also hosts regular (English) comedy nights, for example. So not just a “football bar” anymore.
Address: Lerchenfelderstraße 45, 1070 Vienna | Website
Flanagans
(Run by a lovely guy from Ireland)
Big and popular, Flanagans sits near the centre, just a short walk from some of the famous tourist sites. Go two streets down to find the State Opera House, for example.
Irish-owned Flanagans has plenty of screens, good food and “proper” beers. This is also the place for watching rugby.
We watched the final of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 here, for example.
Address: Schwarzenberg Strasse 1-3, 1010 Vienna | Website
The Long Hall
(The place I tend to go to these days)
I went here for a World Cup qualifier to meet a friend and now return regularly.
A slightly upmarket pub with multiple screens showing different matches. The main house beer (Kozel) happens to be a favourite of my apartment block, so more bonus points for that.
Located centrally, close to the Rathaus.
Address: Florianigasse 2, 1080 Vienna | Website
Shamrock
(Proper pub feel inside)
The Shamrock’s relatively small, long and thin, so has that dark, intimate feel, with a couple of big screens along with smaller TVs. Friendly bar staff, good beer.
This pub is particularly convenient if you’ve been spending money on Mariahilfer Straße (Vienna’s main shopping street), as it’s a few yards down a side road. Check the opening hours, though.
Address: Kirchengasse 3, 1070 Vienna | Website
And…
Champions
(Attached to the Marriott Hotel)
I’ve not been myself, but my eldest son goes here regularly with his mates. Champions is an American-style sports bar in the centre, with American cuisine (burgers, nachos, ribs, wings, etc.).
A number of screens show various sports, and numerous football matches from around the European leagues are usually on.
Address: Parkring 12a, 1010 Vienna | Website