FA issue statement as fan frustration mounts over huge FA Cup final ticket price hike

The FA have hiked the ticket prices for this year’s FA Cup final, despite Manchester City having failed to sell out their allocation for their semi-final win over Nottingham Forest

The FA have defended the decision to massively hike ticket prices for this year’s FA Cup final. Crystal Palace will face Manchester City in the showpiece event at Wembley Stadium on 17 May.

Palace smashed Aston Villa in the first semi-final last Saturday before City edged past Nottingham Forest a day later. City did not sell out their allocation for their win, with several thousand seats remaining empty.

The embarrassing prospect of seats being unsold for the final itself is now a rising possibility. Across the board, ticket prices have risen sharply from the semi-finals and even last year’s final between City and Manchester United.

A category 1 ticket will be £175, an increase of £30 (20 percent) on the 2024 final, while category 2 tickets will be £125, which represents a rise of £10 (8.7 percent) on the same tickets last year. Elsewhere, category 3 prices are £75 (a seven percent increase) and category 4 tickets are £50, meaning an increase of £5 (11 percent).

The ticket prices have also increased by more between the semi-final and the final this year than they did in 2024. The difference between the two rounds is almost 95 percent (£85) for Category 1 tickets, 78.5 percent (£55) for Category 2, and 66.6 percent (£30 and £20) for Category 3 and Category 4 tickets.

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The increases have been met with a fierce backlash from supporters of both finalists. But the FA have now moved to defend the rises, insisting the money will be invested back into the pyramid.

A spokesperson said: “ The FA Cup is our biggest revenue producer, and it allows us to invest more funding into every level of English football. We regularly review our ticket prices for FA Cup matches at Wembley Stadium to ensure they are in line with other major sporting events.

“We have not increased the prices of tickets for the Final over the last six years despite the rise of inflation during this period. This season, we have introduced limited price increases for tickets to the Final.

“The majority of these in the higher-priced categories and minimal increases in the lower-priced categories. We will be freezing the prices of almost all tickets to the Emirates FA Cup Final for the next three years.”

Supporters have been left livid by the increases though and have made their feelings clear. One fan wrote: “So it seems like the greedy FA learnt absolutely NOTHING from the semi final attendance debacle. The category 1 semi final ticket that was £90 (yes ninety quid!!!) is now £175 for the final. You are fleecing loyal fans and you should be ashamed.”

Another added: “The FA Cup Final is in 16 days and we don’t even know the kickoff time. The prices have been disgustingly increased and people can’t even book tickets, hotels, or transport yet. The disdain for football fans those in charge have is disgraceful.” While a third concluded: “The increases are scandalous.”

A statement from the Crystal Palace Independent Supporters Association read: “The Football Association (FA) are pricing loyal supporters out of being able to attend the cup final. These increases should, if they have to be applied at all, only be in line with inflation.

”Fans having supported their teams, many for decades both home and away, should not be exploited in this way by our own association in what is a showcase final at the home of football shown live to millions of people live around the globe on television for a huge fee in itself.”

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