Professional football is and remains an absolute spectator magnet. This can be seen not least in the Bundesliga – one of the leagues with the most spectators worldwide. Tickets for first and second division football stadiums are in high demand everywhere, while top clubs in particular regularly sell out. If you want to see the top match between BVB and Bayern Munich, for example, you need good contacts or a bit of luck.
However, all venues in the first and second Bundesliga are always worth a visit. Whether it’s the Allianz Arena in Munich or the “Stadion an der alten Försterei” in Berlin – there’s a good atmosphere everywhere thanks to the German fans. Here you’ll find all the information you need to buy tickets, tips on the secondary market and further details on visiting the stadium.
Here is an overview of the current Bundesliga stadiums
Popular stadiums in Europe
Where can I buy tickets for Bundesliga football stadiums?
The first port of call for tickets to German football stadiums is usually your favourite club. All professional clubs have a ticket shop on their website and also provide information on alternatives such as a ticket hotline. However, tickets are not always readily available everywhere. Only season ticket holders, who often make up more than half of the total number of spectators, have a guarantee of admission to the stadium.
Club members have priority for the sale of the remaining tickets. For many clubs in the first and second Bundesliga, this means that the entire capacity of the stadium has already been utilised. Conversely, this means that occasional stadium visitors either have to pay for a club membership or hope for a free sale of day tickets.
The Bundesliga clubs also operate their own secondary market platforms, which can be used to buy any unused season tickets as one-day tickets. However, club members usually also have the right of first refusal.
An option for anyone who simply wants to experience a match in a football stadium can be found on the general secondary market. Platforms such as Viagogo or StubHub are often referred to as the black market. Nevertheless, these are offers that are open to the public and exist outside of the clubs’ ticket shops. The special feature: even for top matches such as the DFB Cup final, there are offers on the secondary market, while these are usually sold out directly through official channels.
Away tickets, tickets for people with disabilities, family tickets, etc.
When buying tickets for football stadiums, a distinction must of course be made between the home section and the guest block. Football stadiums in the first and second Bundesliga must provide at least 1,500 seats for visiting fans. Fans buy the necessary away tickets from the respective visiting club, while the home club determines the ticket price.
Furthermore, the clubs must also offer tickets for people with severe disabilities, such as wheelchair users. As a rule, these tickets cost as much as tickets in the cheapest ticket category in a stadium.
Whether and to what extent there is a family block, tickets for children or other special areas in the football stadium varies from club to club and is not prescribed by the DFL. In case of doubt, interested parties should contact the fan representatives or disabled fan representatives of the clubs. One interesting example is Arminia Bielefeld, which is the first German professional club to offer a stadium box for autistic fans.
How much does admission to football stadiums in Germany cost?
As individually different as the ticket situation in football stadiums is, so too are the prices. After all, the price level of the Bundesliga is still below that of other top leagues such as the Premier League in England. In Dortmund, for example, seats are available from €36 for full payers and Bayern Munich seats are also available from €40. A seat in the higher category costs between 60 and 80 euros at these clubs.
Of course, the less prominent and smaller clubs are much cheaper. VfL Wolfsburg, for example, offers tickets for seats from as little as 19 euros and charges just 44 euros for the most expensive tickets. Apart from the seats, there is also a standing area in almost all football stadiums in this country, where a visit to the stadium costs the least. However, tickets for standing areas are usually sold in their entirety to season ticket holders and are only occasionally offered on the secondary market.
Where can I get the cheapest tickets for German stadiums?
As mentioned, attending a Bundesliga match at the lowest possible price is also possible for the top clubs. However, the contingents for these inexpensive tickets are very limited and, if available at all, logically sell out quickly.
If you generally just want to experience a game in the stadium and don’t favour a club, the lowest ticket prices are found with the smaller Bundesliga clubs or the promoted teams of a season. Tickets for clubs such as FC Augsburg, VfL Bochum or FSV Mainz 05 tend to be easier and cheaper to obtain, as the fan base and therefore the general demand is lower than for BVB, Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and so on.
Football tickets on the secondary market
Many interested parties are put off buying tickets on secondary market platforms by the term “black market”. However, the fact that this term is wrongly used is demonstrated by countless serious offers. These are simply private ticket holders who are unable to use their tickets for individual reasons and therefore offer them for sale.
Although the clubs’ general terms and conditions prohibit the resale of tickets in this way under certain conditions, buying tickets from Viagogo, StubHub and the like is legal in any case. In fact, this is often the only way to get tickets for matches with high demand. It is therefore important to know a few aspects of the secondary market:
- Ticket prices are determined by private sellers and are often higher than in official advance sales.
- The official ticket exchanges act as intermediaries between sellers and buyers.
- For greater buyer protection, secure payment methods such as PayPal should be used.
- Football tickets are often personalised, so that a transfer of the ticket must be arranged after the ticket purchase.
Apart from the ticket exchanges mentioned above, offers for football tickets can also be found on social networks or eBay. Although these options are also part of the secondary market, transactions usually take place abruptly. It is precisely in this way that cases of fraud sometimes occur, with payments by bank transfer in particular being a common method used by fraudsters. This results in the advantage of official ticket exchanges with a secure payment system.
What must be observed in German football stadiums?
Anyone buying tickets for a first or second (and sometimes third) division football stadium in Germany must bear in mind that the tickets are personalised in almost all cases. This means that a ticket is always issued to a specific person and is only valid for that person. This also applies to the authorisation to travel on public transport, which is included with some tickets.
Anyone buying a ticket on the secondary market should therefore ensure that the ticket is transferred. Clubs usually offer a ticket app that allows ticket holders to easily transfer their ticket to another person.
It is also important to note whether a ticket is valid for the home or guest block of a stadium. Particularly for spectators in the guest sector, there are sometimes strict regulations in German stadiums regarding the carrying of fan paraphernalia. Logically, the fan clothing, if available, should also match the respective fan block.
Can you pay with cash in football stadiums?
Finally, another important point for stadium visitors is the payment system in the football stadium. It is not always possible to buy food, drinks or fan paraphernalia such as scarves in cash. Instead, some clubs rely either on contactless payment or even a club’s own system. One example of the latter is “Mainpay” at Eintracht Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park, which works via the club app “mainaquila”.
Conclusion
Whether it’s the DFB Cup final, a top match in the Bundesliga or a relegation play-off – professional football in Germany is always a fantastic experience for all spectators. Tickets for the best seats in the stadium sell out quickly almost everywhere, if not all capacity is used up immediately. Those who have no luck in the official advance sale can find an alternative on the secondary market.
Depending on the ticket category, the price can be higher. However, ticket exchanges such as Viagogo are sometimes the only real chance of attending your favourite club’s stadium. In this country, it is important to note that tickets must be personalised, but this can usually be conveniently transferred via an app.
If you have secured admission to the football stadium, you only need to observe the possible requirements for the guest or home area with regard to fan clothing and fan paraphernalia. The clubs provide more detailed information on their website. There you will also find information about possible methods of payment on site, as it is not always possible to pay for stadium sausages and drinks in cash. It is also worth studying the ticket information carefully: in many cases, tickets are even valid as travel authorisation on local public transport on the day of the match.