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, Champions League or international matches in Vienna?
- Various pubs across the city show English, European, and international football
- My personal choices: Flanagans, Long Hall, Shebeen and Shamrock
- Book a guided craft beer tour* of Vienna
- See also:
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 often 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
(Strandbar Hermann had public viewing in summer 2024)
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, though much depends on whether Austria has qualified or not.
Large public viewing locations for the previous Euros (UEFA European Championship), for example, included the central Rathausplatz , the Prater, the main railway station, and even the Ottakringer Bierfest. All had food and drink for sale, naturally.
My Vienna pub suggestions
I don’t go down the pub as often as before for the football, because I’m now closer to 60 than 50 (insert expletive), tired, and, yeah, boring.
Also, I prefer to watch my local team live (the legendary WSC, one-time conqueror of Juventus and soon to move into a new stadium the envy of all Europe a small part of Vienna).
But here are my usual haunts, if you want some specific pub recommendations for Champions League nights, World Cup duels or English league football.
(All can get busy, especially for the final rounds of big competitions. Consider reserving a table if possible.)
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 rugby.
We watched the final of the last UEFA Women’s EURO 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 found myself returning regularly.
A slightly upmarket pub with multiple screens showing different matches, including one in an outdoor area.
The main house beer at the time of writing (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
Shebeen
(Where I witnessed Gerrard’s Thunderbastard against Olympiacos)
Ever a place in my heart since December 8, 2004, when Gerrard’s late goal against Olympiacos 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.
Note that Shebeen reopened in early June, 2024 after extensive renovations, so I’ll have to revisit to check what, if anything, has changed regarding the above.
Address: Lerchenfelderstraße 45, 1070 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)
My eldest son goes here regularly with his mates. Champions is an American-style sports bar in the centre (same building as the Marriott hotel), 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