A football club’s stadium is sacred ground for its supporters, who turn up week after week to back their team. Some homes are magnificent, packed with history and character, with barely a poor seat in the house, while others leave plenty to be desired.
Fans will always have a soft spot for the place where they watch their beloved club, but from an aesthetic point of view, some stadiums across world football are hard on the eyes.
With that in mind, 20 of the ugliest stadiums in the beautiful game have been named and ranked, according to AI. West Ham’s London Stadium and Oxford’s Kassam Stadium both make the cut, alongside plenty of other English grounds – including ones in the Premier League – that are a blot on the landscape.
20 Broadwood Stadium (Scotland)
What AI said: “A three-sided (or incomplete) modern ground with a blank wall or missing stand element, producing a sterile, incomplete aesthetic common to several lower-league Scottish venues.”
An incomplete mess, Hamilton Academical’s old ground disguises the fact it only has three stands by putting a big grey wall on one side of the pitch. To make matters worse, the fact that it has hosted several different clubs over the years means it lacks a true identity – whereas at least the other stadiums higher up these rankings can be easily recognised as belonging to a specific club.
19 Vitality Stadium (England)
What AI said: “The Premier League’s smallest ground feels cramped and unfinished in places despite upgrades, often criticised as visually underwhelming for top-flight football.”
There isn’t an awful lot wrong with Bournemouth’s home stadium, other than the fact it is generic and small, but that is in large part due to the club’s meteoric rise under Eddie Howe, which saw them rise to the Premier League quicker than they could upgrade their facilities, paving the way for the team to outgrow it.
18 Coliseum Alfonso Perez (Spain)
What AI said: “A basic, boxy ground with little architectural merit, regularly appearing on European ‘ugliest’ lists for its plain, uninspiring design.”
The big shame about Getafe’s stadium is that the fans inside deserve so much more. Supporters are known for being fiercely loyal to a smaller, community-focused club that operates in the massive shadow of Real Madrid, though any sound they make is ruined by a stadium that looks comparable to a sun-soaked Gillingham counterpart.
17 King Baudouin Stadium (Belgium)
What AI said: “An aging national venue with a tired, utilitarian appearance that lacks modern elegance or distinctive character.”
Grey, dull, and mostly lifeless – much like Brussels itself, the King Baudouin Stadium is completely lacking the charm you’d expect it to have considering it’s been the home of the national team’s most recent golden generation, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, and Romelu Lukaku giving Belgium genuine belief they could win a Euros.
16 Bloomfield Road (England)
What AI said: “Awkwardly sited next to a spa and Travelodge in a residential/seaside area, it feels more like an add-on attraction than a proper football stadium.”
There was a time when Blackpool was a thriving touristic city, while there was also a time its football club was in the Premier League. Those days are long gone, and you can really get that feeling around Bloomfield Road, with it rotting away like many of the nearby casinos and arcades. A recent poor ownership hadn’t helped, with many supporters boycotting home games, accelerating the rot.
15 Selhurst Park (England)
Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park
What AI said: “A cramped, dated ground in a poor location with limited character, frequently criticised for feeling like a functional but unattractive Premier League outlier.”
Unlike many other stadiums on this list, Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park does have a charm to it. A great, local fanbase, with the stands very close to the pitch, makes it an intimidating proposition for away teams and supporters – the facilities are outdated though, and that’s why there are plans for a new stadium to be built.
14 Bosuilstadion (Belgium)
What Ai said: “Three ordinary stands are overshadowed by a jarringly modern grandstand that feels completely out of place, highlighting mismatched priorities in design.”
Royal Antwerp’s home stadium is a classic example of an owner or architect building something in stages. Without a collective plan to build a footballing venue, the result is something that looks awkwardly put together at the very last minute just to get it over and done with.
13 Stadio Euganeo (Italy)
What AI said: “A large, uninspired multi-purpose venue so disliked that the club’s ultras have boycotted it, reflecting its functional but aesthetically barren design.”
