The Ten Most Dangerous Fanbases In World Football (Ranked)

Celtic’s legendary European Cup-winning manager Jock Stein once famously said, “Football without fans is nothing,” and there can be no question that is true.

Fans are the lifeblood and at the heart of any football club and are often more important than the players on the pitch. However, sometimes some fans take their passion too far. And as a result, have earned a reputation for being a group of fans that should not be messed with.

But who’s the most dangerous? Here’s our list for the ten most intimidating fan bases across the world.

10: Hajduk Split:

No better place to start than with Hajduk Split, whose ultras ‘Torcida Split’ are officially the oldest supporter group in the world. Being formed in 1950 following the World Cup in Brazil.

The group are massively prominent across the Dalmatia region of Croatia, where Hajduk and rivals Dinamo Zagreb dominate the country's supporter scene.

Clashes between the two in the ‘Eternal Derby’ always see violence, with one particular derby in 2004 seeing Hajduk fans ambush a car of Dinamo fans by throwing flares forcing them out the vehicle, before attacking them

9: Millwall:

“No one likes us, we don’t care” is the famous chant heard on most match days at Millwall’s the Den.

The chant stems from the fact that Millwall have one of the strongest reputations for fan violence in England, a reputation which comes from the 1970s and 1980s, when football hooliganism was at its highest.

Millwall supporters have been involved in various violent incidents, with one particular clash with Luton Town in 1985 at Kenilworth Road that saw both sets of fans clash before the game, and violence carried on during the match. With Millwall supporters throwing objects at Luton fans and onto the pitch, one hitting Luton goalkeeper Les Sealey.

8: Ferencvaros:

Hungary’s most popular club, Ferencváros, from the capital, Budapest, have a frantic and fanatic support, making them one of the fiercest in Europe, and their ultras group’s name certainly matches that reputation: ‘The Green Monsters’

The group was formed in 1995 and share a strong rivalry with city rivals Újpest and MTK Budapest, and a 2025 European clash with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar saw members of the ultras group disguise themselves as Stewards in order to attack rival fans

7: Olympique Marseille:

The ultras of Marseille, the oldest supporter group in France, are notorious for creating often stunning tifo displays and choreographies, making the atmosphere at the club’s striking Stade Velodrome stadium one of the strongest in the world and one of the most daunting for away supporters and players.

Clashes with fierce rivals Paris Saint-Germain, by far the biggest clash in French football, always sees violence occur. With a 1995 meeting seeing 146 arrested due to clashes between both sets of supporters.

In 2010, one PSG fan sadly lost their life before a game between the two, prompting the French FA to ban away fans for the fixture.

6: SS Lazio:

Italy is home to many clubs with famously passionate supporters, with Inter, AC Milan, Napoli and Roma all having notorious fan groups who are amongst the most famous in Europe. But it’s those of Lazio that perhaps are the most intimidating.

The ultras, Curva Nord, have established a reputation for violence. With incidents such as stabbings from both sides are often common when facing fellow Rome rivals AS Roma, whilst a Europa League tie vs Real Sociedad saw some members of the ultras group attack rival fans, leaving nine injured and the mayor or Roma labelling the violence as ‘shameful’

5: Olympiacos:

Greece is a country known for lots, but football may not be one of the first things that comes to mind. But the country has a strong football culture scene.

The country’s most successful and popular club, Olympiacos, and their ultras group, Gate 7, are famous for their intimidating atmosphere.

The group has been linked to incidents in the past, with a 2019 match with Bayern Munich seeing some members of the group attack Bayern fans during an under-19 match between the two, hospitalising five.

4: Galatasaray:

‘Welcome to Hell.’ read banners around Galatasaray’s Rams Park stadium, and for good reason.

Notoriously one of the loudest and most intimidating fanbases in Europe, Galatasaray supporters have become famous for their intense matchday atmosphere.

They aren’t alone in Istanbul when it comes to an extreme level of passion, with rivals Fenerbahçe combining for one of the world’s fiercest derbies. In 2013, a Galatasaray fan stabbed a Fenerbahçe fan to death following a derby.

3: River Plate

When it comes to fan culture, no country does it like Argentina. The country's big five clubs (River Plate, Boca Juniors, Independiente, Racing Club and San Lorenzo) all have incredibly passionate and often intimidating supporter groups. But we’ve given River the place in this list.

Their fans are world famous for the right reasons, creating incredible displays and noise on matchdays, but they have also been involved in acts of violence.

In 2018, River Plate met Boca Juniors in the final of the Copa Libertadores; however, the second leg of the final had to be relocated to Madrid due to fears of safety in Buenos Aires following River supporters attacking the Boca Juniors team bus on the way to the stadium for the original date of the second leg of the final.

There’s a reason why the Superclásico is known as the fiercest derby in the world.

2: Partizan Belgrade

Few rivalries in Europe match that of the Eternal Derby of Belgrade, the battle for supremacy in Serbia between Red Star and Partizan

Both sets of fans are incredibly passionate and often take that passion to the extreme. In 2013, a derby saw 104 arrests made for violence that occurred before, after and during the game.

However, Partizan ultras are responsible for the most famous act of violence in the fixture, as a 1999 derby saw a young Red Star fan killed after Partizan supporters fired a rocket into the Red Star end.

1: Wisla Krakow

Polish football fans are often notorious for their hooliganism, but none are more infamous than the fans of Wisla Krakow.

The club has multiple ultras groups who combine to create one of Europe’s most intimidating matchday atmospheres with noise, pyro and tifo displays

However, it’s not just the matchday atmosphere that has given Wisla Krakow fans their reputation. Their supporter groups have been involved in various forms of criminal trouble over the years.

A 2011 incident saw members of one of the club’s ultras groups, ‘The Sharks’, found guilty of murdering a fan of rival side KS Cravovia.