Football Ultras

Football is a game of passion, which is followed almost like a religion by some people. Fans treat football stadiums around the world as their church, temple or mosque.

These stadiums are where fans go to experience togetherness and a sense of belonging. For some fans, football is life, but for some it is much more; these supporters are referred to as ‘The Ultras’.

What is an Ultra?

The term Ultra refers to a highly organised group of hardcore supporters of a particular football club who often orchestrate chants, pyrotechnics, tifos, or bang drums to help create a partisan atmosphere at home grounds and intimidate the opposition.

Most ultra groups are considered a positive force amongst the fans. However, there have been times when certain ultra groups have been involved in negative activity off the pitch, such as violence and hooliganism, which have often created a negative perception of ultra groups.

The Ultra culture started in Italy in the 1960s and 1970’s. However, in recent decades, the culture has spread to other European countries and some South American countries.

Supporters of clubs in Eastern Europe are now amongst some of the most infamous Ultra groups in the world.

Which Clubs Have Ultra Groups?

Two of the most traditional Ultra groups in the game are understandably from the home of Ultras, Italy, as two of the most renowned Ultra groups in the country are Milan’s Fossa dei Leoni and Lazio’s Irriducibili.

Milan does have other Ultra groups, but the Fossa dei Leoni are the most infamous. Other Italian clubs, such as Napoli, Inter and Roma, also have Ultra groups.

In Germany, one of the most famous ultra groups is Ultra Sankt Pauli, which belongs to St. Pauli. The group hold strong left-wing political views, which tend to focus on anti-nazi sentiment.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s ultras are called Ultras Frankfurt 97, which was founded in 1997. They are considered one of the most influential Ultra groups in the country.

Meanwhile, Dortmund’s ultras are among the most famous in Europe. These occupy the Yellow Wall Stand at Signal Iduna Park. Amongst the ultras at Dortmund are the Unity and Desperados Dortmund, part of the Südtribüne Dortmund alliance.

It is believed that there are 25,000 ultra groups across 300 different clubs in Germany alone.

Elsewhere, Turkish giants Galatasaray’s ultrAslan are reported to be the largest ultra group in the world, with a reported 100,000 members.

Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb’s Bad Blue Boys are considered one of the most influential and well-organised ultra groups on the continent.

The same goes for rivals Hajduk Split, whose Torcida Split group is reported to have been formed in 1950, and claims to be one of Europe’s oldest ultra groups.

Meanwhile, in South America, the likes of Brazilian clubs Flamengo and Corinthians, and Argentinian counterparts Boca Juniors and River Plate have strong ultra groups.

Like their rivals, Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce also have ultra groups who are considered among the most passionate and intimidating in Europe.

Serbian outfit Red Star Belgrade’s ultra group, called ‘Delije’, are amongst the most vocal, intense and intimidating in the European game.

Ultra groups are not just active in Europe and South America, though, as Egyptian groups Ultras Ahlawy (Al Ahly) and Ultras White Knights (Zamalek) have also made a name for themselves in the ultra scene.

Biggest Ultra Groups in World Football

Club	Ultras group	Country	Founded
AC Milan	Curva Sud Milano	Italy	2010
AFC Ajax	F-Side	Ajax	1976
Al Ahly SC	Ultras Ahlawy	Egypt	2007
AS Roma	Fedayn	Italy	1972
Atlético Madrid	Frente Atlético	Spain	1982
FC Bayern Munich	Schickeria München	Germany	2002
Beşiktaş JK	Çarşi	Turkey	1982
Boca Juniors	La 12	Argentina	1925-ish
Borussia Dortmund	The Unity (and Südtribüne groups)	Germany	2001
Celtic	Green Brigade	Scotland	2006
SC Corinthians Paulista	Gaviões da Fiel	Brazil	1969
Dinamo Zagreb	Bad Blue Boys (BBB)	Croatia	1986
Galatasaray	ultrAslan	Turkey	2001
Hajduk Split	Torcida Split	Croatia	1950
Inter Milan	Curva Nord Milano 1969	Italy	1969
PAOK FC	Gate 4	Greece	1976
Paris Saint-Germain	Collectif Ultras Paris / others	France	2010s
Portland Timbers	Timbers Army	United States	2001
FC Porto	Súper Dragões	Portugal	1986
Rangers FC	Union Bears	Scotland	2007
Red Star Belgrade	Delije	Serbia	1980s
River Plate	Los Borrachos del Tablón	Argentina	Unknown
FC St. Pauli	Ultra Sankt Pauli	Germany	1980s+

Do Ultras Have a Negative or Positive Effect on the Game?

While most ultra groups have been a positive force for clubs, improving the atmosphere at their teams’ games, it has been the negative behaviour of the groups that has often made the news in recent years.

It is hard to differentiate between fan violence and violence orchestrated by the ultras of any particular football club.

However, there have been incidents attributed to ultras. One of the most notorious incidents involving ultras was when Marseille and Eintracht Frankfurt met in the Champions League in Naples in 2023.

Despite travel restrictions, Eagles ultras still travelled to Italy, and violence erupted, as German fans set fire to vehicles. The Italian police intervened, but the incident raised questions about the police’s handling of international ultras.

Just a year before, Frankfurt fans had also been involved with Marseille fans in France ahead of the teams facing off in the Champions League. The French police used tear gas on both sets of fans. There was a large police presence in Marseille, as both teams have infamous ultra groups.

One of the worst incidents involving ultras came in Athens, Greece, in 2023 ahead of a Champions League qualifier between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb.

Clashes between the two sets of reported ultras resulted in the fatal stabbing of one of the home fans. The incident led to UEFA postponing the game, and multiple authorities looking at how it happened and how it could be avoided in the future.

These are the extremes of the ultra groups. It would be wrong to label all ultras as people who go out looking for trouble. In fact, ultras attend games all over the world and cause very few problems.

They are often the first fans at a stadium, helping put up tifos and creating an atmosphere in support of their team. The stereotype of ultra groups has had negative connotations over the years, which is wildly unfair to an often-well-meaning group of fans who simply love and want to support their football club passionately.