Industry News

Chelsea and Arsenal allocated 28,000 tickets for FA Cup final

Arsenal and Chelsea will both receive a 28,000-ticket allocation for next month’s FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

The Football Association said the ticketing allocations for the final “remain consistent with 2016”, when the figure for the two clubs’ supporters was raised by 12 per cent. The allocation of 56,000 for the two finalists is around 63 per cent of Wembley’s 89,000 capacity, or 80 per cent of what the FA described as “available seating”.

The FA announced that the west side of the ground will hold the Chelsea supporters, while the east end has been assigned to Arsenal fans.

The FA said that 14,000 tickets are to be given to the ‘football family’. Those earmarked for the outstanding tickets – which make up around 16 per cent of the stadium’s capacity – include volunteers representing counties, leagues, local clubs and charities.

Last month English football’s governing body stated that ticket prices for the final would be frozen following last year’s reduction.

The FA announced a £5 ($6.50/€5.90) reduction on ticket prices across all price points, which means adult prices are £45, £65, £85 and £115.

The match is scheduled for 5.30pm on May 27.

For Arsenal’s semi-final against Manchester City, the northern side struggled to sell the full 33,000-ticket allocation that it received for the game at Wembley Stadium.

The issue stemmed from the game being held on a Sunday afternoon, creating travel challenges for the City fans. Arsenal, the London-based team, received the same allocation and sold out quickly.

Last month, the Emirates airline, which is the FA Cup’s title sponsor, advertised Wembley tickets in exchange for 15,000 air miles.

However, the FA assured fans that FA Cup semi-final and final tickets offered by Emirates Airlines to their customers will not affect supporter allocation.