Planning on watching a Premier League tie, FA Cup clash or nail-biting England match? Score salubrious surroundings with a decent pint (and often delish food too), by heading to one of these football-friendly pubs and bars. Back of the net!
The best bars and pubs for watching football in central London
Bat & Ball, Covent Garden
With 22 HD screens, you'll hardly know where to look, at this all-singing, all-dancing brick-lined basement bar, which also peddles shuffleboard, ping pong and the like. Sound-wise, it's "stadium-like quality". There's another Bat & Ball in Stratford. Bat & Ball, 50 Earlham Street WC2H 9LJ
BOX Piccadilly: Brash, big screen venue with American vibes, hearty food menu (kebabs, steak sandwiches, loaded fries) — plus lots of welcome distractions in the form of darts, shuffleboard, etc, should your team be acting up. BOX Piccadilly, 21, 23 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EF
BLOODsports, Covent Garden
Both stabby stabby and sporty sporty. Horror flicks play on some screens, live sports from across the globe (inc. plenty of football) on others. A weird double-hander, but it somehow works. Plus the drink/food menu (including plenty of bloody mary variations, natch) is by the MeatLiquor team so it's banging. BLOODsports, 27-29 Endell Street, WC2H 9BA
Brigadiers, City
Yes, it's a restaurant, but that doesn't stop this Indian BBQ joint from screening the sport, and at the weekend there's a special Saturday Sports Feast. You can also book a private room, screening the game of your choice. Brigadiers, 1-5 Bloomberg Arcade, EC4N 8AR
Cafe Kick, Exmouth Market
Continental style cafe with foosball and cocktails. Arrive early to get a seat, and enjoy the match in style with a martini — you will not be judged. Cafe Kick, 43 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QL
De Hems, Chinatown
Bustling multi-level pub with Dutch heritage. Cram in on match day to cheer on van Dijk, Jurriën Timber, or whoever your Dutch hero happens to be. De Hems, 11 Macclesfield Street, W1D 5BW
Dugout at Belushi's Sports Bar, London Bridge
Student-styled joint with lashings of large screens, plus filling burgers and bar snacks. They're strict with IDs, so bring one. Other Belushi's can be found sprinkled around London. Dugout at Belushi's Sports Bar, 161-165, Borough High Street, SE1 1HR
Greenwood, Victoria
Huge venue with 20 screens, which gets fearsomely busy on big match days, and rightly so. Greenwood is part of a chain of Sport London boozers with similar vibes, scattered hither and thither across London. Greenwood, 170 Victoria Street, SW1E 5LB
Nordic Bar, Fitzrovia
Scandinavian-themed party bar with ping pong, retro arcade tables and — most importantly — four large screens for the football. Nordic Bar, 25 Newman Street W1T 1PN
Pavilion End, City of London
The name's a cricket reference, but Pavilion End also screens a lot of football — not just the Prem but also Bundesliga and Ligue 1. Sehr gut/Tres bon. Pavilion End, 23 Watling Street, EC4M 9BR. Note: they're closed till 11 September 2026
Porterhouse, Covent Garden
Towering Irish boozer, screens all over the place — plus its own beers on tap (try the oyster stout). As well as internationals and Premier League, it screens hurling. Porterhouse, 21-22 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7NA
The best bars and pubs for watching football in north London
Beehive, Tottenham
The shirts on the wall set out the Beehive's stall as a Spurs' fans' pub, but how could any football lover resist its many TVs showing games, especially out in the courtyard. Beehive, Stoneleigh Road, N17 9BQ
Boxpark Wembley
If you didn't manage to score tickets for the big match at Wembley, second best is watching it a few hundred feet away. Atmosphere guaranteed. Boxpark Wembley, Wembley Park, HA9 0JT
Clissold Park Tavern, Stoke Newington
Sizeable screens indoor and out (in the summer), accompanied by seriously good antipasti and pizza. There's table football as well. Clissold Park Tavern, 177 Green Lanes, N16 9DB
Faltering Fullback, Finsbury Park
Classic Irish pub cluttered with gimcrack and TVs showing footie (and rugby if you're so inclined). Get a Guinness and Thai food to go with. At half/full time, seek solace in the magnificent beer garden. Faltering Fullback, 19 Perth Road, N4 3HB
Hemingford Arms, Barnsbury
All the big league games screened in this ivy-ensconced, Chesterfield-stuffed class act of a pub. Hemingford Arms, 158 Hemingford Road, N1 1DF
World's End, Finsbury Park
Sky Sports and BT Sports on the big screen, plus a foosball table on which to reenact your team's latest victory/defeat. Nice pub grub too. World's End, 21-23 Stroud Green Road, N4 3EF
The best bars and pubs for watching football in south London
Actress, East Dulwich
Neighbourhood pub that's serious about its football, screening Premier League, Championship, Serie A and lots more. Lots of good food. Actress, 90 Crystal Palace Road SE22 9EY
Alexandra, Clapham
Spacious gastro pub with a few screens/projectors. One of the gardens shows football when it's warm enough. Apparently this is a Liverpool supporters pub, but all comers are welcome. Alexandra, 14 Clapham Common South Side, SW4 7AA
Boxpark Croydon
Home to that insta-iconic video of hundreds of England fans recklessly wasting their pints, Boxpark Croydon screens big matches on its huge screen (especially Crystal Palace ones, given the locality), with offshoot bars elsewhere in the venue showing other games. Boxpark Croydon, 99 George Street, CR0 1LD
Clubhouse at Dulwich Hamlet, East Dulwich
Community Bar at Dulwich Hamlet's ground, with plenty of craft beer, pie deals... and on-screen footie. You'll see some neat footwork outside on the pitch too. Clubhouse at Dulwich Hamlet, Champion Hill Stadium, Edgar Kail Way, SE22 8BD
