The race is on for Liverpool fans wishing to attend the Europa League final this year, with UEFA opening the ticket portal on Tuesday.
The prices and allocations were confirmed on the association’s website this morning, with the two finalists receiving a mere 12,000 tickets each, and a further 12,000 available to the general public to purchase. Applicants are able to request up to four tickets in the various price categories.
The most expensive seats (Category 1) cost €150 each, with Category 2 available for €100 and Category 3 going for €65. Fans first tickets (reserved for the two finalists) are €40 each, the same price as accessibility tickets for spectators with disabilities.
The Times’ Henry Winter shared the details via X after the announcement, saying that demand is ‘going to be crazy’ with fans of the two clubs in the Europa League final being allocated just 12,000 tickets each.
Europa League finalists receive 12,000 tickets each (of 48,000). Another 12k available directly to fans of the finalists and general public. Demand going to be crazy, especially if #LFC reach Dublin. Fans First (fans of the teams): €40; Cat 3: €65; Cat 2: €100; Cat 1: €150.
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) April 9, 2024
While Dublin’s Aviva Stadium has a capacity of 51,711 – about 50% more than the attendance at Basel’s St Jakob Park when Liverpool were last in the Europa League final in 2016 – demand for tickets is still going to be insane, particularly if the Reds make it to the showpiece fixture.
Kopites who’ve made far-flung trips to the likes of Istanbul, Athens and Kiev for previous European finals will be glad that they’ll only need to make a short hop across the Irish Sea this year, if Jurgen Klopp’s side can overcome Atalanta and then either Benfica or Marseille.
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Nonetheless, LFC supporters will understandably be fuming at why the club will only be guaranteed 12,000 tickets when that figure is less than 25% of the stadium’s capacity, and why more than 15,000 seats appear to be held back for corporate sponsors and other avenues inaccessible to the public.
With a distinct possibility of Reds fans travelling to Dublin even without a match ticket in their hand, there have been discussions about a possible fan venue at the 82,300-capacity Croke Park on the northside of the city, although that reported plan remains unconfirmed.
Hopefully Liverpool will make it to the Europa League final and, if so, that the matchday experience is far more pleasant than the horrific scenes witnessed in Paris two years ago.