Updated 6 min read Mary Kaynelidi
How to See a Football Match in Thessaloniki, 2026-27
Thessaloniki is the only Greek city outside Athens with three clubs competing in national football at once: PAOK and Iraklis 1908 in Super League 1, and Aris Thessaloniki fielding both a Super League 1 football side and a Basket League basketball team. Mood's listings currently track 30 football fixtures and 11 basketball games across the three clubs' home grounds between now and late February 2027, spanning Super League 1, Super League 2 and Greek Cup football alongside Basket League matches - enough live sport in one mid-size city to build an entire weekend trip around, whether the plan is one derby or a quieter Tuesday-night ground.
PAOK at Toumba Stadium
PAOK's Toumba Stadium sits in the Toumba district, a short taxi or bus ride from the city centre, and has a reputation as one of the loudest home grounds in Greek football - Thyra 4, the stadium's main stand, is where the club's most committed supporters gather. By the time this article is read, PAOK's Greek Cup tie against AEK Athens at Toumba on Wednesday 28 October will likely already have been played; the fixtures below are the ones still open to plan around.
PAOK's confirmed home dates in Mood's Super League 1 calendar: Asteras Tripolis on Sunday 1st November, 19:00, Kifisia on Sunday 22nd November, 19:30, Volos NFC on Sunday 6th December, 19:30, and the derby against Panathinaikos on Sunday 13th December, 19:30. Further out, three fixtures still carry unconfirmed kick-off times - standard this far ahead of a Greek Super League round - against Olympiacos on Saturday 16th January, Panetolikos on Saturday 30th January, and AEK Athens on Saturday 13th February.
Full club and fixture page: PAOK on Mood. Four of those seven home league dates already carry a locked kick-off time in Mood's data; the three biggest-sounding ones - Olympiacos, Panetolikos and AEK Athens - are still marked TBC, the same scheduling lag the Greek federation applies to most clubs' run-in fixtures months out.
Aris Thessaloniki at Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium
Aris play at Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium, in the Charilaou area about 4km from the centre and roughly 6km from the main railway station. The nearest metro stop is Nea Elvetia; bus 10 (toward Harilaou) stops right by the ground, and bus 11 (toward Pileas) stops a short walk away at Mistakidi, with services at least every ten minutes on matchdays. Tickets are sold through the club's official site and at the stadium's own windows.
Aris's home Super League 1 dates on Mood: Panetolikos on Saturday 7th November, 19:30, Olympiacos Piraeus on Sunday 29th November, 19:00, AEK Athens on Sunday 20th December, 19:30, and the city's own derby against PAOK on Sunday 10th January, 19:30. A Greek Cup tie against Panserraikos is also on the board for Wednesday 2nd December. Three later fixtures - Kifisia, Panathinaikos and Levadiakos - don't have confirmed kick-off times yet; check back closer to the date.
Full club and fixture page: Aris Thessaloniki on Mood.
Iraklis 1908 at Kaftanzoglio Stadium
Iraklis 1908 is back in Super League 1 this season after years bouncing between divisions, which makes its home ground, Kaftanzoglio Stadium, the cheaper and easier option of the three - smaller crowds, shorter ticket queues, and a historic venue in its own right: built in 1960 and substantially rebuilt ahead of the 2004 Athens Olympics, with a capacity of roughly 27,700 on Agiou Dimitriou street.
Iraklis's home Super League 1 fixtures on Mood: Panathinaikos on Sunday 8th November, 17:30, Panetolikos on Saturday 28th November, 21:00, and the local derby against Aris Thessaloniki on Saturday 12th December, 21:00. Later dates against Volos NFC, PAOK, OFI Crete and Olympiacos are also tracked, several still with kick-off times to be announced.
Full club and fixture page: Iraklis 1908 on Mood.
Buying tickets and getting into the stadium as a visitor
Every Super League and Greek Cup match now runs on digital entry through the Gov.gr Wallet app, a nationwide system rolled out from April 2024, so a printed ticket alone generally won't get a visitor through the gate. Greek residents link their ticket to the app using their TaxisNet login; foreign visitors without one follow a separate route built into the same app - selecting the "Non Greek Resident" option on the Gov.gr Wallet home screen, scanning the ticket's code, and then scanning an NFC-enabled passport to confirm identity. Clubs have in the past offered a manual fallback at the ticket office for visitors whose identification fails to process, though the exact arrangement varies by ground and match, so it's worth checking directly with PAOK, Aris or Iraklis before travelling (checked 28th October 2026).
Buy only through each club's official site or its listed partners (PAOK also sells through Ticketmaster) - resale marketplaces exist for all three clubs but carry no guarantee the digital-entry step will work smoothly on matchday.
Basketball in Thessaloniki
Aris Thessaloniki's basketball team plays Basket League games at Alexandreion Melathron, with Panathinaikos visiting on Sunday 1 November and Olympiacos Piraeus on Sunday 15th November. PAOK's basketball side plays at PAOK Sports Arena in Pylaia, its home since 2000, where the city derby against Aris is scheduled for Saturday 21st November. Iraklis Thessaloniki, the basketball club sharing its name and colours with the football side, plays at "Ivanofeio" Sports Arena, with PAOK visiting on Saturday 31st October and AEK Athens on Saturday 21st November. None of Thessaloniki's clubs currently play in the Euroleague - that competition is an Athens-only affair in Greece, via Olympiacos and Panathinaikos - so these Basket League fixtures are the city's own top-flight hoops. Mood's data also shows the city's two derbies running on noticeably different clocks this season: PAOK and Aris meet on the basketball court on 21st November, more than seven weeks before their football sides face off on 10th January.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to buy a football ticket in advance, or can I just show up?
Buy in advance where possible. Big fixtures against Olympiacos, Panathinaikos or AEK Athens sell out gates in the days before kick-off, and the digital Gov.gr Wallet identification step takes a few minutes to complete, so arriving without a pre-bought, pre-linked ticket risks missing entry entirely.
Which Thessaloniki match is easiest for a first-time visitor?
An Iraklis 1908 game at Kaftanzoglio Stadium is the gentlest introduction - smaller crowds, simpler ticket queues, and a lower-stakes atmosphere than a PAOK or Aris derby weekend.
Is it safe to attend a PAOK vs Aris or PAOK vs Olympiacos derby as a foreign visitor?
Derbies draw the loudest, most crowded atmospheres in Greek football and are generally well-policed, but away-end tension is real on fixtures like PAOK-Olympiacos or the two Thessaloniki derbies. Sitting in a home-end family section, bought through the club's official channel, is the lower-risk option for a first visit.
What time do matches in Thessaloniki usually kick off?
Super League 1 fixtures mostly run late afternoon to evening, generally between 17:00 and 21:00 local time on weekends, with some weekday Cup ties starting earlier. Roughly a third of the fixtures this far into the season still show kick-off time as "to be announced" - standard for Greek top-flight scheduling months out.
Is English widely understood at the stadiums?
Ticket office staff at all three clubs generally handle basic English for visitors, and the official club sites have English-language sections, but matchday announcements and signage are in Greek throughout.
Every fixture above, plus the rest of the season as it's added, is on Mood's Thessaloniki sports hub, alongside the city's live music calendar for pairing a match with a night out afterwards.
Find events
See every Thessaloniki fixture on Mood
