25+ Years for a Season Ticket? These Premier League Waiting Lists Are No Joke (Updated 2025/26)

Imagine waiting over two decades for a seat at your favorite football team's stadium. For some football-mad Premier League fans, that’s the reality. 

Thanks to the immense popularity of Premier League football, several clubs have season ticket waiting lists that stretch for an entire generation. 

So, which Premier League club has the longest waiting list? And how do different clubs handle the rising demand for tickets? Read on to find out.

 

Premier League Tickets

^{No Waiting Lists: Just Football}

What Team Has the Longest Waiting List for a Season Ticket?

Every Premier League club has its own system for allocating season tickets. Some use waiting lists, while others like Chelsea make fans prove their loyalty by attending tons of games. 

A few have paid waiting lists, and at Tottenham, for example, a spot on the list is included with a club membership. 

But a select group of teams have such high demand for tickets that the wait can feel endless. Let’s dive into the clubs with the most extreme season ticket demand.

Premier Clubs with the Longest Season Ticket Waiting Lists

 

Liverpool

Liverpool Season Ticket Waiting List: 26+ years

Liverpool holds the longest waiting list in the Premier League, exceeding 25 years. As of 2025/26, it's impossible to even join the list: The club hasn’t reopened it since 2011. Every renewal period brings stories of fans finally getting a Liverpool season ticket after decades of anticipation.

 

Manchester United

Manchester United Season Ticket Waiting List: 25 years

Manchester United’s queue for season tickets exceeds 120,000 fans in 2025/26, with an estimated 25-year wait. Unlike Liverpool, United’s list is still open, and backdoor options like cup season tickets and Premium Membership will help fans move up the queue and get a ticket much quicker than 25 years.

 

Arsenal

Arsenal Season Ticket Waiting List: 20+ years

Since the club’s rise under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s season ticket waiting list has grown to staggering proportions. As of summer 2025, some 110,000 fans are waiting, but only a few hundred season tickets become available each summer, so the queue is only getting longer. 

 

Leeds United

Leeds United Season Ticket Waiting List: 8+ years

The annual renewal rates for Leeds United’s 27,000 season tickets are rarely below 95%. This is bad news for the 26,000 hopefuls on the season ticket waiting list. However, there may be better news on the way, with a proposed stadium expansion lifting Elland Road’s capacity from 37,890 to 53,000 by 2029. This would potentially cut the season ticket waiting list. 

 

Aston Villa

Aston Villa Season Ticket Waiting List: 6+ years

Demand for season tickets with the Villans has grown with the club’s on-pitch success. A revamp of the waiting list in summer 2025 now prioritises AVFC members and regular match-goers. This move, along with an upcoming expansion of Villa Park’s North Stand, has given dedicated Villa fans new hope of getting a season ticket within a few years.

 

Everton 

Everton Season Ticket Waiting List: 4+ Years

At Goodison Park, Everton consistently kept prices low, and the fanbase renewed season after season, for better or worse. During the move to the new Everton Stadium (Hill Dickinson Stadium), the club has kept the exact figures under wraps. However, we estimate an increase of season tickets from around 31,000 to 35,000, slashing waiting times and allowing a lot of Toffees to buy their first season ticket. 

Premier League Clubs Without Season Ticket Waiting Lists

 

Chelsea

Loyalty Points System

With just 28,000 Chelsea season tickets available at Stamford Bridge, fans must attend matches to earn Loyalty Points for the right to buy a permanent seat. Before the 2024/25 season, Chelsea fans needed 148 Loyalty Points, equivalent to attending 85% of Chelsea's fixtures during the 2023/24 season. This is nearly impossible for the average fan to pull off.

 

Manchester City

No Traditional Waiting List

Manchester City season tickets sell out every season, without a traditional waitlist. Instead, any fan wishing to secure a full season ticket must first purchase a Flexi-Gold Season Ticket, essentially an advanced membership guaranteeing access to match tickets, without a permanent seat at the Etihad. Flexi-Gold holders who meet the criteria—based on previous season attendance and membership duration—are automatically invited to purchase a season ticket when renewals open.

