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UEFA Reveal Nation With Worst Behaved Fans in Europe – England 6th Best Behaved
Football supporters – especially those who travel all around the houses to watch their club/country perform in the flesh – are typically given a hard time. They have long been slammed for how they conduct themselves at matches; and poor behaviour has often led to bans, fans and sanctions for both clubs and national teams.
Each year, UEFA – who are well-known as European football’s governing body – publish their fair play rankings to reveal the best and worst-behaved fans in Europe. Each national association is scored, and ranked, on some key criteria:
Red and yellow cards.
Respect for opponents.
Respect for the referee team.
Behaviour of team officials.
Behaviour of spectators.
According to UEFA’s official rulebook, the Fair Play Regulations “aim to foster sporting attitudes and conduct among players, team officials and spectators” – which means that nations must adopt a collective effort to rise up the rankings, which are produced after UEFA delegates make an assessment. Scores are averaged over the 12 months to produce the final score.
50-41
Kicking things off as the worst-behaved supporters on the European stage are those in Albania, a country that have no club in any of UEFA’s three primary club competitions. Therefore, a large chunk of their 66 matches involve the national team – all in all, they have a lowly fair play score of 6.774; Croatia, elsewhere, have a score of 7.228.
Albania are in the same qualification group as Serbia for next summer’s World Cup – and that match-up, one of the most hotly-contested thanks to the historical tensions in that region, could see their scores rise. During a World Cup qualifier in June, UEFA fined the Albanian FA and ordered a partial stadium closure, with 20% kept empty for their following game, while Serbia’s current score sits at 7.239.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Cyprus then follow in 47th and 46th. Turkey – who have both Galatasaray and Fenerbahce competing in Europe – boast a score of 7.62 and find themselves just behind Switzerland and Monaco, which is the second-smallest nation in the entire world, in the overall standings.
The likes of Porto and Jose Mourinho-managed Benfica are flying the flag high for Portugal, though their position on the list suggests they have supporters who are poorly behaved at matches. They are sat 42nd on the list, with a score of 7.744, and are just behind Kosovo, who possess a score of 7.75.
Position
National Association
Matches Played
Fair Play Score
50.
Albania
66
6.774
49.
Croatia
118
7.228
48.
Serbia
111
7.239
47.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
92
7.395
46.
Cyprus
93
7.5
45.
Turkey
140
7.62
44.
Switzerland
116
7.622
43.
Montenegro
78
7.687
42.
Portugal
175
7.744
41.
Kosovo
73
7.75
40-31

Romania and Italy are separated by very little as we enter the top 40. That’s not to say that they are well-behaved given they are so far down on the list – but UEFA have definitely seen improvements. The latter may have supporters of Napoli and Inter Milan, to name a couple, to thank for their lowly position on this list.
The Italians, who have been observed across 242 matches, sit in 39th – and they are just behind Slovenia, with a score of 7.866, and Israel, who many believe should be banned from competing due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Albeit controversially, Israeli top flight outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv are currently competing in the Europa League.
Armenia, Hungary, Greece, Sweden, North Macedonia and Poland are among those to finish off this category. The latter’s international matches aside, Lech Poznan are currently plying their trade in Europe’s third tier club competition – which, perhaps, may explain why they are in the position they are.
Position
National Association
Matches Played
Fair Play Score
40.
Romania
103
7.836
39.
Italy
242
7.838
38.
Slovenia
120
7.866
37.
Israel
68
7.875
36.
Armenia
75
7.9
35.
Hungary
104
7.923
34.
Greece
108
7.951
33.
Sweden
133
7.988
32.
North Macedonia
65
8.052
31.
Poland
130
8.095
30-21

