How we work

Trust is part of the itinerary.

Travel advice can cost people money, time and hard-earned annual leave. These are the standards we use to make our recommendations useful, candid and worthy of that trust.

Last reviewed 1 August 2026

01

Original judgement, visible sources

We use first-hand experience where we have it and authoritative sources where facts can change. Fixture, transport and entry information is linked to the source whenever possible.

02

Dates are treated as perishable

Travel information changes. Guides carry a review date, and we tell readers to reconfirm fixtures, opening hours, availability and border requirements before committing money.

03

Commercial relationships are labelled

If a link may earn Must Love Football a commission, we label it. A commercial relationship does not guarantee inclusion and does not buy a positive verdict.

04

Group planning stays intentionally private

Shared trip rooms are unlisted and excluded from search. We collect only what is needed to coordinate the group and never ask you to paste passports, card details or sensitive documents into a room.

05

Contributors control their participation

A conversation is not blanket permission. We agree attribution, channels, translation, imagery, commercial reuse and compensation before publishing contributor work.

Our publishing labels

Know what you are reading.

MLF pick
An editorial recommendation selected for its fit with the trip, not because a partner paid for placement.
Partner link
A clearly marked outbound link where we may receive value if you visit or book. Prices and terms belong to the partner.
Official source
A club, competition, venue, government or transport source used for a fact that travellers should verify directly.
Field note
A subjective observation or practical tip. It is context, not a guarantee that every visit will be the same.

Fact confidence

Three labels. No blurred lines.

Time-sensitive travel claims carry a confidence label, a review date, and an official source when one exists.

Confirmed
Published by the responsible competition, club, venue, government, or transport authority.
Expected
A reasonable planning assumption, clearly separated from confirmed procedure and subject to change.
Unverified
Research or local context that MLF has not yet verified strongly enough to support a booking decision.

Contributor standard

Relationships deserve explicit permission.

Before publication, MLF records what is being contributed, how it may be edited or translated, where it may appear, whether a partner may reuse it, how the contributor will be credited, and what value returns to them.

  1. 01

    Scope

    Agree the quote, story, recommendation, image, footage, or introduction being provided.

  2. 02

    Usage

    Name the website, email, social, promotional, translated, and commercial uses separately.

  3. 03

    Credit

    Confirm the contributor’s preferred name, role, links, anonymity needs, and review expectations.

  4. 04

    Return

    Record payment, expenses, links, copies, introductions, or another agreed form of reciprocal value.

What earns a recommendation

  • • A distinctive connection to football, place or local culture
  • • Practical value for the traveller we are writing for
  • • A fair assessment of cost, effort, access and trade-offs
  • • Enough confidence to explain who it is — and is not — for

Corrections and updates

If something is wrong or meaningfully out of date, tell us. We check the underlying source, correct material errors and update the review date where the change affects planning.

Report an issue

The short version

We want you to take the trip — not take our word for it.

Use our judgement to make a better shortlist. Use official sources to make the final call.

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