Where in the world can fans watch live football?

Although coronavirus has hit many football teams hard economically, the action on the pitch is just as thrilling as ever. The time has never been better for some betting in a season in which we have already seen some incredible performances.

The return of fans to the football grounds has been long sought after, as much by the fans as the clubs, and we are witnessing the beginning of their return to stadiums around the world. The manner of their return varies greatly from place to place.

For example, after the end of the country-wide lockdown in England, the government announced new rules and regulations for football clubs across the Premier League. Those clubs in the lowest tier of restrictions, of which there are 0 in the top flight of English football, can theoretically welcome 4000 fans to stadiums. Those in the second tier can, which includes the Liverpool area and London, can welcome 2000 fans. Whilst teams in the highest tier of COVID-19 lockdown can not yet welcome any fans.

While this approach from the government has provoked a mixed reaction from football fans, how has the situation progressed in other leagues across the globe? 

Just a short hop across the channel to France, the plan had initially been to allow the return of up to 5000 spectators. However, a worrying increase in the rate of infection in the country led this to be reduced to 1000 with various regional exceptions in high-risk areas. That was the initial plan, but as time progressed and due to the aforementioned rise in the virus, 'France 24' reports that fans will now not be allowed to return before January, and even then, the return will be dependent upon stadium sizes and other factors. The effects of this decision could be seen in the PSG v Manchester United game which was ultimately played behind closed doors. 

A country that many consider synonymous with Football, Brazil, also intended to allow fans to return to stadiums. The keyword there being 'intended'. Despite preliminary plans to allow up to 30% of capacity in stadiums, the situation in the Latin American country has since worsened and now has one of the worst death rates in the world. For now, there are no plans to allow fans to return in the near future. 

Travelling around the world to the somewhat isolated country of New Zealand, the story is a completely different one. The country of almost 5 million people is a coronavirus success story and has almost completely stopped the virus in its tracks. It is due to this fact that incredible photos of packed stadiums have been filtering in from the country. The famous 'All Blacks' faced off against Australia in a rugby game in front of 46,000 people, a figure that is unlikely to be seen in other countries for quite some time. New Zealand truly has bucked the trend in this sense.

Despite the odd exception, the sporting world is reeling from the economic side effects of the virus. The president of Serie A, the Italian top flight, once again called for fans to be allowed to return to stadiums stating that the sustainability of the possible income outweighs any 'charity' of government rescue packages. This sentiment was echoed by the EFL who called the English government's decision to allow fans to return to stadiums in a limited matter an 'economic lifeline'.