Best Times to Buy Football (Soccer) Tickets

There’s one thing football fans always wonder, and that’s the best times to buy football tickets. The law of demand and supply plays out greatly in ticket sales, meaning that the best times to buy football tickets are when demands are low. While the answer may seem simple, the truth is one must consider several variables before making a decision.

The football season is usually long. In the Premier League, for example, each team faces 19 opponents twice throughout the season, bringing the total number of games for a single team to 38. These are beside the team’s other commitments in Europe (for a top side like Manchester City or Liverpool) and domestic competitions like the FA Cup and League Cup.

As a football fan, it is imperative that one knows the right time to purchase tickets. This means all the factors must align in one’s favor. Without wasting any time, let’s delve into the best times to get your hands on quality football tickets at good prices.

When are the Best Times to Buy (Soccer) Football Tickets

There are times to buy football tickets, which are considered the best:

Pre-season

Pre-season games are seen as more professional training ahead of the new season, so this may be one of the best times to buy a football ticket and watch your team in action.

The results don’t often matter in pre-season, meaning there are low demands for tickets, giving you the perfect opportunity to get a good seat at a very reasonable price.

Football fans in the United States can always take advantage of this as teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Barcelona often have their pre-season tours in the States.

Last-minute Tickets

If there’s one thing we all know about football, it’s that it’s inevitable. Football tickets, too, can be tricky, so there’s always hope for last-minute buyers. The best thing about last-minute tickets, if any happen to be available, is that they are generally more affordable than the regular tickets.

Below are some of the best sources for last-minute deals;

• Online marketplaces: The digitization of football tickets has made it possible for legal third-party purchases to take place on online marketplaces such as Visitfootball. The platform has an extensive inventory, which means eight out of nine times, you’ll get what you’re looking for at the right price.
• Season ticket holders: Another place to buy last-minute tickets is from season ticket holders who may be unable to attend that particular game. One of the downsides of season ticket holders is that they may only be able to attend some of those games for which they have the tickets. In a bid to recoup some of the money they have spent on the season tickets, they tend to sell their tickets to other fans, albeit at a lower price than a regular ticket.
• Directly from a fan: The unpredictable can happen to a fan, and they may end up being unable to attend the game even though they have the ticket. Instead of letting the ticket go to waste (in most cases, ticket brokers or the football club can't refund it), they can sell it to another fan, even if they have to lose a few dollars.

Early Bird Tickets

People often say the best time to get football tickets is as soon as they’re made available for purchase. Early purchases can help you save a lot of money as you can get the best deals on football tickets before the demand for them rises, thus increasing the prices.

Early ticket announcements can sometimes come with early-bird discount offers. You can’t go wrong when you buy early-bird tickets, especially when you don’t have a high preference for the best seats in the stadium. The idea is to get a good seat and, at least, enjoy a fantastic match day experience.

Weeknight Games

Weekday games usually have a lesser turnout than weekend games. Football fans may love the game with all their hearts, but they have a life outside it. Most of them go to work, which means their schedules need to be more flexible to accommodate weeknight games, resulting in low demands for tickets for games scheduled for this period.

If your schedule opens up during this time, you can get a good ticket deal, as demand is usually low, making ticket prices plummet. Another benefit is that you don’t have to deal with a huge crowd compared to a regular weekend game when passionate fans fill up the stadium.

A Drought Period

A team’s performance can affect ticket sales, so demand may be down when a team is underperforming. If you’re a fan of this football team, it’s most likely you’re not happy with the performance, but it’s an excellent period to splash some cash on a ticket, as prices will be more affordable than when the team is performing at its peak.

Listen, this may not be an ideal period to take advantage of low ticket sales, but it’s a chance to prove your unending support for your team through thick and thin.

Pros and Cons of These Best Times

There are Pros and Cons of the times we mentioned above, here are they:

When General Sale Opens After Member and Season Ticket Windows

Understanding the standard release schedule is the single best way to time your primary market purchase. Official club sales never happen all at once. Instead, they follow a strict waterfall structure that dictates exactly when the public can gain access.

The Initial Renewals and Member Priority

Before a single ticket becomes available to the general public, clubs look after their most loyal fan bases. Season ticket holders are given the first opportunity to claim their seats or purchase additional packages for cup competitions. Once that window closes, paid club members get exclusive access to the remaining inventory. For high-profile matches, this member window often sells out the entire stadium, meaning a general sale never even occurs.

The General Sale Timeline

If tickets survive the member window, the general public sale usually opens anywhere from two to four weeks before the matchday. This window is highly competitive and requires you to be logged into the club ticketing portal the exact minute it goes live. For lower-tier fixtures or early round cup games, this is your prime opportunity to secure seats at face value without paying any membership fees.

The Late Release Returns

Even if a match is declared sold out after the initial windows, clubs frequently drop a small batch of tickets in the final days leading up to kick-off. These are often seats returned by away fans, unused sponsor allocations, or season ticket holders utilizing the official club exchange system. Checking the primary ticketing site forty-eight hours before the game is a brilliant habit for finding late availability.

How Ticket Prices Change Over Time on Resale Platforms

If you miss out on the primary market, navigating secondary platforms requires an understanding of how supply, demand, and time interact to shift prices. Resale ticket costs are rarely static and follow predictable market waves.

