How to see a soccer game in Italy with kids: all you need to know for a fantastic experience in 2024/25

How to see a soccer game in Italy with kids: learn how to pick the best game, how to buy tickets for a soccer match, safety tips and practical info to bring children to see football in Italy in this essential guide for parents.

Football / Soccer is the most popular sport in Italy.

We Italians love playing soccer, talking about soccer, arguing over soccer and, of course, we love watching soccer matches at the stadium as well as on TV!

Watching football matches is one of the great national pastimes and while not everyone is a soccer fan, chances are any Italian you speak with will have cheered for one of the Italian teams and the ‘nazionale’ (national team, L’Italia) at least once!

Italy has a huge soccer tradition.

The Italian national  team won the world cup 4 times (Italy 1934, France 1938, Spain 1982 and Germany 2006) and has made Italy one of the most successful soccer teams in the world, with Brazil, five times world champion, and Germany.

As well as a usually strong national team, in Italy, we also have a thriving national football league, SERIE A, and several other leagues, such as Serie B, Serie C and others.

Soccer is a pastime for all ages, and an afternoon at the stadium is a fun thing to treat your kids to.

If your children love soccer, sports in general or if want to tap into this Italian tradition, planning to watch a soccer match in Italy is a wonderful idea and a Serie A match is likely to be a highlight of their stay in Italy.

I love bringing my kids to the stadium: the energy is out of this world exciting!

Based on our family experience, this is our guide to attending a football game in Italy with kids.

Our home stadium is Olimpico in Rome.

However, I have included tips and resources to see a soccer match in Italy as a family in all main Serie A stadiums, so you can catch hopefully catch a match wherever you are.

See also >> classic, fun and unusual things to do in Italy with kids

Italian soccer: essential info

Italian soccer has three professional soccer leagues: Serie A, Serie B, Serie C.

At non professional level, soccer games happen in Serie D, Eccellenza, Promozione, Prima Cateforia, Seconda Categoria, Terza Categoria.

Younger players also play in Primavera (18-18 y.o.) with players from Serie A and Serie B teams. Other young leagues include Campionato Berretti, Campionato Juniores, Allievi, Giovanissimi, Esordienti, Pulcini and Scuola Calcio, for under 16.

If planning on seeing a soccer game in Italy with kids, the best soccer match to see in Italy for a top-level experience is a match between Serie A teams.

Football, soccer or calcio?

In Italian, we call the beautiful game calcio (literally: kick).

When speaking English, we use the words soccer and football interchangeably, so whether you refer to calcio as soccer or football, we’ll understand!

Italian Soccer teams in Serie A

The top Italian national league is called Serie A. In alphabetical order, Italy Serie A teams in 2024/25 are: 

Team Name / Link to the official website	Where from (city / region)	Stadium
Atalanta	Bergamo, Lombardy	Gewiss Stadium
Bologna	Bologna, Emilia Romagna	Stadio Dall’Ara
Cagliari	Cagliari, Sardinia	Stadio Sant’Elia
Como	Como, Lombardy	Stadio G. Signigaglia
Empoli	Empoli, Tuscany	Stadio Castellani
Fiorentina	Florence, Tuscany	Stadio A. Franchi
Genoa	Genova. Liguria	Stadio L. Ferraris
Inter	Milan, Lombardy	Stadio G. Meazza
Juventus	Turin, Piedmont	Allianz Stadium
Lazio	Rome region, Lazio	Stadio Olimpico
Lecce	Lecce, Puglia	Stadio Via del Mare
Milan	Milan, Lombardy	Stadio G. Meazza
Monza	Monza, Lombardy	Stadio Brianteo
Napoli	Naples, Campania	Stadio Maradona
Parma	Parma, Emilia Romagna	Stadio E. Tardini
Roma	Rome, Lazio	Stadio Olimpico
Torino	Turin, Piedmont	Stadio Olimpico Grande
Udinese	Udine, Friuli Venezia Giulia	Dacia Arena
Venezia	Venice, Veneto	Stadio P Penzo
Hellas Verona	Verona, Veneto	Stadio Bentegodi

Italian soccer season: dates and times

Italian soccer season starts in late August and ends in late May /early June.

In 2024/25, Lega Serie A is scheduled to run Sunday August 18th 2024 and will end on Sunday May 25th 2025.  

