Top Sports Bars in Antwerp to Watch the Match With the Crowd
Words by
Nathalie Dubois
Where to Find the Top Sports Bars in Antwerp on Game Day
I have spent more Saturday evenings than I can count wedged between strangers in Antwerp, beer in hand, screaming at a screen. This city does not do sports viewing quietly. Whether it is a Jupiler Pro League derby, a Six Nations rugby match, or a late night UFC card, the top sports bars in Antwerp know how to turn a regular evening into something that feels like a small festival. What follows is the list I hand to friends when they visit, the places where the screens are big, the crowd actually cares, and the beer never stops flowing.
Antwerp has always been a city of gathering. The Grote Markt, the Scheldt riverbanks, the old guild houses, they were all built for people to come together. Sports bars are just the modern version of that same impulse. The Belgian tradition of the "café society" runs deep here, and when a match kicks off, every one of these places channels that same communal energy. You will not find quiet, sterile viewing rooms. You will find noise, argument, laughter, and the occasional broken glass.
The Kings League at A-Bar on Oudevaartstraat
Oudevaartstraat 12, 2000 Antwerp (Het Zuid district)
A-Bar sits on one of the prettier streets in Het Zuan, just a short walk from the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. It is a compact place, maybe sixty seats on a good day, but they pack in three large screens and a projector that drops down from the ceiling for the big fixtures. The crowd here skews younger, mostly locals in their twenties and thirties who treat match day like a social event as much as a sporting one.
What to Order: The house beer, a local pils that rotates seasonally, goes for around 2.80 euros a glass. Their bitterballen, fried golden and served with mustard, are the best snack to keep you going through ninety minutes.
Best Time: Arrive at least forty-five minutes before kickoff for anything involving Antwerp or Club Brugge. The place fills fast, and the good spots near the main screen go first.
The Vibe: Loud, energetic, and a little chaotic. The sound system is decent but gets overwhelmed when the crowd really gets going. One thing most tourists would not know is that the back room has a smaller screen showing a different match, so if your game is not the main event, you can still watch in peace.
A local tip: the street outside has limited parking, and the tram stop on the corner (tram lines 3 and 5) is your best bet. On big European nights, the whole of Oudevaartstraat turns into an informal extension of the bar, with people standing outside with plastic cups.
The Big Screen Experience at Café de Pelikaan
Pelikaanstraat 32, 2018 Antwerp (near Antwerp Central Station)
You cannot miss this one. It sits on Pelikaanstraat, the busy shopping street that runs from the diamond district toward Central Station. Café de Pelikaan has been a fixture here for decades, and it has leaned hard into the sports bar identity in recent years. They have installed a massive LED wall, roughly four meters across, that dominates the back of the main room. On Champions League nights, the energy inside is electric.
What to Drink: Try the Antwerpse Bolleke, the signature beer of De Koninck brewery, which is brewed just a few kilometers from here. It comes in at around 3.50 euros and pairs perfectly with their loaded fries, which arrive drowning in samurai sauce.
Best Time: Weekday European matches starting at 21:00 are the sweet spot. The after-work crowd has already settled in, and the atmosphere builds naturally through the evening.
The Vibe: This is a proper Belgian café first and a sports bar second, which means the furniture is old wood and mismatched chairs, not stadium seating. The sound is piped through overhead speakers, and during tense moments the entire room goes silent before erupting. The one complaint I will offer is that the single toilet at the back becomes a real bottleneck at halftime.
Most people do not realize that Pelikaanstraat was historically the heart of Antwerp's diamond trade. The café itself has photos on the wall from the 1970s showing the street when it was lined with diamond dealers. Watching a match here, you are sitting in a piece of the city's commercial history.
The Pub Feel at The Old Sloop (formerly The Old Seadog)
Oudeleeuwenrui 34, 2000 Antwerp (Historic Center)
The Old Sloop is an Irish pub in the old town, tucked along the canal-side street of Oudeleeuwenrui. It has the dark wood interior, the Guinness taps, and the framed jerseys on the wall that you would expect, but what sets it apart for sports viewing is the consistency of the crowd. This is where Antwerp's expat community and long-term residents come together, and the atmosphere for Premier League and rugby matches is reliably excellent.
What to Order: A pint of Guinness costs about 5.20 euros, and their fish and chips, battered in-house, is one of the better versions you will find in the city center. On match days they also do a burger deal with a beer for around 14 euros.
Best Time: Saturday afternoons for English football. The 13:30 and 16:00 kickoffs draw a packed house, and the post-match analysis goes on for hours.
The Vibe: Warm, rowdy, and genuinely friendly. The staff know regulars by name, and newcomers get pulled into conversations quickly. The downside is that the Wi-Fi is unreliable near the back tables, so do not plan on checking live stats on your phone if you are sitting in the far corner.