Stands that are far from the pitch thanks to a running track never attract many rave reviews from supporters. But when you couple outdated bleacher seating with it, and you end up with Padova’s Stadio Euganeo, you get a venue nobody wants to step foot in, even if Italian football is loved around the globe.
12 Fritz-Walter-Stadion (Germany)
What AI said: “A grey, brutalist exterior often compared to a prison, with a bland interior that lacks charm or visual interest.”
Built up incrementally over decades on the Betzenberg hill, resulting in mismatched stands and a bulky silhouette, Kaiserslautern’s fortress can look ugly to a lot of fans – but nothing can take way from its imposing stands, which almsot certainly strike fear into guests.
11 John Smith’s Stadium (England)
What AI said: “Four arched stands with large empty corners create an awkward, dated silhouette that has aged poorly since its 1990s opening.”
Opened in 1994, the ground was ahead of its time, but it now appears dated and rather ugly. Often, taking a risk and opting to go against the grain can be a good thing when it comes to designing a new stadium, but in this case, the John Smith’s Stadium is simply unusual. If the corners were to be filled in, it may appear better, but with the club currently in League One, it is unlikely the stadium will be expanded any time soon.
While they’ve enjoyed a successful window so far, Manchester United still have plenty of work left to do in the remaining weeks to ensure Michael Carrick has all the tools he needs to build upon last season’s encouraging third-place finish.
The English coach took over midway through the campaign, replacing Ruben Amorim in the Old Trafford dugout, and he ultimately led the Red Devils to comfortable Champions League qualification. The addition of European football comes with a significantly more congested fixture schedule, and United will subsequently need a deeper squad, brimming with quality across the board, to cope.
With that said, here are three deals United could still secure before the transfer window slams shut on September 1st.
Carlos Baleba
Club: Brighton & Hove Albion
Age: 22
Tielemans and Santos provide United with a variety of different options alongside Kobbie Mainoo in Carrick’s squad. However, three central midfielders for two positions won’t be enough with Champions League football to contend with, and the north-west outfit are still lacking an out-and-out number six.
Aurelien Tchouameni had been the primary target, but with every passing week, it seems as though this transfer becomes less and less likely. Real Madrid are no longer in the race to sign Rodri, meaning they will require the Frenchman’s services next term.
Instead, United could turn their attentions to Carlos Baleba of Brighton. The Cameroonian has long been touted for a move to Old Trafford, but the Seagulls have consistently remained firm on their steep valuation.
However, the south coast club are reportedly softening their stance on this front. They’ve informed United that they can sign Baleba this summer, provided they’re willing to offer a fee in the region of £65 million.
While his development stalled somewhat last term, the defensive midfielder still has the tools to establish himself as one of the league’s best midfielders. This would be a smart investment from the Red Devils, and it appears to be a relatively straightforward deal to pull off.
Antonee Robinson
Club: Fulham
Age: 29
Left-back has been described as a priority for United throughout this summer, yet they’ve seemingly made no concrete efforts to sign a player in this position. This is likely because they’ve been monitoring the situation of Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall for some time.
It’s well documented that Hall is Carrick’s top target, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that the Magpies won’t sell the England international this summer. After already losing Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon, the Tynesiders aren’t willing to further deplete themselves and lose Hall too.
United cannot afford to wait for Hall. Luke Shaw cannot play every minute of every single game next season, even if he did produce an atypically durable campaign last year, while Patrick Dorgu seems to be viewed as a winger by Carrick.
The Cottagers are open to selling the full-back, and this should therefore be a relatively convenient deal for United to get over the line in the remaining weeks of the window.
You scored
out of 20
Endrick
Club: Real Madrid
Age: 20
If United have serious aspirations of competing for the Premier League and the Champions League next season, they cannot rely on Joshua Zirkzee to provide Benjamin Sesko with cover and competition. The Dutchman may even leave before the window is up, exacerbating the Manchester club’s need for another striker.
Finances may be running thin after deals for Baleba and Robinson are wrapped up, so a loan signing might make sense for this position. United have reportedly opened talks with Real Madrid over Endrick, who has no obvious pathway to first-team football at the Bernabeu following the signing of Yan Diomande.