Matches are mostly played on Saturday and Sunday, in the early afternoon (usually 2 pm) or in the evening (7.45 pm or so).

An Italian soccer game lasts 90 minutes, and has into two halves of 45 minutes each plus an interval.  

How to buy Italian soccer tickets for families: when and where to get them

How to get tickets for Italian soccer games depends on the team you want to see.

In general, you buy soccer game tickets:

• Online, on the team website. RECOMMENDED, see the table above for links. This is an easy and safe way to get legitimate tickets for the stadium from a reliable source.
• In-person, from a local authorized ticket seller (usually tabaccheria or the stadium)
• Online, from an official platform designated by the team, such as Vivaticket

Need to know: Tickets go for sale on the official channels and when they are sold out, they are gone.
Secondary ticketing is illegal in Italy but, sadly, still very widespread. This means that you may find online offers for tickets to sold-out matches at an inflated cost. Please be aware that this practice is illicit and could incur into huge fines, even if the purchase happened in good faith because you didn’t know. As well as a potential pricey offense, buying through the secondary market means you have no recourse or any way to get your money back should the person you purchased tickets from turn out to be a scammer. Buy from the official team website to avoid problems.

There is no absolute rule about ticket release date. Some come out a few weeks before, others are only available closer to the time.

Top tip: The best way to get info about release date for a certain match is by signing up to the team newsletter so you get updates in your email inbox.

Special prices for kids’ tickets are common: the exact price depends on age and match. Always refer to the ticket available for the specific match you are interested in seeing for current options.

Staying safe at a soccer game in Italy with kids

Matches are mainly safe to attend to and good family fun.

However, some games can get heated and troubles and disorders among supporters are not unheard of, so it is essential to pick matches wisely, especially if going with kids.

I have some tips about how to keep safe at a football match in Italy and how to pick the safest matches below.

How to see a football match in Italy with kids: step by step

Check your dates

The first thing you need to do when planning a trip to the stadium is to make sure series A is playing when / where you are.

You can find the exact Serie A schedule and results as they go here

Pick a safe match

Football matches in Italy are, for the most part, safe and great family fun.

However, matches between two rival teams from the same town (derby) and games towards the end of the championship, when they may be fighting for the top spot, can cause the most hardcore fans to get into fights.

Security is tight in these cases and things are often kept under control inside the stadium. Security is taken seriously and there will be a strong presence of officers to keep things under control.

However, trouble does happen inside and especially outside the stadium, despite the police presence, and it can get ugly.

These are usually fights between the most extreme supporters and can also be destructive of city properties around the stadium.

Despite the presence of the police, supporters fights are not something you want to be caught into.

Therefore, I recommend you do not go to these matches, especially with kids. 

The main way to keep safe is by avoiding matches between direct rivals.

Games between teams from the same city, in particular, can get heated and see trouble sparked by the most extreme fans.

However, there are some historical rivalries also between teams from different cities.

Historical rivalries in Italian soccer are:

• Juventus – Inter, aso called “derby d’Italia”
• Roma – Lazio
• Inter – Milan, so-called “derby della Madonnina”
• Napoli – Roma
• Napoli – Juventus
• Juventus – Fiorentina

Personally, my safety rules about going to the stadium with kids are:

• Avoid matching between teams that historically rivals
• Go to a match close to the beginning of the season, so there is less on the line for the losing team
• Pick seats away from ‘curva’, which is the cheapest sector and that with the most agitated fans (see below)
• Learn the colors of the team you’ll be supporting and avoid sporting the wrong colors in the wrong sector.
• Always apply that basic awareness you’d have in all crowded places, especially if at a very busy match

Pick the best seats

Once you have identified the match you want to see, head to the team’s website and go on ‘purchase tickets’.

Each team operates differently so you will have to learn how each website works.

However, they all tend to operate in similar ways, with tickets for different sectors of the stadium at different price points.

The stadium websites usually have a seating chart to help you pick but, in general, some terms you may want to learn are:

Curva: this is the rounded edge of the stadium, where the harder fans go. Seats here are great fun as you are in the middle of the chants, but it is also where you get the most heated reactions.

Distinti: the seats at the outer edges of ‘curve’, connecting them to the ‘tribuna’.

Tribuna: the best seats in terms of view, on the long side of the stadium. This is also where you get the VIP seats, press, etc.

The closest you are to curva and distinti, the closer you are to the chants; the more central you are on tribuna seats, the better view you get.

