Rome's football culture is unlike anywhere else in Europe. Two clubs, one city, and a rivalry that defines the character of every sports bar in the city. We have worked through the tourist-facing bars near the Colosseum and found the best sports bars in Rome that actually deliver the Serie A atmosphere you came for — plus solid coverage for Champions League, international fixtures, and the Six Nations rugby that Italians follow with unexpected passion.
The Best Sports Bars in Rome for Football
AS Roma and SS Lazio supporters rarely drink in the same bar, and the best sports bars in Rome are usually aligned with one or the other. Knowing which bar you are walking into matters — the atmosphere depends on it.
01
Bar San Calisto
Trastevere
$
Football / Local
A Trastevere institution with no aspirations toward tourism. The screens go up for Roma matches, Serie A fixtures, and Champions League nights. The crowd is neighbourhood, the beer is cheap, and the atmosphere on a Roma European night is the best value sports bar experience in the city. Plastic chairs, no bookings, arrive early for big games.
Order: Moretti on tap — cold, cheap, correct
02
Abbey Theatre Irish Pub
Centro Storico
$$
All Sports / Irish
The most reliable sports bar in central Rome for international coverage. Premier League, Six Nations, Champions League, and GAA are all shown on multiple screens. The Abbey Theatre draws a reliable crowd of Irish and British expats, international visitors, and Italians who have discovered that the sports bar infrastructure here is the best in the city centre. Opens early for morning kick-offs.
Order: Guinness on draught — properly maintained, the best in Rome
03
Fiddler's Elbow
San Lorenzo
$$
Football / Rugby / Irish
One of Rome's oldest Irish bars, located in the San Lorenzo student neighbourhood where the atmosphere on match days is reliably energetic. The rugby coverage during the Six Nations is the best in Rome — Italy's improving form in recent years has made the February and March fixtures here genuinely exciting. Premier League and Champions League are shown consistently throughout the season.
Order: Kilkenny on tap — the house recommendation here
The complete Rome bar guide
Every category, every neighbourhood. Our Rome guide covers sports bars, cocktail bars, and more across the city.
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Sports Bars for Champions League and International Fixtures
Champions League nights in Rome draw large crowds to the sports bars — particularly when Roma or Lazio are playing. These are the places that handle the capacity and maintain their quality through the pressure of a busy European night.
04
Caffe dello Sport
Prati
$
Football / Traditional
A Prati neighbourhood bar that earns its name with five screens and a crowd that represents Vatican-adjacent Rome's surprising football passion. Serie A, Champions League, and Italian national team fixtures are all shown. The bar has been operating in the same format since the 1990s and shows no signs of changing — reliable in the way that only genuinely local bars can be.
Order: Nastro Azzurro — Italy's ubiquitous football beer, cold and appropriate
05
The Drunken Ship
Campo de' Fiori
$$
All Sports / American
A Campo de' Fiori bar that serves both the tourist crowd and the American study-abroad community, resulting in a comprehensive subscription package that covers NFL, NBA, NCAA, and European football simultaneously. Multiple screens, late-night kitchen, and an American sports calendar that runs deeper than anywhere else in Rome. Best for NFL Sundays and NBA playoff nights.
Order: Craft IPA from the tap selection — they maintain a rotating list
06
The Scholar's Lounge
Via del Plebiscito
$$
All Sports / Irish
A well-run Irish bar near the Pantheon with serious sports infrastructure. Premier League, Six Nations, Champions League, and Formula 1 are all on the schedule. The Scholar's Lounge attracts a predominantly expat and international crowd and manages the heavy tourist location without losing its sports bar identity. Service holds up on Champions League nights — worth noting as a genuine virtue in central Rome.
Order: Smithwick's on tap — Irish red ale, rarely found in Rome, excellent here
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Neighbourhood Sports Bars Worth Finding
Rome's best sports bar atmosphere is concentrated in the non-tourist neighbourhoods where Italian football culture is practiced rather than performed. These bars require navigating away from the centre but deliver experiences the city-centre options cannot.
07
Bar Testaccio
Testaccio
$
Football / Roma
A Testaccio neighbourhood bar in a neighbourhood that has been Rome's working-class heart for a century. The AS Roma support here is multigenerational and the atmosphere for a derby fixture is not replicated anywhere in a tourist-facing bar. The beer is cheap, the opinions are loud, and the seating is limited — but standing here for a Roma-Lazio game is worth the discomfort.
Order: Birra Moretti scura — dark lager, different and correct for Testaccio
08
Birrificio Ostiense
Ostiense
$$
Football / Craft Beer
A craft brewery taproom in Ostiense that shows Champions League and Serie A without abandoning its identity as a beer destination. The combination of good Italian craft beer and serious football coverage is unusual in Rome. The neighbourhood is young and international, and the crowd on a Tuesday Champions League night is the most enjoyable mixed group in the city's sports bar scene.
Order: House Blonde IPA — brewed on site, excellent with football
09
Pub Crawl Roma Sports
Pigneto
$$
Football / Multi-sport
A Pigneto bar that covers the full Italian and European football calendar alongside Formula 1 and Six Nations. The neighbourhood crowd is young and international and the screens are well-positioned for a standing audience on big nights. Takes reservations for Champions League knockout rounds — worth booking ahead for anything involving Italian clubs in the later stages.
Order: Peroni Gran Riserva on tap — premium Italian lager, worth the upgrade
Rome sports bars full directory
Every sports bar in Rome, organised by neighbourhood and sport coverage.
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Our Verdict
Rome's best sports bar experience requires the willingness to leave the tourist centre. Bar San Calisto in Trastevere and Bar Testaccio deliver football culture that no purpose-built sports bar can match — loud, local, and entirely genuine. For international coverage — Premier League, Six Nations, American sports — the Abbey Theatre and The Scholar's Lounge are the most reliably equipped options in central Rome.
Plan ahead for Roma-Lazio derby nights: every bar on this list fills to capacity, and the city's atmosphere on those evenings makes even a mediocre sports bar feel exceptional.
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