 

Brentford

Ticket Access Points (TAPS)

Brentford uses Ticket Access Points (TAPS) to prioritise loyal fans. To qualify for a Brentford season ticket, fans need to accumulate TAPS by attending matches. In 2025/26, Bees fans needed 1,000 TAPS, which typically takes about two seasons to achieve. On top of this, fans must have attended at least 12 of Brentford’s 2024/25 Premier League fixtures—of which a minimum of 10 had to be home matches.

 

Brighton & Hove Albion 

No Waiting List: Season Tickets on General Sale After Renewals 

Brighton no longer has a traditional waiting list. Instead, after the renewal window closes (typically in mid-March), any remaining season tickets go on general sale to all MyAlbion+ members and the wider public. All qualifying fans simply need to log in when sales open—there is no minimum attendance or loyalty-point requirement to purchase a 2025/26 season ticket, and tickets remain available until sold out.

 

Sunderland 

No Waiting List: Season Tickets on General Sale After Renewals 

With around 36,000 season card holders, the Black Cats have a level of fan loyalty to put many Premier League teams to shame. During the club’s journey through the Football League system since 2017, there has been no need for a waiting list, partly a consequence of the Stadium of Light’s large 48,707 capacity. Demand may rocket if the club can stay in the Premier League after 2025/26. 

 

Premier League Clubs with Shorter Season Ticket Waiting Lists

 

Wolves 

Wolves Season Ticket Waiting List: 5+ Years

There’s booming demand for Wolverhampton Wanderers season tickets, and it’s only become stronger since the club returned to the Premier League in 2018. The queue for regular seats at Molineux is about 8,500 long, with a waiting time of over 5 years. 

 

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Season Ticket Waiting List: 3+ years

The new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has cooled the crazy demand for season tickets, as the ST allocation nearly doubled overnight from 23,000 to 42,500. There are officially 90,000 fans currently on the waitlist, but because that’s an automatic perk of One Hotspur + membership, many will turn down the opportunity to buy a season ticket when they are offered one.

 

Nottingham Forest 

Nottingham Forest Season Ticket Waiting List: 3 Years

Following their return to the Premier League, Nottingham Forest's popularity has soared. There are around 12,000 Forest fans on the waiting list in 2025, and the length is about 3 years. With high renewal rates and a historic fanbase, Nottingham Forest supporters must be patient for their chance to secure a season ticket (or ‘season card’, as they call it).

 

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace Season Ticket Waiting List: 1+ year

Crystal Palace introduced a season ticket waitlist for the first time in 2024 after freezing the price of all 18,000 season tickets at Selhurst Park. The wait is brief, and Crystal Palace fans can expect to get a ticket within a year, two at most.

 

West Ham United

West Ham United Season Ticket Waiting List: 1–2 years

With around 48,500 general admission season ticket holders, West Ham’s list is relatively quick-moving. As of 2025/26, fewer than 10,000 Hammers fans are on the waiting list, and many fans can secure a ticket for the London Stadium within 2 years.

 

Fulham 

Fulham Season Ticket Waiting List: Under 1 Year

Craven Cottage, home of Fulham FC, offers one of the more intimate stadium experiences in the Premier League. The capacity will soon rise to just under 30,000, while the Fulham season ticket allocation is capped at 15,000. If you register your interest, you can expect to hear back from the club by the end of the season. 

 

Burnley 

Burnley Season Ticket Waiting List: Under 1 Year

While Burnley season tickets at Turf Moor sell out every season and renewal rates are always high, there isn’t an overwhelming demand for a seat. This means that you can join the waiting list each season and can expect to be offered a ticket at the end of the renewal in February each year. Fans on the waiting list have a one-week priority window before season tickets go on general sale. 

