In most sports, home advantage is a significant factor, but it has more of an influence in football than most. A noisy atmosphere with fans getting behind the home side, can provide an intimidating arena for visiting teams.

Some grounds are naturally more hostile than others, and they don’t always belong to the biggest clubs in world football. There is something about the architecture and the acoustics, together with the crowd’s proximity to the pitch that makes them more intimidating than most.

Anfield

It could be argued that Liverpool’s Anfield home isn’t as fearsome as it was in the past. Before necessary changes to the stadium, the standing fans on the Kop were extremely close to the action, and opposing sides faced a wall of noise when they walked out onto the pitch.

The supporters are further back now, but the statistics show that Anfield remains a tough ground for visiting teams. The results are especially notable in Europe where football betting markets regularly show Liverpool among the favourites.

Anfield also has a certain aura about it, and visiting teams are reminded of the great players and the success that the team has enjoyed. Liverpool continue to field strong teams, but the hostile atmosphere of their home stadium gives the players an added advantage.

Celtic Park

Given that Scottish teams tend to struggle in Europe, the next entry on this list may be surprising. At domestic level, Celtic are dominant, with the team winning the Premiership title nine years in succession from 2012 to 2020. Following Rangers’ title victory in 2021, Celtic are dominant once again.

While they undoubtedly possess the strongest squad in Scottish football, part of the reason for their success lies with their Celtic Park ground. It’s fair to say that the atmosphere can be hostile at times, particularly when their Old Firm rivals Glasgow Rangers make the short trip across town.

Celtic’s domestic success is well-documented, but the intimidating atmosphere of Celtic Park has clearly surprised some top European clubs. AC Milan, Barcelona, Manchester United and Shakhtar Donetsk have all lost here, and we shouldn’t forget that Celtic were the first British side to win a major European trophy when they lifted the European Cup in 1967.

Old Trafford

It’s fair to say that Old Trafford is no longer a fortress, but when Manchester United were at their peak, this was a ground that no side wanted to visit. Some of the best teams had a poor record here, especially from the mid-90s to the early 2000s when United dominated the Premier League.

Following the resurgence of arch rivals Manchester City, United's results have dipped and they haven’t won the league since 2013. The quality of the team certainly affects the atmosphere of any ground, but when Manchester United are at their best, Old Trafford is a noisy and intimidating place.

Signal Iduna Park

The sheer size of some German stadiums is enough to strike fear into travelling teams from outside of the country. Borussia Dortmund are one of the many German clubs to have used this to their advantage at their home ground.

Signal Iduna Park has a colossal capacity in excess of 81,000 and a significant proportion of home fans are crowded into the notorious South Stand. A sea of yellow and black awaits visiting teams, in what is another intimidating ground.

Dortmund have won the Bundesliga on eight occasions, but visiting German teams are used to traveling to big stadiums. For other European sides, the atmosphere inside Signal Iduna Park can be a shock, and that home advantage helped the club to an unexpected Champions League win in 1997.

Turk Telecom Arena

When Galatasaray fans unfurl banners stating ‘Welcome to Hell,’ they aren’t joking. Many travelling supporters are reluctant to come to the Turk Telecom Arena in Istanbul because of the hostile atmosphere, and it’s no fun for the teams either.

The lack of an away following is another reason why teams may feel intimidated coming here. Opposition sides seem to be on their own in the face of the overwhelming home support. The fans and the atmosphere inside the Turk Telecom Arena have helped Galatasaray enjoy great success on the domestic stage and their 24 Turkish Super League titles is a record.

The club has also won against some of the biggest teams in Europe, and at the end of the 1999/2000 season, Galatasaray won the UEFA Cup.

Teams can’t rely on atmosphere alone to drive them to glory but having that support can certainly help their cause. Across the world, there are some seriously intimidating stadiums and those listed here represent the most terrifying.

Aided by the acoustics, the sheer numbers of those fans help them to become something of a 12th man, and their role makes the opposition’s task even more daunting.