BVB fans benefit – UEFA lowers ticket prices

Author: Soccer-ticket.com | Published on 10. September 2024

The European team competitions are a major highlight of the season for everyone involved. On 29 August 2024, the draw for the 2024/2025 UEFA Champions League season took place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. As a result, Borussia Dortmund fans also learnt which opponents await BVB in the newly established UEFA Champions League. In addition to the new format in the European competitions, fans can expect a change in ticket prices.

Guest tickets: regulation by UEFA

The European football association already set an upper limit for guest tickets in 2019. According to this regulation, home teams in the Champions League were allowed to offer tickets in the cheapest category to visiting fans at a maximum price of 70 euros. In the UEFA Europa League, the price was 45 euros and in the UEFA Conference League 25 euros.

The hosts often not only utilised this limit to the full, but also exceeded it. This fact annoyed the fans, leading to vociferous protests in the past. At the guest match against Paris Saint-Germain, FC Bayern Munich fans displayed various banners: “70 euros? We are still not Neymar. Twenty is enough! Fuck, PSG!” was written on them.

But it wasn’t just the Bayern fans who disagreed with the ticket prices, as the away trips were particularly annoying for Borussia Dortmund fans. Borussia Dortmund offered tickets to visiting fans for around 20 euros, while their own fans had to pay more than three times as much.

UEFA decision: price reduction in all European competitions

A small improvement is in sight for BVB fans following UEFA’s decision, as the association is reacting to the increasing protests and adjusting the prices of guest tickets. The price reduction in all European competitions (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League) was announced in a press release.

The regulation reduces ticket prices in the top flight by 10 euros. In the 2024/2025 season, guest tickets in the cheapest category may only cost EUR 60 instead of EUR 70. In the UEFA Europa League, ticket prices will fall from €45 to €40, while home teams in the UEFA Conference League will be allowed to charge a maximum of €20 for tickets for visiting teams.

Ticket price reduction: a long-term process?

For fan representatives and fan organisations, the price reduction is a partial success in improving the fans’ match experience. But UEFA also announced another decision. In close cooperation between the fan organisation Football Supporters Europe (FSE) and the European Club Association (ECA), the regulation provides for a further price change in the 2025/2026 season.

As part of this agreement, it was decided to reduce the price of guest tickets for the 2025/26 season. Accordingly, the price will be reduced to a maximum of EUR 50 in the UEFA Champions League and EUR 35 in the UEFA Europa League. There will be no price change in the UEFA Conference League for the 2025/2026 season.

Ticket prices for European competitions: clubs determine the price

The final decision on the price that visiting fans have to pay for tickets lies in the hands of the club organisers. Even if BVB fans have to pay significantly more than their own visiting fans when travelling away, the lowering of the upper limit on ticket prices will at least make the Champions League experience a little cheaper for fans.

Nevertheless, fans will have to pay more overall than last season if they want to accompany their team on all away trips. The new league system increases the number of away matches from 3 to 4.