NYON, Switzerland (AP) — When it comes to charging traveling fans for Champions League tickets, German clubs give the best value to away teams and Scottish clubs the worst.
Celtic and Rangers routinely charged visiting fans 70 euros ($77) – the UEFA-mandated maximum for the away section at Champions League games – last season while Bayer Leverkusen asked for just 15 euros ($16.50), according to research published Tuesday by Football Supporters Europe.
The FSE, UEFA’s official fan liaison group, claimed safe standing areas for away fans at European games was key to driving down prices. The average cost for fans to stand was 28% lower than seated areas at Champions League games.
The average price for an away ticket in the Champions League was 47 euros ($51.50) last season. Prices had peaked at 119 euros ($130) five years ago before UEFA capped the ticket price for away fans.
German clubs had four of the five lowest average away prices. Bayern Munich was the exception of the five German teams in the 2022-23 competition.
The FSE wants UEFA to keep up the pricing pressure next season when clubs are set to get more prize money and overall match revenue when the Champions League expands from 32 to 36 teams, with each playing eight games instead of six.
“It is FSE’s firm position that clubs have a responsibility to reward the loyalty of traveling fans and to facilitate affordable pricing, especially considering the increase of revenue for all clubs,” Football Supporters Europe Executive Director Ronan Evain said in a statement.
The price cap for away fans in the Europa League last season was 45 euros ($49) and the average cost was 29 euros ($32).
In the third-tier Europa Conference League the cap was 35 euros ($38) and the average was 20 euros ($22). The most expensive tickets were again in Scotland, charged by Hearts, according to FSE. UEFA lowered the cap to 25 euros this season.
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