Duke of Edinburgh, Brixton
Perennially-bustling backstreet boozer with multiple screens, and sometimes a biggie in the mahoosive beer garden for good measure. Duke of Edinburgh, 204 Ferndale Road, SW9 8AG
Feed the Yak!, Elephant and Castle
Football-themed craft beer bar (think lots of old posters, footie stickers on the walls) with a few screens dotted about, plus one massive one. Used to be The Tap In, which made more sense as a name for a footie bar, but still — this place is good. There's one in Wembley Park now too. Feed the Yak! 2 Sayer Street, SE17 1FG
Flat Iron Square, London Bridge
All games on Sky Sports and TNT Sports are screened on 19 screens, inside and outside this archway/rambling beer garden setup. No dearth of street food options either — from flame-grilled souvlaki to New York style pizza slices. Flat Iron Square, 45 Southwark Street, SE1 9HP
Pilgrim, Kennington
In the balmy days of the early/late season, watch the game on the Pilgrim's screens, nestled away in its little beer garden. As the chills sets in, move inside, where big screen and sofas await. Pilgrim, 247 Kennington Lane SE11 5QU
The best bars and pubs for watching football in east London
Bar Kick, Shoreditch
Spacious, trendy, exposed brick kind of place with table football, and plenty of screens dangling from the ceiling. Championship played as well as Prem. Bar Kick, 127 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JE
Big Penny Social, Walthamstow
Premier League matches are often shown on one or more of this cavernous venue's big screens. There are also, we're told, 100 beer taps in action, so you won't go thirsty. Big Penny Social, 1 Priestley Way, E17 6AL
Chequers, Walthamstow
The projector's rolled out for plenty of footie games at this brilliant Walthamstow boozer, which does a very decent line in local beer and sharing plates. Chequers, 145 High Street, E17 7BX
Leyton Star, Leyton
Big projector and a few smaller (but not that small) screens to watch on. Outdoor screens in the spring/summer. Nosh on some extremely loaded fries while you watch. Leyton Star, 116 High Road, E15 2BX
Moretown Belle, St Katherine Docks
Modern pub with an American diner vibe and 31 (!) screens showing sport. The beer menu is 100% uninspiring, but there are plenty of cocktails/wines you can be getting on with instead. Moretown Belle, 5 Thomas More Street, E1W 1YY
Pub on the Park, Hackney
True to its name, you can pretty much watch the footie in the park — the gardens here are furnished with TVs and heaters. Admirable range of beers for a sports establishment. Pub on the Park, 19 Martello Street E8 3PE
Three Compasses, Dalston
Craft beer, award-winning Angus beef burgers and footie projected into the wall. Hip crowd. Good times. Three Compasses, 99 Dalston Lane, E8 1NH
TOCA Social, North Greenwich
This Greenwich funhouse eats football and sleeps football (you can probably drink Coca-Cola here too, if that 90s reference means anything to you). TOCA screens major footie matches, and you can play various interactive footie games before/after. There's another at White City. TOCA Social, Peninsula Square, SE10 0DX
Volley, Old Street
Football scarves dangle from the ceiling of this lively, staggered level football pub, where 14 screens show not only top tier English teams, but also the likes of EFL League one. The beer's good, as is the nosh from pop-up vendors. Volley, 211 Old Street, EC1V 9NR
The best bars and pubs for watching football in west London
Elgin, Notting Hill
A gorgeous Victorian boozer doing quality pub food, the Elgin also screens Premier League games. You can book a private room, should you wish to get your mates together for a big clash. Elgin, 96 Ladbroke Grove, W11 1PY
Famous Three Kings, Hammersmith
Winner of various sports pub awards. Screens everywhere you look, and a healthy measure of roistering: a solid shout for Super Sunday in this neck of the woods. Famous Three Kings, 171 North End Road, W14 9NL
Frankie's Sports Bar and Grill, Fulham
A spit from Stamford Bridge, this screen-slathered bar/eatery invites you to watch the match while stuffing your face with smokey chicken wings and fish tacos. Frankie's Sports Bar and Grill, Fulham Road, SW6 1HS
Fulham Pier, Fulham
You needn't be a Fulham FC fan to enjoy the football at this relatively new enterprise: a big indoor screen shows major Premier League clashes (alongside other footie competitions and sporting events). Fulham Pier, SW6 6HH
Jolly Gardeners, Putney
Shows pretty much all of the top-flight football it can. In the summer, they put screens in the garden. Jolly Gardeners, 61-63 Lacy Road, SW15 1NT
Sporting Page, Chelsea
Classy gastro offering with an unabashedly English menu (roasts, wellingtons, sticky toffee pud), and an all-important scattering of TVs screening the football. Sporting Page, 6 Camera Place, SW10 0BH
Temperance, Putney Bridge
Very much NOT a teetotal pub, the Temperance screens all the big football matches on its many TVs. Temperance, 90 Fulham High Street, SW6 3LF
Wandle, Earlsfield
Like a pie with your football? Order the ham hock & chicken truffle pie at this Earlsfield gastro, screening all the major Premier/Champions League action. The Wandle, 332 Garratt Lane, SW18 4EJ
Westwood Sports Pub & Kitchen, Wood Lane
Ditch the shopping basket and spend the afternoon at Westfield watching the footie at this in-mall sports bar. Giant HD screens show major clashes, plus oodles more sport. Westwood Sports Pub & Kitchen, Ariel Way, W12 7HB
Got a suggestion? Tell us in the comments. Note: There are also some establishments which focus on football from other countries e.g. Stockwell's Portuguese restaurants. We've not listed these here, excellent though some are.