Paris Saint-Germain ace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will be looking to fire his nation, Georgia, to some sort of glory in the coming years – and should he do so, he’ll be doing it for fans who are relatively well-behaved. Just ahead are France, who have none other than PSG batting it out on the European stage for the nation, and Belgium, who have a score of 8.164.
Bulgaria and Ukraine are, by a margin, better behaved than Belgium, according to UEFA’s latest report – and they, respectively, have scores of 8.166 and 8.209.
Austria and the Netherlands are somewhat smackbang in the middle of the 50 nations – in 25th and 24th, respectively, with the latter counting on the likes of Ajax and PSV Eindhoven to do them proud on the European stage. To round off the section, we have the Republic of Ireland (8.304), Latvia (8.333) and Spain (8.431).
La Roja are the reigning champions of Europe after beating England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final – and fans would’ve been in high spirits over last summer. For Spanish clubs competing continentally, the usual outcome is victory and that’s perhaps why they are almost creeping into the top 20 best-behaved nations. Not yet, though, with a score of 8.341.
Position
National Association
Matches Played
Fair Play Score
30.
Georgia
87
8.096
29.
France
217
8.13
28.
Belgium
150
8.164
27.
Bulgaria
81
8.166
26.
Ukraine
111
8.209
25.
Austria
143
8.247
24.
Netherlands
186
8.288
23.
Republic of Ireland
90
8.304
22.
Latvia
85
8.333
21.
Spain
263
8.341
20-11

Now into the business end of the best-behaved supporters, we start with those of a Czechia persuasion. Of course, there is Slavia Prague competing in Europe for UEFA to take into consideration, but also the games of the national team; overall, from 148 matches, they have a score of 8.357. In 19th is Scotland and in 18th is Germany.
The latter have plenty of sides – Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund – competing in the Champions League and the behaviour of their respective sets of fans, players and coaching staff will have played a massive part in their favourable score of 8.376, which sees them sat just behind Azerbaijan.
Qarabag are the only team from Azerbaijan who are competing at the top of Europe, but they have a smattering of other clubs in the lower-ranked competitions. Andorra, a landlocked country nestled between Spain and France, is up next as the 16th best-behaved fans and players on the continent.

Denmark, Wales – who rely entirely on their international fixtures given no club teams are in European competition – and Finland then follow before this category is rounded off by the respective scores of 8.567 and 8.629 for Northern Ireland and Iceland.
Position
National Association
Matches Played
Fair Play Score
20.
Czechia
148
8.348
19.
Scotland
114
8.357
18.
Germany
224
8.376
17.
Azerbaijan
84
8.483
16.
Andorra
59
8.5
15.
Denmark
110
8.5
14.
Wales
73
8.515
13.
Finland
104
8.547
12.
Northern Ireland
77
8.567
11.
Iceland
81
8.629
10-1