When buying tickets for kids, you usually see the stadium has areas for under 16.

These areas are in different stadium parts and can be within curva, distinti or tribuna. How these are organized and where they are depends on the stadium and what is available for each match may change.

My tip: personally, I believe the best soccer tickets for families are those for ‘tribuna seats’ both in terms of safety and comfort.

Get your id ready and purchase the tickets

Once you are happy with your selection, you can purchase your tickets via your method of choice.

Be extra careful when adding you details as tickets in Italy are nominative and you will need a matching ID on you to enter the stadium, also for kids.

It is worth paying extra attention when inputting your data to avoid issues on match day.

Going to a football match in Italy with children: additional tips

On match day, you’ll want to:

Get ready for the day: dressing for the stadium

There is no special dress code for the stadium, the only things you need to consider being practical ones, such as weather, comfort and team colors.

In general, in winter, it is best to be well wrapped up and, in summer, you want to make sure you are protected from the sun.

Need to know: you cannot bring bottles into the stadium for safety reasons. Apply sunscreen before leaving your accommodation so you don’t have to carry cans and other containers that may be deemed a security hazard and get confiscated when entering.

The best clothing to wear is comfortable items, good walking shoes and a sunhat for summer.

Familiarize yourself with the colors of the teams playing to avoid faux pas!

What to bring to the stadium

The most important things to bring into the stadium are:

• Your tickets
• your ID and that of the kids
• Some cash for small purchases such as food, drinks, souvenirs

Aside from this, bring to the stadium as little as you can.

Big backpacks are not allowed and neither are bottles, spray cans etc. If you need to bring sun lotion, opt for a soft tube and not over 100ml for the best chance of being allowed to bring it in.

I recommend an extra layer in winter and sunglasses and a sunhat in summer.

Good to know: it is usually not allowed to bring your own food into the stadium. Inside, there are authorized sellers of sandwiches and snacks, usually at pretty high prices. Bring cash if intending on purchasing food and drinks at the match.

The facilities at the stadium are those you can expect in big venues with high footfall. With kids especially, it is a good idea to bring your own wipes and expect less than squeaky clean restrooms.

See also >>> toilets in Italy: all you need to know.

What not to bring to a soccer match in Italy

When going to a soccer game in Italy with kids, you want to avoid:

• Any dangerous object, including bottles, umbrellas and anything that could be used to harm others
• Valuables
• Big bags, luggage etc
• Strollers

Getting to and from the stadium

Like all big events, Italian soccer matches move huge crowds and this affects mobility to and from the stadium.

In general, arriving to the stadium is not a problem by bus or taxi.

By taxi, if arriving with everyone else, it can be a good idea to ask to be left at a short distance – if the taxi gets slowed down by the presence of people on the street, the meter will add up fast!

Finding parking near a stadium on match day is next to impossible so I recommend you do not drive to a match.

On the way back, it is usually hard to get buses or taxis due to demand.

I recommend you identify an area close to the stadium to head towards after the match and call a taxi from there using a taxi app such as FreeNow or itTaxi where available.

Facilities and food in the stadium

The facilities you’ll find at the stadium vary with the stadium and the area you select for your seats.

In general, you can expect basic facilities and food along the lines of sandwiches, sodas and packaged goods such as crisps.

However, things are changing and AS Roma for instance, has announced partnerships with food delivery apps so it is best to keep an eye on what is available in each stadium right before your match for the most up-to-date info.

Essential Italian words about soccer

Soccel / football = calcio

Team = squadra

Captain = capitano

Goalie = portiere

Referee = arbitro

Goal = porta

Defence =  difesa/ difensore / terzino

Midfield/ midfielder = centrocampo / centrocampista

Foul = fallo

Yellow Card = cartellino giallo

Red card = cartellino rosso

Penalty = rigore

Off side = fuorigioco

Corner = corner / calcio d’angolo

Soccer supporter = tifoso / tifoseria

Championship / league = campionato / scudetto

Stadium = stadio 

Derby = derby

Recessione = recession into lower leage

Promozione = moving up to higher league 

Where to fid news about Serie A

For Serie A news, see Gazzetta dello Sport (Italian) and Serie A website, or the official websites of each team listed in the table above.

I hope you enjoyed this quick overview of Italian football and tips for seeing a soccer game in Italy with kids. I hope you have lots of fun!!

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