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Tickets for the European Cup are expensive, even for away fans. The fan association Football Supporters Europe (FSE) believes that it is too expensive. Germany’s clubs offer cheap tickets in comparison, keyword: standing room.
Football Supporters Europe has analyzed ticket prices for men’s away games in the three European club competitions Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League in the 2022/23 season. The report was published on Tuesday (November 27th, 2023) and was available to the Sportschau in advance.
“Away fan prices vary enormously and a significant number of clubs continue to systematically charge the maximum permitted prices without taking into account the impact on fans.”, writes the fan alliance in a press release. The two Scottish clubs Celtic Glasgow and Glasgow Rangers are likely to be addressed, as tickets for visiting fans in the Champions League cost an average of 70 euros. It wasn’t that expensive anywhere else.
According to FSE, the two Glasgow clubs have charged the maximum price limit for away tickets in all games. In the Champions League it is 70 euros, that’s what UEFA has decided. In the Europa League, tickets for visiting fans can cost a maximum of 45 euros, in the Conference League 35 euros. At the same time, ticket prices for away fans must not exceed the prices for tickets for home fans in a “comparable category”.
Ronan Evain is Executive Director of Football Supporters Europe. He also has his say in the message. Clubs have the responsibility “Reward the loyalty of traveling fans and enable affordable prices”says Evain. The fan alliance will closely monitor developments and also submit its messages to UEFA.
Standing places lead to cheaper prices in Germany
Evain probably didn’t mean Germany’s representative in the European Cup with his criticism. They offered relatively cheap ticket prices for away fans during the study period. If you look at all three competitions, the average price for a ticket was 34 euros. In Germany it was 25.88 euros. In the ranking, Germany appears between Lithuania (25 euros) and Liechtenstein (26.65 euros).
In the Champions League, a ticket for the guest block for games in Germany cost an average of 27.58 euros. Only in Croatia was the price cheaper (20.57 euros). In fact, only four countries are below the average entry price of 47 euros; in addition to Croatia and Germany, these are Austria and Portugal.
Tickets for visiting fans in Germany are just under 20 euros “cheaper than average”, writes Football Supporters Europe. The alliance also has an explanation. It’s as simple as it is obvious, it’s about standing room. Their availability has changed in Germany “particularly positive” has had an impact, the statement says.
Champions League football was nowhere cheaper for away fans than in Leverkusen
A standing room ticket for the guest block would have cost just 15 euros in Germany, for example in Leverkusen. Nowhere was Champions League football cheaper for away fans than there. The fans of Leverkusen’s opponents Atlético Madrid, FC Brugge and FC Porto benefited from this in this competition. Leverkusen was eliminated after the preliminary round, played in the Europa League from then on and made it to the semi-finals.
Among the five clubs with the cheapest tickets on average for visiting fans in the Champions League, not only Leverkusen appears, but also RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt. FC Bayern, the fifth German representative in the Champions League, ended up in eighth place. Here too, admission for visiting fans was below average.
And the prices for visiting fans in the European Cup in Germany were apparently comparatively low not only in the 2022/23 study period, they are also in the current season. When Newcastle United played in the Champions League in Dortmund at the beginning of November, fans of the Premier League club had a banner with them. It said: “Change from £20 – thank you BVB.” BVB charged less than 20 euros for tickets for the guest block, something they are not used to in Newcastle.