Norway, a country spearheaded by the talismanic Erling Haaland, kick off the top ten with a Fair Play score of 8.661 – and they are followed by Slovakia, whose best and most notable side in Slovan Bratislava are competing in this season’s Europa Conference League. With a score of 8.692, they are the ninth-best behaved supporters on the planet this year.
The duo of Estonia and Malta then follow, respectively, in eighth and seventh with scores around the 8.7 mark. Then, it’s England, who have a whole host of sides competing in the three European competitions – with four sides playing at Europe’s top table – who are the sixth-best nation in terms of their behaviour.
In that time, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur met in the 2024/25 Europa League final and Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea were crowned winners of the Europa Conference League. Despite the mixed reputation of English fans, inbetween England and the table toppers, there are Luxembourg, Lithuania, Kazakhstan and Moldova.
Europe’s best-behaved footballing nation are the Faroe Islands, who are whiskers away from qualifying for their first-ever World Cup after a shock 2-1 win over the Czech Republic. Over a collection of 62 matches at club and country level, they are the only nation with a score above nine – 9.136.
Position
National Association
Matches Played
Fair Play Score
10.
Norway
133
8.661
9.
Slovakia
108
8.692
8.
Estonia
68
8.7
7.
Malta
70
8.708
6.
England
241
8.717
5.
Luxembourg
61
8.727
4.
Lithuania
68
8.857
3.
Kazakhstan
94
8.868
2.
Moldova
81
8.937
1.
Faroe Islands
62
9.136
FA Cup third round LIVE! Match updates, score, match report as Premier League teams enter the competition
Sunday 11 January 2026 14:27, UK
FA Cup third round LIVE!
First Half: Portsmouth 1-2 Arsenal – Gunners score twice from two set pieces! View post
2.30pm: West Ham vs QPR | Sheff Utd vs Mansfield | Hull vs Blackburn | Norwich vs Walsall | Swansea vs West Brom
4.30pm: Man Utd vs Brighton | FT: Derby 1-3 Leeds
GOAL! Portsmouth 1-2 Arsenal (Martinelli, 25)
Arsenal’s set piece strength comes to the fore again!
It’s far too easy for the Gunners from a Portsmouth perspective.
Martinelli rises highest at the near post to flick Madueke’s corner into the back of the net.
FA Cup third round LIVE! Match updates, score, match report as Premier League teams enter the competition
Sunday 11 January 2026 14:10, UK
GOAL! Portsmouth 1-1 Arsenal (Dozzell OG, 8)
Arsenal get an instant response and of course, it is a set piece!
Eze’s corner is flicked on at the near post and there’s a scramble in the box.
Noorgard is there to disrupt as the ball crosses the line.
it’s not clear who got the decisive touch but the goal is given as a Dozzell own goal.
Game on!
FA Cup third round LIVE!
First Half: Portsmouth 1-1 Arsenal – Own-goal cancels out Pompey’s early opener View post
FT: Derby 1-3 Leeds – Leeds complete second-half turnaround View post
2.30pm: West Ham vs QPR | Sheff Utd vs Mansfield | Hull vs Blackburn | Norwich vs Walsall | Swansea vs West Brom
4.30pm: Man Utd vs Brighton
Preview: Portsmouth v Arsenal
Our quest to add to our record 14 FA Cup triumphs begins at Portsmouth’s Fratton Park on Sunday (2pm UK), as our fight for silverware moves onto a fourth front.
We start the first of four successive away games, all in different competitions, by heading to the home of the Championship side for the first time in six years. Back then, we advanced into the quarter-finals of the competition, en route to lifting the trophy in the early months of Mikel Arteta’s reign.
He’ll hope that history repeats itself in more ways than one, and the omens are good as we haven’t lost to Portsmouth in our last 22 meetings, a run that incredibly stretches back 67 years to 1958.
Welcome cup distraction

In their second season back in the second tier, Pompey are once again scrapping to maintain that status. Last term saw them finish 16th, five points above the relegation zone, but things are more precarious this time around, as they sit 21st, one point above the drop zone, albeit with games in hand.
Manager John Mousinho was handed his first managerial role by the club just over three years ago, and has rewarded that faith by leading them to the League One title in his first full season in charge. But after a promising start to this campaign that brought a single defeat in their opening five Championship games, the south-coast club have slowly slipped down the table.
They come into this cup tie with one win in their last four, albeit that came in their last home game – a 2-1 success over Charlton Athletic thanks to a 98th-minute winner. 2026 began with a chastening 5-0 loss at Bristol City, before last weekend’s game against Ipswich Town was postponed due to a frozen pitch, leaving them without a fixture for 11 days.
What the managers say

Arteta: “We want [more trophies] for sure, that’s what we are chasing. That’s the purpose of this team.
“At the end, I think we have to get judged, and we get judged for what we do today. Last week is not important and we will get judged for what we are able to do at the end of the season. One thing is the trophies for our football club and the many other things that you have to do in a football club, especially in the situation we are in.”

Mousinho: “The fact that we have a free week building up to the game and a free week after it means we’re not worried about fixture congestion. The fact that we’ve drawn Arsenal at home means it’s a massive opportunity for us to go and enjoy the day and put on a decent enough performance and enjoy the FA Cup.
“There are some very good sides in the Championship, but it just so happens that this weekend we’re playing one of the best sides in the world. It’s an exciting proposition, a bit of a daunting one as well, but we just have to prepare as we normally would.”
Team news