Endrick’s Ligue 1 Statistions 2025/26
Appearances
16
Goals
5
Assists
7
Shots per 90
3.68
Expected Goals per 90
0.48
Key Passes per 90
2.21
Expected Assists per 90
0.24
Successful Dribbles per 90
2.65
If the Red Devils can secure Endrick on loan, this would represent something of a statement signing. The Brazilian was outstanding in his temporary stint at Lyon last season, and is certainly capable of providing Carrick with a different option to Sesko next term at Old Trafford.
All Statistics via FotMob – correct as of 14/08/2026
The cost of watching Premier League football continues to climb, with ticket prices, travel, food and drinks all adding up.
According to the Daily Mail, following any club home and away across a full season is now estimated to cost north of £3,000, once ticket prices, train travel, a pie and two pints at every match, and a replica kit are all taken into account.
For many supporters, though, it’s the price of that pint that stings wallets just as much as anything else on a matchday. With the average cost of a pint in a UK pub currently sitting at £5.50, some Premier League clubs are leaving fans considerably better off than others when it comes to enjoying a drink before or during the game.
The gap between the cheapest and most expensive clubs on this list stretches well beyond £3, a difference that can add up significantly for supporters attending multiple matches across a season, particularly those travelling from further afield.
Here’s how all 20 clubs in the Premier League compare, ranked from cheapest to most expensive.
20th-16th
All three promoted sides come in as the cheapest pints in the Premier League, with Ipswich Town having the cheapest pint on the entire list at just £3.50. A pint at Coventry’s CBS Arena will set you back just 10 pence more, whilst Hull City also remain under the £4.00 mark at £3.90. It’s then Liverpool who offer solid value, charging just £4.80 at Anfield, as Sunderland round out this group on £5.00, still comfortably below the national average.
15th-11th
Everton rank 15th at £5.50 per pint, which means only six of the 20 Premier League clubs serve a pint at the national average or below. Leeds United, Newcastle United and Bournemouth just breach that average by 10 pence, and are all level at £5.60 apiece, while Manchester United prove the priciest of this group, serving up a pint at Old Trafford for £5.80.
10th-6th
Brighton & Hove Albion match Manchester United’s price from the section above at £5.80, with Crystal Palace’s £5.90 pints making them the cheapest of any club based in London, a far cry from the now-relegated West Ham, who charged an eye-watering £7.30 last season. Nottingham Forest charge £6.00, as do Fulham, the next cheapest London club, and Manchester City, making this the most tightly-packed bracket on the list, separated by just 20 pence.
5th-1st
Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford both charge £6.00 for a pint, matching Forest, Fulham and City. Aston Villa are more expensive still at £6.10, with Chelsea dishing out £6.50 pints at Stamford Bridge, giving them second place, before Premier League champions Arsenal top the entire list by a whole 30 pence as the most expensive club in the country for a pint at £6.80, well over a pound above the national average.
Emiliano Martinez is edging ever closer to the Aston Villa exit door, with Juventus making a fresh bid to sign the goalkeeper this summer, according to the Athletic.
Martinez has long been linked with a departure from Villa Park, and could have left last summer when Manchester United made a move late in the transfer window to sign him on loan.
Speculation has been rife surrounding his future once more this summer with Juventus heavily tipped to sign the 33-year-old and the two clubs are getting ever closer to an agreement over a price, according to reports.
Aston Villa are understood to want a fee in the region of €10million (£8.5million) to sanction the sale of the shot-stopper, with the Italian giants making a new bid to sign him. According to the Athletic, the gap between the two clubs is narrowing, with Juve willing to pay €7million with a further €3million in add-ons. Villa are understood to want a fixed €10m fee that is not contingent on add-ons.
Martinez wants to make the move to Turin, with personal terms not understood to be an issue.
Villa began their season on Wednesday with the UEFA Super Cup clash against Paris Saint-Germain, with the French champions winning 2-1. Martinez was not named in Unai Emery’s squad for the clash, but that was no surprise given he has only just returned to training following Argentina’s run to the final of the World Cup, in which he played every match.
