35,000 England fans are expected at Berlin’s Olympiastadion for Sunday’s Euro 2024 final against Spain, despite the official number of tickets standing at 10,000, The Guardian reports.
Many tickets on general sale are expected to be snapped up by England fans, who will take their place in the stadium alongside the usual large entourage of UEFA dignitaries and corporate sponsors.
A spokesperson for the Football Supporters’ Association said that the allocation for the 71,000-stadium confirmed “the old story” of tickets being kept from supporters. They said:
“It’s tickets going to the wrong people in the first place. There will still be 30,000 England fans in the stadium but many will have ended up paying way over the odds on the black market.”
The 10,000 number is about 50% more than is officially allocated at the moment, and is distributed to members of the England Supporters’ Travel Club. This is the group that is behind the gate at matches and where the strongest support (and drumbeat) comes from.
England are expected to get a seat in the west stand of the Olympiastadion, which still houses the cauldron that once held the Olympic torch during the 1936 Nazi games. The Olympiastadion is in the far west of the German capital.
The FSA has repeatedly warned fans wishing to buy tickets through unofficial channels that they could fall victim to fraudsters. It said:
“We are reminding supporters of the risks when purchasing tickets via unofficial third party websites or social media accounts. There is every chance you could lose your money and end up with no ticket – it happens to many fans at every tournament.”
