How do I get to the Etihad Stadium from Manchester city centre by tram?

Take the tram from Manchester Piccadilly station and get off at Etihad Campus station, which is 4 stops away. From there, it's about a 2-minute walk. Before boarding, you need to either purchase a ticket from the machine at the stop or tap a card like Travel Wallet on the reader. You must also tap your card again when you get off.

Where is the home seating section located at the Etihad Stadium?

The home seats at the Etihad Stadium are located on the left side when facing the pitch. If you book seats on the right side, you will be close to the away section, meaning the chants from the away fans can be very loud.

Can I get a discount when buying merchandise at the official Man City store?

Yes, if you are a member or taking the stadium tour, you can get a 10% discount. The author of the original article purchased two jerseys and two scarves, and paid a total of 191 pounds after applying the discount.

Where should I wait to get a close look at the Man City players leaving after the match?

After exiting the Etihad Stadium, head straight to the right and wait at the entrance of the training ground to see the players leaving. Since cars in the UK have the driver's seat on the right, it's best to stand on the driver's side for a better view of the players.

What is the transportation like when returning to the city centre from the Etihad Stadium after a match?

Right after a match, trams are severely delayed and ride-hailing services like Bolt are hard to get. Taking a regular taxi to the city centre can be expensive, costing around 40 pounds. Therefore, it is highly recommended not to make any tight schedules immediately after the game.

Man City Etihad Stadium Match Review & Fan Tips

Of all the things on my UK itinerary, this was the one I was most hyped for:

Watching Manchester City live at the Etihad Stadium!

I managed to grab adjacent seats in the 3rd row of the 1st tier. Getting that close to the players and seeing their faces clearly was an absolute dream come true.

If you want to know how I scored these incredible lower-tier seats, I’ve detailed my ticketing tips and cancellation hacks in the post below:

How to Book Man City Tickets: Tips on Snagging First-Tier Consecutive Seats

Getting to the Etihad Stadium

📍 Etihad Stadium
Etihad Stadium, Etihad Campus, Manchester M11 3FF, United Kingdom

Getting to the Etihad Stadium from Manchester city center is incredibly straightforward.

Just hop on the tram from Manchester Piccadilly Station. It’s only a 4-stop ride to the Etihad Campus station. From there, it’s a quick 2-minute walk to the entrance!

Crucial Tram Tip: Unlike regular city buses where you tap inside, you must purchase your ticket before boarding!

You can buy a physical ticket at the platform machines, or if you have a contactless card (like a travel card or digital wallet), simply tap it on the yellow reader on the platform before boarding.

Don't forget to tap out at your destination platform when you get off, or you'll be charged a maximum fare!

To be honest, we ended up just taking a Bolt to get there. We left about 1.5 hours before kickoff, encountered zero traffic, and it only cost us around $9 (6.80 GBP).

I initially thought there was only one statue, but David Silva, Vincent Kompany, and Sergio Agüero each have their own dedicated statues. Take a walk around the stadium perimeter to spot them all!

The stadium looks absolutely majestic up close!

Local fans gather early to catch the players arriving. The crowd was so dense that there was no way to squeeze in, so I gave up on that pretty quickly. If you want a good spot to see them arrive, plan to get there at least 2 hours before kickoff.

The City Store

The official club store is located right near the main parking lot, making it very easy to find.

It gets incredibly packed on match days. If you can, I highly recommend visiting on a non-match day, perhaps when you come for a stadium tour.

Club members get a 10% discount, but the same discount is also given to anyone holding a stadium tour ticket.

I heard that pre-printed player jerseys can sell out on match days, but when I went, there were plenty of Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and Phil Foden shirts left.

They have everything from the current season's kits to retro throwback jerseys. The store is actually on the smaller side compared to some other massive European clubs, and they don't sell signed memorabilia here.

I desperately wanted to buy a windbreaker, but I talked myself out of it, thinking I wouldn't wear it much back home.

I was debating which scarf to buy and picked up the pink one on the right because the color was so vibrant. Turns out, it was actually the Manchester City Women’s team scarf!

I ended up being the only person at the men's match proudly rocking the women's team merch!

I'm a huge Haaland fan, but having his giant face on a scarf felt a bit much for me. Right next to me, a young local kid didn't hesitate for a second. He yelled "Haaland!" and grabbed it immediately. Now that’s a true fan.

I bought this custom keyring the next day during our stadium tour. It takes a little while to make, so definitely buy this on a tour day rather than match day to avoid the lines.

We picked up two jerseys and two scarves. With the 10% membership discount, the total came out to 191 GBP (approx. ~$122 based on current rates). It felt like a solid deal for official gear!

Pre-Match Bites Nearby

Since it was a 3:00 PM kickoff, we grabbed some chips from a fish and chips shop right across the street. The taste? Well... it was basically thick-cut fries covered in a generic curry sauce and another mystery gravy. Very British, but nothing to write home about!

There's no indoor seating, so everyone just hangs out on the benches outside to eat.

Entering the Stadium

If you’re an iPhone user, you’ll likely have your ticket saved in Apple Wallet. Just check the entrance letter printed on your ticket to find your gate.