Piero Hincapie came off during the 0-0 draw against Liverpool on Thursday and is a doubt, while Arteta suggested before that match that Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera are still a little bit away from returning from their injuries.
Max Dowman is nursing a hamstring issue, while Kai Havertz could be an option as he continues to work his way back from the knee injury he sustained on the opening day.
Portsmouth have a packed treatment room at present, which got fuller this week when midfielder Mark Kosznovszky was ruled out long-term with a serious ACL injury, while centre-backs Hayden Matthews (ankle) and Josh Knight (back) have missed recent matches and will do so again here.
Forwards Callum Lang and Josh Murphy are a few weeks away from returning from their hamstring injuries, so Mousinho will be hoping that captain Marlon Pack and striker Colby Bishop will recover from their issues to feature, especially after Minhyeok Yang was recalled by Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week.
Talking tactics

Adrian Clarke: Mousinho likes to use a 4-2-3-1 that focuses hard on releasing his wingers down the sides, but he also occasionally plays a back five. Their young head coach may wish to opt for safety in numbers – but his side are certainly more comfortable in their preferred set-up.
In possession, they have a balanced approach, play through the thirds, and they love to get the ball to their wingers, who tend to put plenty of crosses into the box. But Mousinho’s men will also go direct at times – no Championship side averages more long passes (69 per 90 minutes) than Portsmouth.
Scoring goals has been an issue, netting just 21 times in league games – the second-lowest tally – while their top scorer is central attacking midfielder Adrian Segecic [above] who has four of them. They have also had issues defending crosses which has led to them conceding 14 set-piece goals: the second most at Championship level, while eight of the 35 goals they have let in have been headers.
Backed by vociferous support at Fratton Park, Pompey will try to upset our rhythm with fierce closing down and a well-organised shape. Known for displaying fight on home turf, they have beaten three of the Championship’s top five on their own patch this season, and as shown by the fact they’ve yet to concede more than twice in a home match too, they can be a tough nut to crack.
Facts and stats

Portsmouth are winless in their last 22 games against us in all competitions (D8 L14), dating back to a 5-4 win in March 1958. Only against Chelsea (31 between 1962 and 2012) have they ever had a longer winless run.
We have progressed from all four of our FA Cup ties against Pompey, in 1931/32, 1970/71, 2003/04 and 2019/20. We’ve only faced Brighton and Leyton Orient in more ties with a 100% success rate (5/5).
Portsmouth have lost their last three FA Cup third-round ties and their last five FA Cup ties against Premier League opposition since beating Tottenham Hotspur in the 2009/10 semi-final.
We have been eliminated from the FA Cup third round in each of the last two seasons, albeit against top-flight opposition in Liverpool and Man Utd. We haven’t gone out at this stage in more consecutive campaigns since a run of four between 1938/39 and 1947/48.
Read more
Storey’s pair of penalties pip Portsmouth in 1971
Match officials

Tony Harrington has been handed just his second Gunners game, and we won the previous two. We beat Southampton 3-1 last season, while he was also the man in the middle for last month’s 2-0 success over Brentford. He has refereed 14 games in all competitions this term, averaging 3.1 yellow cards a game, and he has sent off two players and awarded two penalties.
If the scores are level after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time will follow before a penalty shootout if required. VAR will not be in operation at this stage of the competition.
Referee: Tony Harrington
Assistants: Steven Meredith & Sian Massey-Ellis
Fourth official: Leigh Doughty
Previous trips to Pompey
This will be our first trip to Fratton Park since 2020 – the season in which we last won the FA Cup. That encounter was at the fifth-round stage, and a youthful side progressed thanks to goals from Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Eddie Nketiah.
You have to go back to December 2009 for the previous league encounter when we ventured down to the south coast for a Premier League clash, and were 4-1 victors with Eduardo, Samir Nasri, Aaron Ramsey and Alex Song all finding the net. Seven months earlier, we also recorded a three-goal winning margin when a double from Nicklas Bendtner and a Carlos Vela effort secured three points.
Tune into Arsenal.com and the official app just before kick-off to get live commentary of the game, with Dan Roebuck and Adrian Clarke talking you through all the on-field action.
You can also find out which broadcaster is showing the action live wherever you are in the world.
Read more
Ho w to watch Portsmouth v Arsenal live on TV
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