Ticketing update

As part of our commitment to provide transparency for our supporters across our ticketing policies and procedures, Chelsea FC is pleased to share an update on the progress of the newly introduced systems so far this season.

The ticket application window was introduced for men’s team matches for the 2026/27 season following supporter feedback regarding the ticketing process. After extensive fan consultation with multiple fan groups, the Fan Advisory Board and a supporter town hall, the ticket application window has been established to streamline the ticket purchase journey, make it fairer and more accessible for genuine Chelsea fans to purchase tickets, and reduce the risk of bot and tout activity. Similar systems are operated by a number of other Premier League clubs.

We are pleased to share the results of the first six ticket application windows this season, to update supporters on how the process is working.

Based on the data available for the ticket application windows this season, an eligible member applying for an individual match ticket via the ticket application window stood a 68% chance of securing a ticket.

Overall, 99% of eligible members who applied for every Premier League game, have successfully secured at least one ticket, via the ticket application window, the ticket exchange or ticket forwarding, demonstrating the system provides greater opportunity for a larger number of fans to attend matches at Stamford Bridge.

Ticket application window

So far this season, of all fans who have applied in at least one ticket application window, 80% have secured a ticket for at least one match.

The most in-demand fixtures are sold using a loyalty point threshold, to prioritise loyalty and regular match-going supporters. For the Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur fixtures, 46% of tickets were allocated to those who fell within the top 10% of total accumulated loyalty points.

Ticket exchange and ticket forwarding

The ticket exchange and ticket forwarding function provides an additional route for supporters to access tickets.

For those who were unsuccessful in the ticket application window, the ticket exchange represents a second chance of securing a ticket, with unsuccessful applicants having a minimum 48-hour priority window.

We want to ensure genuine Chelsea fans are able to access tickets and we encourage all our supporters to use the ticket exchange and ticket forwarding to do so. For more information on using these mechanisms, you can view our How-to Guides by clicking here.

Junior Blue access to tickets

We also want to ensure that the next generation of Chelsea supporters have more opportunity to come to Stamford Bridge. So far this season, 76% of Junior Blue members who have applied in the ticket application window have been successful in securing at least one match ticket.

Tackling ticket touting

The club continues to clamp down on ticket touting. In previous seasons, we have seen up to 80,000 bots per game attempt to access tickets online. Now, with the introduction of the ticket application window those using automated purchasing software are prevented from accessing on-sale windows and it enables increased monitoring of accounts to identify suspicious activity.

We also continue to operate ticket collection points at home and away fixtures. So far this season, we have seen a 93% non-collection rate, demonstrating that our ongoing work to identify suspicious or fraudulent accounts is working.

Using this data and supporter feedback, the club will continue to review our ticketing policies and processes, sharing regular insights with the Fan Advisory Board and updating Fans’ Forums