Each gate is clearly marked with large letters (like the "R" on the left), making it very easy to navigate.

They perform security and bag checks at the gate. Small handbags and the plastic bags from the City Store are allowed right through.

The interior concourse is very clean and modern. Even the restrooms were surprisingly spotless.

A word of warning: the food and drinks inside are overpriced and honestly not great. I highly recommend waiting until after the match to eat a proper meal in town.

I took a photo from the very back of the 1st tier, and the view wasn't as good as I expected. If you want to see the overall flow of the match, you might actually prefer the front rows of the 2nd tier!

The seats are standard hard stadium plastic, but the legroom was quite generous.

I also went to Anfield for a Liverpool match, and compared to that, the Etihad feels like first class in terms of space.

Once I realized I was holding the women's team scarf, I was too embarrassed to hold it up fully, haha!

This is the bench area where the coaching staff and substitutes sit. Note that at the Etihad Stadium, the home team's bench is on the left side.

Usually, the home bench is on the right when looking at the pitch, so I booked seats on the right side... oops!

The big screens are crystal clear and the sound system is top-notch.

Pro Tip: Enter the stadium about an hour early and head down to the stairs near the pitch. You can watch the players warm up right in front of you. Even if it’s not your assigned seat, security is pretty relaxed about letting fans stand here pre-match.

Thanks to getting in early, I got an incredibly close look at the squad.

Once the warm-up session ended and the players headed back to the tunnel, everyone went back to find their actual seats.

Match Experience: Manchester City vs. Southampton

The away end on the right was packed with Southampton fans, and their energy was incredible right from the whistle. Honestly, it sounded like a Southampton home game at times!

People often say the atmosphere at the Etihad is a bit lacking compared to Anfield or Old Trafford, and it is noticeably quieter.

But that doesn't mean they don't care. The home fans definitely make themselves heard during crucial chances, goals, or when the opposition starts time-wasting!

We got a goal just 4 minutes into the first half! Hearing the entire stadium chant "Erling Haaland! Erling Haaland!" gave me absolute goosebumps.

I was hoping for a 4-0 blowout, but unfortunately, we couldn't find the back of the net again for the rest of the match.

The Southampton manager was screaming instructions on the touchline non-stop. He’s a young manager and his passion was clear to see.

In contrast, Pep Guardiola looked like a casual spectator, standing with his hands in his pockets, quietly analyzing the game. I barely heard him raise his voice once during the match.

Pretty cool to see him so close!

We grabbed some coffee and hot chocolate at halftime. Seriously, don't buy these. They were entirely tasteless.

Since our section was relatively calm, I mostly just soaked in the chants coming from the louder stands across the pitch.

I kept hoping İlkay Gündoğan would find his peak form again. Watching him struggle on the pitch lately has been a bit stressful as a fan!

The highlight of the second half was actually right in front of us. An elderly fan sitting nearby was basically rapping a continuous stream of tactical advice at the players.

When Southampton brought on Adam Lallana as a sub, this fan immediately started winding him up. Lallana actually turned around and yelled "F*** you!" straight back at him!

The entire section burst out laughing, and the old man was so proud of himself that he high-fived his buddy. You can only experience this kind of authentic banter live in the stadium.

The match ended in a 1-0 victory for Man City. At this point in 2026, navigating games without Rodri has been tough, but a win is a win!

Manuel Akanji and Rúben Dias did a quick lap to applaud the fans before heading down the tunnel.

A 0-0 draw is always a risk when traveling all this way, so I'm just incredibly grateful we got to see that early Haaland goal.

Catching the Players After the Match

If you head out of the Etihad Stadium and walk to the right, you'll reach the training ground gates where players drive out after the match.

If you're not sure where to go, just follow the crowd of fans heading that way.

Even though we left the stadium immediately after the final whistle, security guards and a crowd of fans were already lined up at the barriers.

Tip: Since cars in the UK are right-hand drive, make sure to stand on the right side of the exit lane if you want to get a clear look at the players in the driver's seat.

James McAtee was the first player to drive out.

It’s a bit blurry, but I managed to snap Kevin De Bruyne! He was leaving with his son in the passenger seat.

And then came Bernardo Silva! He actually wanted to roll down his window to sign autographs, but security urged him to keep moving because of the heavy traffic backlog behind him.

Bernardo is always so great with the fans. On regular match days (compared to training days), players rarely stop for photos or autographs, and most just drive straight out. Bernardo was the only one who even tried to stop!

Hard to see, but that's Phil Foden driving out with his girlfriend.

We waited for about 40 minutes in total, saw Ederson drive past, and then decided to head back to the city center. If you want to see every single player, expect to wait at least an hour or more.

Getting Back to the City Center

The plan was to take the tram from Etihad Campus back to Piccadilly, just like we came. However, the post-match tram service is notoriously delayed.

We waited on the platform for 30 minutes past the scheduled arrival time, and with no tram in sight, we decided to give up and look for a taxi. (Bolt was completely unavailable due to high demand).