Europe's 55 football nations in one season
For once, this wasn’t a football trip. But it is hard to avoid the influence of Hajduk when visiting Split. Hajduk graffiti is everywhere, not just in Croatia’s second city but all around the surrounding region of Dalmatia, its beautiful … Continued
Ultimate traveller website NomadMania divides the world into 1,301 regions based on territory, population, diversity, economy and tourist appeal. I had visited 373 of the world’s 1,301 regions (England rank: 43 / International rank: 600) as at September 2021. NomadMania … Continued
After publishing a classic early interview in July 2017, the Guardian ran a second feature in October 2019. “A dog, a cat and 22 fans: watching European football’s worst top-flight team”, an edit of the San Marino chapter in Europe … Continued
Santa Clara, the leading club from the Azores, are the most westerly team competing in top division European football. Europe United features a second-tier match when Santa Clara played at Varzim, overlooking a very different stretch of the Atlantic, in March 2018 … Continued
A flashback to the 55. Apart from watching the game, the only other thing I had to do was ask someone to take a photograph of me at every stadium. The backdrops varied whilst some 55FN photographers struggled with my … Continued
Only a few hundred Western football fans travelled to Egypt for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Matt Walker was one of them, watching all 24 teams compete in 15 matches over 9 days for the princely sum of £66. … Continued
Tall trees surrounded the still geothermal waters of Lake Hévíz. I paddled around the lily pads, hoping the minerals would soak away my strains. Hévíz was a brief stop between my second Slovenian match in Krško and Hungarian match in … Continued
Lonely Planet have published a 55 Football Nations interview with Matt Walker, intrepid football fan, as part of their Meet a Traveller series. It’s a routine familiar to millions of devoted football supporters: a sunny Saturday afternoon in the stands, a … Continued