Free Lionesses guide to Leuven – April 2025

The Lionesses are heading to Belgium next week as they continue their UEFA Nations League campaign.

Kick-off is 7.30pm BST at the Den Dreef Stadium in Leuven. The game will be broadcast live on ITV for those staying home.

City guide

Leuven is around 15 minutes from Brussels airport and 20 minutes east from Brussels city centre – information on connections to the town are on the Belgian Rail website here. 

Generally, it’s a small, walkable town that you shouldn’t have too many problems getting around.

Food and drink

• OPEK – OPEK | Openbaar Entrepot voor de Kunsten
• Het Stuk (arts centre with pretty cool lounge bar) – OPEK | Openbaar Entrepot voor de Kunsten
• De Spuye (more basic brasserie style place but nice location in a park-ish setting close to sports infrastructure)
• Oude Markt – You can sample many beers here but just be careful of the alcohol percentage. Oude Markt | Visit Leuven

Things to do in Leuven

If you’ve got time before or after the match, here’s a selection of things to see and do in the area:

• Oude Markt – Lots of brilliant buildings and some deem it the longest bar in the world
• Stadhuis (Town Hall)
• Sint Pieterkskerk (St Peter’s Church)
• Hortus Botanicus Lovaniensis
• Stella Artois Factory

Contacts

If you need the emergency services ring 112.

If you’re in Belgium and you need urgent help (for example, you’ve been attacked, arrested or someone has died), call +32 2 287 62 11 to reach the British Embassy. If you’re in the UK and worried about a British person in Belgium, call 020 7008 5000 (24/7, 365 days a year).

Matchday meetup

On matchday, supporters are encouraged to head along to tar Nine Bar (Oude Markt 9, 3000 Leuven) from 1pm to 5.30pm.

Free Lionesses volunteers and FA staff – who are set to be at the stadium turnstiles before kick-off – will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.

Bar Nine is about 25 minutes walk from the stadium or 15 minutes away via public transport. The venue serves food and children are welcome.

Information from the Belgian FA

The Belgian FA have produced a comprehensive English-language guide to the Leuven Stadium and it is available to download in PDF format here.

Their guide covers everything from bag policy, prohibited items, entry procedures and more.

It’s also important to note the Dan Dreef Stadium is cashless.

All tickets for the game will be digital tickets. Make sure you have your ticket downloaded and ready to go before you get to the turnstiles – ticket information from the Belgian FA here. Supporters will need to sign in using their original purchaser details to access their tickets.

Free Lionesses

For more info on what the Free Lionesses team are up to and social meets taking place around the fixture, follow them on social media – via Twitter (now called X) or Instagram

Thanks to Rachel Major, head of the “The Gang” Lionesses atmosphere group and FSA National Council representative for the background information provided in this guide.