The Announcement and Initial Onsale Spike

The moment a massive fixture is announced or primary tickets sell out, secondary prices hit their absolute peak. This spike is driven by fan panic and high emotions. Professional sellers list tickets at highly inflated prices to exploit people who feel they might miss out completely. Buying during this initial wave is almost always the most expensive route.

The Mid Window Plateau

Several weeks out from the match, prices generally stabilize and often dip. The initial panic has subsided, and more sellers have listed their inventory, creating healthier competition. If you want peace of mind and do not want to risk waiting until the final days, this middle period offers the most stable and reasonable pricing landscape on the secondary market.

The Final Forty-Eight-Hour Crash or Surge

As matchday approaches, the market moves dramatically based on inventory levels. If thousands of tickets remain unsold, sellers drop their prices significantly to avoid losing their entire investment, resulting in incredible last-minute bargains. However, if the match is a historic fixture and remaining ticket numbers drop into single digits, prices will surge to eye-watering levels.

Factors that Influence Football Tickets Prices

There are factors that influence football tickets prices:

Popularity

The biggest football clubs in the world have high ticket demand, which means their tickets are priced higher than those of a mid-table or lower-league club. A regular seat in the Santiago Bernabeu will cost more than what a fan will pay for a ticket in an Alaves game.

The popularity of a club has a big influence on ticket prices, and die-hard fans already know this. Paying attention to this before you buy tickets helps you understand ticket pricing better and which time is the best to buy them.

Performance

Although this is a rare occurrence, a team’s performance can influence ticket prices. A fan once aired their opinion on the reason Everton recorded its lowest attendance record in 2011. “Fans don’t have money like they used to, and when the team is not playing too well, and there are question marks over the running of the club, it can be no surprise that attendances are down,” the concerned fan said.

Just like poor performances can influence the price of tickets and cause them to plummet, tickets can also go up when a team is performing at its best. Excellent performances always attract high demand, which is a good reason for football clubs, organizers, and online ticket platforms to raise prices.

Match Significance

Fans usually pay more attention to a match when the opponent is a big club or an old rival. For example, Real Madrid vs. Barcelona attracts many die-hard fans who are ready to spend a lot on tickets.

The same can’t be said for a Real Madrid vs. Almeria match because the latter is a smaller club in size and reputation.

The significance of a match can influence the price of tickets because demand is usually high, and supply is lower when the match is between big clubs than when it is between smaller clubs.

Stadium Capacity

It is just so logical—the more fans a stadium can accommodate, the higher the ticket sales. A 75,000-capacity stadium hosting a match between a big club and a small club could have less demand than a 30,000-capacity stadium hosting two big clubs similar in stature.

It often means the stadium with lesser capacity attracts a higher price because the tickets are in high demand, especially when it’s hosting a significant match during the season.

Date and Time

Convenience is a crucial factor when buying football tickets, and fans will only get these tickets when the timing aligns with their schedule. Ticket prices usually dip when matches are fixed for midweek, which means it may not be convenient for folks who are working to attend.

Conclusion

Getting football tickets can be daunting. However, when you are aware of all the factors that affect pricing, you may know the best times to buy football tickets to watch your favorite team in action.

In this article, we’ve tried to break down all the scenarios that can almost guarantee you fair ticket deals. Buying tickets during the pre-season can help you get tickets at lower prices, as can getting last-minute or early bird tickets.

Another good way to get a fair deal is through online ticket marketplaces such as Visitfootball, which is the best of the bunch. Visitfootball has the best user-friendly interface, making purchasing football tickets more straightforward than ever.

Now that you’ve learned the best times to buy football tickets, you can start purchasing your tickets ahead of the new season. Click here to begin on Visitfootball.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do football ticket prices drop on matchday?

Yes, ticket prices on secondary platforms frequently drop significantly in the hours leading up to kick off. Sellers become desperate to recover any amount of money before the event begins, so they slash their prices. However, this strategy requires you to be near the stadium and comfortable making a high-pressure purchase right before the gates open.

Is it better to buy tickets before or after the television schedule is confirmed?

It is almost always better to wait until the official television broadcast schedule is locked in. Governing bodies regularly move weekend fixtures from Saturday to Sunday or Monday evening to accommodate TV slots. Many fans who bought tickets early find they can no longer attend the new time, causing a flood of secondary market listings that drives prices down.

Does buying an official club membership guarantee me a ticket?

Purchasing an official membership does not guarantee a ticket, but it dramatically increases your chances. Memberships simply grant you priority access to the primary ticket queue ahead of the general public. For massive fixtures like local derbies or Champions League knockout rounds, demand still vastly outweighs supply even within the member window.

Are mid-week cup games cheaper than weekend league matches?

Mid-week fixtures are generally much cheaper and easier to buy than weekend games. Tuesday and Wednesday night matches present logistical challenges for traveling fans and families, which reduces overall demand. Clubs often lower face value prices for early round domestic cup ties, making them perfect for budget-conscious supporters.

How far in advance should I book my football travel packages?

If you are booking a combined ticket and hotel package, securing it two to three months in advance is ideal. While standalone tickets can fluctuate, accommodation and flight costs rise steadily closer to the event date. Booking early locks in your logistics and protects you from the hospitality price surges that happen once a matchday gets close.