Where to Watch Arsenal in Rome
Short version: for the big screen and a guaranteed seat, Scholars Lounge by Piazza Venezia is Italy’s largest sports pub and it is hard to beat. For something smaller and easy to find when you are wandering the Eternal City, Finnegan in Monti sits 100 metres from a Metro stop.
When the match kicks off (Rome time)
Rome is one hour ahead of London, so UK afternoons land at sensible local hours — no early alarms.
- 12:30pm UK early kickoff to 1:30pm. Lunchtime.
- 3pm UK Saturday to 4pm. The main slot.
- 5:30pm UK Saturday to 6:30pm. Early evening.
- 2pm UK Sunday to 3pm; 4:30pm UK Sunday to 5:30pm.
- 8pm UK midweek (Champions League) to 9pm. A proper night out.
The pubs
Scholars Lounge
Via del Plebiscito 101B, beside Piazza Venezia. Italy’s largest sports pub, 800 capacity, 22+ screens with surround sound, all the Premier League, Champions League and Serie A. Open 11am to 3:30am. Quiz nights, karaoke, live music. The pick when you want the big-room treatment dead in the centre of Rome.
Finnegan Irish Pub
Via Leonina 66, Monti. The only Irish-owned pub in Rome, 100 metres from Metro Cavour, so it is easy to find when you are stumbling around the centre on a match day. Screens all English, Scottish and Irish football. No food, but BYO is allowed.
The Highlander Pub
Vicolo di San Biagio 9, near the Spanish Steps. A Scottish sports pub buried in the lanes off Largo Fontanella Borghese, and the one place in Rome that will put six matches on at once. English commentary, four rooms of screens, and Gooners have watched the Arsenal here for years. Get there early for North London derbies — the football rooms fill before kickoff.
The honest take
Big match, big crowd, want a seat and a screen you can actually see? Scholars Lounge. Want a proper Irish local that is simple to find off the Metro? Finnegan. Want a warren of screens near the Spanish Steps? The Highlander. All three are central and all three speak English football.
Sourced from fans via GoonerPubs. Opening times and what is on the screens change — check before you go. Spot something out of date? Add or update a pub on GoonerPubs.