Premier League Clubs Not Selling Season Tickets in 2025/26

 

Newcastle United

No New Season Tickets Since 2022

Newcastle United has not offered new season tickets since 2022. The club’s ownership appears to be reducing the number of Newcastle season ticket holders at St. James’ Park to capitalise on more lucrative matchday tickets. As of 2025/26, new customers cannot buy a season ticket and all prices are for renewals only.

 

Bournemouth

No New Season Tickets Since 2014

AFC Bournemouth’s stadium capacity is just 11,379, and the club hasn’t sold any new season tickets since 2014. Many season tickets are held by long-term Bournemouth fans who secured them when the club was still in League One, making it almost impossible for new fans to buy a season ticket in 2025/26. The situation may change as the club plans to almost double the capacity of the Vitality Stadium to 20,000 seats by 2028. 

How Hard Is it to Get Premier League Season Tickets?

It’s a tough long-term effort to get season tickets for Premier League teams, as we’ll show in our table. 

If you notice some discrepancies, every team has a different way of allocating season tickets, and most teams with season ticket waiting lists have a different way of compiling them. 

 

This table accounts only for general admission season ticket holders. Premium season ticket figures are not included. 

Premier League Season Ticket Waiting Lists: 2014 vs 2025

Eleven years is an absolute eternity in football. It’s hard to believe how high the demand has climbed over the past decade, while Premier League season ticket availability is on the wane. 

The numbers for Arsenal and Manchester United speak for themselves—here’s how waiting lists have ballooned from 2014 to 2025: 

 

Note that the Liverpool season ticket waiting list has only declined because it has been closed since 2011. Tottenham Hotspur’s situation is unique because they relocated to a large new stadium in 2019.

Why Are Football Season Ticket Waiting Lists So Long?

There are a host of different factors behind the long waiting time for Premier League season tickets. You will find a different story for every club.

• Liverpool: Relative to the size of Anfield’s capacity of 61,276, Liverpool has a low proportion of season ticket holders, at just 27,000. So one of the big reasons behind Liverpool’s huge wait for season tickets is pure scarcity. 
• Manchester United: The Red Devils are still one of the three most popular football clubs on the planet. In 2022/23 the club announced a total of 330,000 members, which is a world-record total. Safe to say demand for Man Utd season tickets is through the roof.
• Arsenal: By our estimation the Arsenal season ticket waiting list has doubled since the club’s turnaround under Mikel Arteta. The wait has surged from around 10 to more than 20 years in the space of a few short seasons. 

Imagine being a kid waiting for a season ticket—and finally getting one when you’re a parent. That’s the reality at Liverpool and Arsenal at the moment, so naturally people will consider alternative routes into Anfield and the Emirates. 

What to Do If You Can’t Get a Season Ticket?

If you're stuck on a long waiting list for a Premier League season ticket, don’t worry—there are still plenty of ways to watch your team live. Here’s a breakdown of your options:

Premier League Club Membership

For most fans, the first step is signing up for club membership. Except for Bournemouth, all Premier League clubs offer memberships that give you priority access to match tickets.

While membership doesn’t guarantee seats for the biggest games, it often allows you to jump ahead of non-members in the matchday ticket queue. 

Keep in mind that for high-demand fixtures, clubs often give priority to regular match-going members, so ticket availability may still be limited.

Buying Premier League Resale Tickets 2025/26

Why wait years for a Premier League season ticket when you can enjoy the action now? Instead of spending decades on a waiting list, consider the secondary market. If you’re unsure about using resale sites, Ticket Compare makes it quick, easy and safe.

We partner only with the top trusted football ticket resale platforms and official hospitality providers, offering guarantees and customer support throughout the process. There’s availability for all matches, even if they’re sold out. 

Ready to grab your seat? Visit Ticket Compare today to be part of the game—without the wait!

 

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