Pitch Access Index
Not talent. Not tactics. Access.
Football is often explained through talent, coaching, or systems. But beneath all of that sits something more fundamental: access. The Pitch Access Index (PAI) maps how available the game actually is — measured by the number of playable pitches relative to population.
Across countries, access is uneven. Some produce elite players with limited infrastructure, while others invest heavily yet struggle to convert access into outcomes. PAI doesn’t explain everything — it reveals where opportunity exists, and where it doesn’t.
Ranking based on available data • Last updated on 11.04.20226
| Rank | Country | Population | Pitch count | PAI per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden | 10,569,709 | 6,036 | 0.571 |
| 2 | Austria | 9,177,982 | 5,115 | 0.557 |
| 3 | Germany | 83,516,593 | 45,630 | 0.546 |
| 4 | Belgium | 11,858,610 | 5,633 | 0.475 |
| 5 | France | 68,551,653 | 32,082 | 0.468 |
| 6 | Italy | 58,952,704 | 26,139 | 0.443 |
| 7 | Netherlands | 17,993,485 | 7,690 | 0.427 |
| 8 | Poland | 36,559,233 | 10,037 | 0.275 |
| 9 | England | 58,620,100 | 14,307 | 0.244 |
| 10 | Spain | 48,848,840 | 10,999 | 0.225 |