A local tip: the canal path behind the pub connects to the Sint-Jansvliet, and on warm match days some fans spill out onto the waterfront with their drinks. It is technically not allowed, but the police tend to look the other way as long as people are respectful.
The Local Derby Spot at Sportpaleis Bar & Grill
Schijnpoortweg 119, 2170 Merksem (adjacent to the Sportpaleis arena)
This one is technically in Merksem, the district just east of the city center, but it is worth the short tram ride. The Sportpaleis Bar & Grill sits right next to the famous arena where Antwerp Giants play basketball and where major concerts happen. On game nights for the Giants, this place transforms. The screens are everywhere, the sound is arena-quality, and the crowd is almost entirely local Antwerp fans who have been following the team for years.
What to Order: The ribs, slow-cooked and glazed with a Belgian brown sugar sauce, are the signature dish. A portion runs about 18 euros and is easily enough for one person. Pair it with a Palm ale, which is brewed in nearby Steenhuffel.
Best Time: Friday evenings when the Giants are playing at home. The bar opens an hour before tip-off, and the pre-game atmosphere is almost as fun as the game itself.
The Vibe: This is sports viewing Antwerp at its most authentic. You are sitting with people who actually know the players' names, not just the jersey numbers. The room is large enough that it never feels claustrophobic, but the energy stays high. One honest critique: the food service slows down noticeably right before games start because everyone orders at once.
The Sportpaleis itself has been a landmark since 1933. It hosted the Rolling Stones, Prince, and countless other acts. The bar carries that same legacy of spectacle, just on a smaller, more intimate scale.
The Neighborhood Favorite at Café Den Engel
Grote Markt 3, 2000 Antwerp (Grote Markt)
Den Engel sits right on the Grote Markt, the main square, with a view of the Brabobrug and the guild houses. It is technically a Belgian beer café with over two hundred labels on the menu, but on match days they roll out a portable screen and the terrace becomes a viewing party. There is something surreal about watching a Champions League final while sitting in one of the most photographed squares in Belgium.
What to Drink: This is the place to try a Trappist beer. The Westmalle Tripel, at around 4.50 euros, is a classic. Their cheese platter, served with fig jam and walnuts, is the ideal match-day snack for those who want something more refined than fries.
Time: Summer evenings are unbeatable here. The terrace seats about forty people, and when the weather cooperates, watching a match under the open sky with the Renaissance architecture of the Stadshuis glowing behind you is hard to top.
The Vibe: Relaxed and social. This is not the place for hardcore chanting and fist-pumping. It is where you bring a friend who wants to enjoy the game without losing their voice. The drawback is that the single portable screen is not ideal for a group larger than about fifteen people, all of whom need a clear sightline.
A local tip: the Grote Markt gets extremely busy on weekend evenings, especially during the summer tourist season. If you want a terrace seat for a match, arrive early or ask the staff to hold a table. They are usually accommodating if you are ordering regularly.
The Late Night Option at Bar Burbure
Vrijdagmarkt area, near the Theaterplein, 2000 Antwerp (City Center)
Bar Burbure is a smaller, more intimate spot that comes alive after midnight. While most sports bars in the city center start winding down around 23:00, Burbure keeps the screens on for late night boxing, MMA, and South American football that kicks off at odd hours. The crowd here is a mix of night owls, shift workers, and die-hard fans who refuse to go to bed before the final whistle.
What to Order: The espresso martini, at about 8 euros, is surprisingly good for a sports bar. For food, keep it simple with their croque monsieur, which arrives hot and properly gratinéed.
Best Time: After 23:00 on fight nights or when there is a Copa Libertadores match on. The atmosphere is completely different from the early evening crowd, more subdued but intensely focused.
The Vibe: Dim lighting, close quarters, and a sense of being in on a secret. This is not a tourist spot. Most of the people here are Antwerp locals who have been coming for years. The one thing to know is that the ventilation is not great, so if you are sensitive to cigarette smoke from the outdoor smokers drifting in, ask for a seat near the front.
The Vrijdagmarkt area has a long history as a gathering point for public events, dating back to medieval times when it hosted weekly markets and public executions. The tradition of people coming together in this part of the city for shared experiences has never really stopped.
The Craft Beer and Football Combo at Tapas 2.0 (Sports Bar Section)
Kloosterstraat 84, 2000 Antwerp (Het Zuid)
Kloosterstraat is the main artery of Het Zuid, Antwerp's trendiest neighborhood, and Tapas 2.0 occupies a prime spot along it. The front section functions as a regular tapas bar, but the back room is set up specifically for sports viewing with two large screens and a dedicated sound system. The craft beer selection is the best of any sports bar on this list, with rotating taps from Belgian microbreweries like Alvinne and De Ranke.
