UK Ticket Resale crackdown: Fans Protected, But Football Supporters Left Behind
The British government is taking aim at exploitative ticket resale practices with new legislation set to take effect in 2026. The core of the new law prohibits the resale of tickets for more than thier original face value. Though, a surprising loophole excludes football (soccer) matches from these protections.
the legislation is designed to curb the practice of large-scale ticket purchasing by intermediaries – often bots or organized groups – who than resell them at inflated prices. While music concert attendees will benefit from this increased protection, football supporters in England and Wales are notably left vulnerable.
This discrepancy stems from existing legislation dating back to 1994, which already prohibits ticket resale outside of official club channels within England and Wales.Crucially, this 1994 law does not extend to international ticket providers, creating a important gap in enforcement.
Platforms like Viagogo and StubHub, frequently based in countries like Spain and Dubai, continue to offer thousands of tickets for Premier League matches. Recent data, reported by BBC Sport, reveals that this secondary market has become “endemic.” For example, over 18,000 tickets for a recent Arsenal – Nottingham Forest match were listed online, with some being offered at four times their original price.
The new rules will impose stricter regulations on resale platforms across other sectors. These include limitations on service fees, restrictions preventing sellers from offering more tickets than they legally purchased, and the potential for fines of up to 10% of a platform’s global turnover. however, for football, the black market will persist as long as international sellers operate without constraint.
Essentially, while the government is making strides to protect fans attending concerts and other events, the current legal framework allows international ticket resellers to continue profiting from inflated prices for highly sought-after football matches.
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