10 Best Bars to Watch Football in Rome

The Highlander is one of the few Rome pubs given over entirely to sport, and it puts the accent firmly on football. On a Champions League night it broadcasts up to six matches simultaneously, which is rare for the city, so you can follow every fixture from one room. It opens from 11am to 2am daily, which covers afternoon Serie A through late European kickoffs.

Game-day tip: On a full Champions League night this is the room; arrive early to claim a screen for your tie.

A Rome institution near the Trevi Fountain, Scholar's Lounge has been crowned Irish Pub of the Year and pairs huge screens with ice-cold Guinness and a crowd of English-speaking football fans. It is one of the largest pubs in the center, so it absorbs a big matchday crowd, and the sound goes on the marquee match across the multiple rooms.

Game-day tip: Big enough to walk in on most nights, but get there early for a Roma or Lazio derby.

Built for watching Serie A live, Four Green Fields runs 12 screens with seating for 180, so it handles a full match-day crowd without losing the picture from any table. The Irish pub menu of shepherd's pie, fish and chips, and burgers holds up across an afternoon, and the room is set up so the main match carries with sound.

Game-day tip: The seat count makes it a good group option; book a table for a Serie A weekend afternoon.

Open in Monti since 1976, The Fiddler's Elbow is the first Irish-owned and managed pub in Italy, with friendly English-speaking staff who screen all the major fixtures. It is smaller and more traditional than the screen-heavy sports bars, which gives a big match a packed, partisan atmosphere among regulars rather than a tourist crowd.

Game-day tip: Come for the atmosphere on a big match; the room is small, so arrive ahead of kickoff.

Finnegan's proudly bills itself as the only Irish-owned pub in Rome, and it is all about serious football fans, showing Serie A, the Champions League, and the Premier League across its screens. The crowd knows the game, the English commentary is on for the internationals, and it has long been a gathering point in Monti for expats following a specific club.

Game-day tip: A good room to find your club's away crowd; the regulars take the football seriously.

Near Piazza Venezia, Trinity College is the ultimate Rome pub for catching the Champions League, Europa League, and Premier League, and it streams the Six Nations rugby tournament on three big screens. The two-floor layout and the central location make it an easy meeting point, and the kitchen runs late enough to carry you through an evening European fixture.

Game-day tip: Strong for rugby weekends as well as football; the three big screens cover the Six Nations.

A few minutes from Piazza Navona on Via di Tor Millina, La Botticella looks more like a tiny neighborhood bar than a sports pub, and the low-ceilinged, tightly packed rooms give it a hidden feel. Across its screens it carries Serie A, the Champions League, rugby, NFL, and Formula 1, backed by a long whisky list and a broad beer selection, and it stays open until 2am every day.

Game-day tip: A characterful pick for a late kickoff; the small rooms fill fast, so come ahead of the whistle.

Just off Piazza Navona, The Abbey Theatre is an Irish pub that shows all the major fixtures across multiple screens and runs live Irish music sessions through the week. The friendly native English-speaking staff and the central setting make it a comfortable first stop for visitors who want the match with commentary they understand and a meal alongside.

Game-day tip: Good for an early evening match before dinner; the central spot makes it easy to find.

On Campo de' Fiori, Sloppy Sam's is one of the central square's reliable sports pubs, an English-speaking room that screens the major football fixtures for a young, international crowd. The piazza location puts it in the middle of the late-night scene, so it works as both a place to watch the match and a base for the night that follows.

Game-day tip: Central and lively for an evening game; expect a young, international crowd on the square.

The Drunken Ship is an American-style sports bar planted on Campo de' Fiori, showing NFL games and top European football across its screens alongside soccer, rugby, and Formula 1. Open every day from 11am to 2am, with beer pong tables and a big-flag interior, it is the room for American sports in Rome as much as for a late European football night.

Game-day tip: The pick for an NFL game in Rome; the late hours also cover overnight American kickoffs.