What to Order: Ask the bartender what is on tap from a Belgian microbrewery. The selection changes weekly, and the staff are genuinely knowledgeable. For food, the patatas bravas with aioli is the go-to, at around 9 euros.
Best Time: Sunday afternoons for Jupiler Pro League matches. The back room fills with a mix of locals and expats, and the post-game discussion over another round of beers can easily stretch into the evening.
The Vibe: Hip but not pretentious. The crowd here cares about both the quality of the beer and the quality of the match. The minor complaint is that the back room can get warm when it is full, and the air conditioning struggles on busy summer afternoons.
Het Zuid was historically a working-class neighborhood that has transformed over the past two decades into the cultural heart of Antwerp. Kloosterstraat itself used to be lined with small workshops and warehouses. Now it is galleries, restaurants, and bars like this one, but the street still has a gritty authenticity that prevents it from feeling overly polished.
The Student Crowd at De Muze
Melkmarkt 15, 2000 Antwerp (near the University of Antwerp)
De Muze is a legendary Antwerp café on the Melkmarkt, just a few minutes from the university campus. It has been a student hangout for generations, and on match days the young crowd brings an intensity that is hard to match anywhere else in the city. The screens are modest in size, but the energy more than compensates.
What to Drink: A Stella Artois costs about 2.50 euros, making this one of the more affordable options on the list. Their spaghetti bolognese, at around 11 euros, is a student staple that has not changed in decades.
Best Time: Any evening when there is a Belgium national team match. The red and black jerseys come out in force, and the singing starts well before kickoff.
The Vibe: Unpolished, loud, and completely unselfconscious. This is where Antwerp's students come to be themselves, and the match is just the excuse. The downside is that the space is tight, and if you are taller than average, the low ceiling and cramped seating can get uncomfortable after a couple of hours.
The Melkmarkt itself dates back to the 16th century and was originally, as the name suggests, a milk market. The square still has a raw, ungentrified quality that makes it one of the most authentic spots in the city center. De Muze has been part of that character for as long as anyone can remember.
When to Go and What to Know
Antwerp's sports bars are busiest from September through May, which covers the European football season, the rugby internationals, and the NBA schedule. Summer is quieter, though the Copa América, Euros, or Olympics can still pack a place out. Most bars open by 11:00 or 12:00 and stay open until at least 01:00, with places like Bar Burbure going later.
Cash is becoming less common, but it is still worth carrying some euros, especially at older cafés like Den Engel or De Muze where the card machine can be temperamental. Tipping is not obligatory in Belgium since service is included, but rounding up or leaving one or two euros is appreciated and standard practice.
The tram system (operated by De Lijn) is the easiest way to move between neighborhoods. A single ride costs 2.50 euros if bought in advance through the app, or 3 euros if purchased on board. Taxis are available but expensive, and ride-sharing options are limited compared to larger European cities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the standard tipping etiquette or service charge policy at restaurants in Antwerp?
Service charge is legally included in all menu prices in Belgium, so tipping is not expected. However, it is common to round up the bill or leave one to two euros in casual settings like cafés and sports bars. For a meal totaling 35 euros, leaving 37 or 38 euros is considered polite and sufficient.
Are credit cards widely accepted across Antwerp, or is it necessary to carry cash for daily expenses?
Visa and Mastercard are accepted at most bars, restaurants, and shops in Antwerp. Some smaller cafés, particularly older establishments in the city center, may have a minimum card spend of 10 euros or may prefer cash. Carrying 20 to 40 euros in cash as a backup is advisable, especially for smaller purchases like coffee or a quick beer.
Is Antwerp expensive to visit? Give a realistic daily budget breakdown for mid-tier travelers.
A mid-tier traveler should budget approximately 100 to 140 euros per day. This covers a hotel room at 70 to 90 euros, meals at 25 to 35 euros (lunch around 12 euros, dinner around 18 to 20 euros), local transport at 5 to 8 euros, and a few drinks at 10 to 15 euros. Museum entry fees range from 8 to 12 euros per venue.
What is the safest and most reliable way to get around Antwerp as a solo traveler?
The tram and bus network operated by De Lijn covers the entire city and runs frequently from early morning until around midnight. Trams 3, 5, 9, and 15 connect the major neighborhoods. Antwerp is generally safe for solo travelers, though the area around Central Station and the Rivierenhof park can feel isolated late at night. Walking is pleasant in the city center, which is compact and well-lit.
What is the average cost of a specialty coffee or local tea in Antwerp?
A standard coffee (koffie or noir) costs between 2.50 and 3.50 euros at most cafés. A cappuccino or latte runs 3.50 to 4.50 euros. Specialty coffee shops in neighborhoods like Het Zuid may charge up to 5 euros for a flat white or pour-over. Tea is generally cheaper, ranging from 2 to 3 euros for a pot at a traditional Belgian café.
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