The Infamous Yellow Wall

A while back, my dad, brother, and I spent a weekend in Germany’s ninth-largest city of Dortmund. Historically known for its steel production and breweries, Dortmund has successfully transitioned from its industrial roots into a modern hub of technology and culture, all while maintaining an enormous passion for football. Most of the time, it is a relatively tranquil city, but on match day it becomes something entirely different. Fans line the streets armed with drums, flares, and banners, creating a sea of yellow that is truly a sight to behold.

Originally, we had planned to buy our tickets online before the match, but things didn’t quite go to plan. We travelled without knowing whether we would be inside the stadium or watching the game from a pub. Unfortunately for us, we had chosen a match where Dortmund could secure Champions League qualification, meaning tickets sold out before reaching general sale. Naturally, as most grown men would, we turned our lack of tickets into an excuse for a pub crawl around the city, asking locals if they knew of anyone with spare tickets. While this approach didn’t pay off, we did at least become very well versed in ordering three pints of beer.

Thankfully, a couple of hours before kick-off, we managed to secure three tickets and what a match it turned out to be. Inside the stadium, 86,000 fans chanted relentlessly for 90 minutes, while the away section bounced in almost perfect unison. After taking an early lead, Dortmund went on to win 3–0, securing their Champions League spot in emphatic fashion. Experiencing the famous Yellow Wall was truly a bucket list experience.