Fußball, football, or soccer – whatever you call it the game is by far and away the most popular sport in Berlin. Football mania reached fever pitch during the World Cup summer of 2006, when Germans and visitors packed ‘fan mile’ around the Brandenburg gate. Newspapers were full of Germans waving flags, a rare display of nationalism.

Millions of Germans and international fans tune in for German Bundesliga games. Hertha BSC home matches take place at the Olympiastadion (Olympia Stadium). Built during the Third Reich for the infamous 1936 Olympics, the enormous arena seats almost 40,000 spectators. If you visit in the morning, it is often possible to see Hertha practising. The latest Bundesliga standings and results can be found at www.bundesliga.de.