What Time Should You Join the Wimbledon Queue?
Written by Aviran Zazon
To get straight to the point, you should join the Wimbledon Queue the previous day for Centre Court, well before dawn for your best same-day shot at No.1 Court or No.2 Court, and very early in the morning for a strong Grounds Pass day.
If you are happy with just experiencing Wimbledon from the outside courts, and want a shorter wait, arriving after 5pm is still a way to go.
We should point out that The Queue is not one simple line with one fixed outcome.
It is a first-come, first-served system with limited show-court allocations, a broader Grounds Pass allocation, grounds-capacity limits, and a separate resale opportunity once you are already inside.
This guide explains when to arrive for different goals, how the Queue behaves across the day, when overnight queuing is actually worth it, and when it may be smarter to secure a ticket in advance instead.
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At A Glance: Best Arrival Times By Goal
| Your Goal | Best Time To Join | What You’re Really Playing For | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centre Court tickets through the main Queue | Previous afternoon or evening | One of the limited same-day Centre Court tickets on the first 10 days | High if you do not camp |
| No.1 Court through the main Queue | Overnight or very pre-dawn | One of the limited daily No.1 Court tickets | Still high on busy days |
| No.2 Court through the main Queue | Very early morning, sometimes overnight | The third show-court allocation tier on the first 10 days | Moderate to high |
| Full day with a Grounds Pass | Very early morning, ideally before the main commuter surge | A full day on outside courts and potential resale later | Moderate |
| Low-stress late visit | Late afternoon, often after 5pm | Grounds atmosphere, The Hill, outside-court leftovers, possible resale | Lower |
A few timing benchmarks come into play every year.
The grounds open at 10am, outside courts usually begin at 11am, No.1 Court at 1pm, and Centre Court at 1.30pm on most days before finals weekend.
The Queue often starts the evening before and grows very early in the morning.
How The Wimbledon Queue Works
Wimbledon sells a limited number of on-the-day tickets through the Queue on a first-come, first-served basis. You join at the back in Wimbledon Park, receive a dated and numbered Queue Card, and keep it until you reach the sales point. Queue Cards are non-transferable, and you cannot hold a place for someone else.
The important distinction is between what is sold at the front end of the day and what becomes available later.
For the main Queue, the daily options are:
- Centre Court, limited numbers, first 10 days only
- No.1 Court, limited numbers, every day
- No.2 Court, limited numbers, first 10 days only
- Grounds Passes, subject to capacity
Wimbledon Grounds Passes are not just entry tickets. They let you watch outside-court tennis and use unreserved seating on No.3 Court, Court 12 and Court 18, plus several other outside courts. Show-court ticket holders get all of that as well as a reserved seat on their named court.
There is also a second system once you are inside. Returned Centre Court, No.1 Court and No.2 Court tickets can be resold after 3pm, subject to availability, and Wimbledon says the resale process uses the app-based virtual queue.
In 2025, resale prices were $20 for Centre Court and $13 for No.1 Court or No.2 Court.
What Time Should You Arrive For Different Ticket Goals?
If you want Centre Court
For Centre Court, the realistic answer is usually the day before. Wimbledon officially says the Queue often starts the evening before, and same-day Centre Court tickets are only available for the first 10 days.
Wristbands are typically issued from the front of the Queue from 7.30am for Centre, No.1 and No.2 Court hopefuls, which underlines how front-loaded the competition is.
That means a same-day early-morning arrival is not the safe strategy many first-time visitors imagine. It may work on a softer day, but if Centre Court is your non-negotiable target, overnight queuing is the sensible plan.
A recent Reddit thread captures that uncertainty quite well:
When should we start to queue for Wimbledon Center courts tickets? by u/Adventurous_Light101 in wimbledon
The useful takeaway is not that one anecdotal time always works. It is that Centre Court through the Queue is a high-commitment route, and people who care most about landing it tend to treat it as an overnight exercise rather than a morning gamble.
If you want No.1 Court or No.2 Court
No.1 Court tickets are slightly easier to get than Centre Court, and No.2 Court is usually more achievable again, especially in the first week when it is still in the queue allocation. Even so, these are limited daily tickets, so the safest advice is still overnight or very pre-dawn, not casual breakfast-time arrival.
If you would be genuinely disappointed with only a Grounds Pass, do not plan around wishful thinking. Show-court queueing rewards people near the front.
If you want a Grounds Pass
For a proper week-one Grounds Pass day, very early morning is the sweet spot. Not midnight, in most cases, but earlier than many casual visitors expect.
Wimbledon says the Queue increases very early in the morning, and the official system also warns that once the site reaches capacity, entry cannot be guaranteed.
Grounds Passes can be excellent value, especially in the first week, because they open up outside-court singles, unreserved seats on No.3 Court, and the possibility of using the 3pm resale scheme later.
In other words, a strong Grounds Pass strategy is often to arrive early enough for a full day, then try to upgrade inside the grounds rather than chasing Centre Court from the very front of the main Queue.
If you only want the Wimbledon atmosphere
If your goal is the experience rather than maximising tennis hours, late afternoon can work very well. By then, some earlier spectators have left, Grounds Pass prices are lower later in the event, and the pressure is no longer on securing scarce primary show court ticket allocations. You are trading quantity of tennis for less hassle.
How The Queue Changes Throughout The Day
The Queue does not grow in a smooth line. It usually feels quietest relative to demand before dawn, then accelerates as transport becomes easier and more casual spectators arrive. Wimbledon does not publish an exact minute-by-minute curve, though it does explicitly warn that the Queue grows very early in the morning.
That is why early morning and late morning are not the same thing. An arrival that feels respectable on paper can still turn into a long wait if it comes after the steepest growth phase.
The other turning point is capacity. Wimbledon states that it aims to get everyone into the grounds as quickly as possible once the gates open, until capacity is reached. After that, you can face a much longer wait or no entry at all.
A final shift happens after 3pm, when returned show-court tickets may be resold inside the grounds, and after 5pm, when a lower-stress atmosphere visit becomes more realistic than a full tennis day.
First Week vs Second Week
The first week is usually where the Queue is a good bet for Grounds Pass holders. There are more main-draw singles matches spread across outside courts, and the combination of outer-court action plus the possibility of resale makes a Grounds Pass especially attractive.
Later in the tournament, two things change. First, same-day Centre Court and No.2 Court queue options disappear after the first 10 days.
Second, the outside-court programme naturally becomes thinner as the Championships move deeper into the draw. That usually makes queueing easier than in the opening rounds, but it also means the product you are queueing for is different.
So the broad pattern is straightforward: week one is harder, but often more rewarding for Grounds Pass tennis; later rounds can be easier, but with less outer-court depth.
Practical Tips For Dealing With The Queue
If you are going to queue, prepare for the process rather than just the tennis.
Overnight queuers may only use two-person tents, one person should remain present, temporary absences should not exceed 30 minutes, and bag searches apply. Bag size is limited to 40cm x 30cm x 30cm, and more complicated bags slow entry. Queueing and kiosk resale depend on the Wimbledon app and a myWIMBLEDON account.
A few practical tips count more than people think:
- Bring a small, easy-to-search bag.
- Charge your phone fully before you arrive.
- Pack for weather swings, not just forecast highs.
- Treat overnight queuing as camping, not as standing in line.
- If you only want grounds entry, do not assume arriving before first ball is early enough.
Heat is one of the biggest wild cards. In 2025 extreme opening-day heat, additional water provision, and challenging queue conditions, with shade and cooling strategies becoming essential for those waiting outside for long periods.
How This Compares To Buying Tickets In Advance
The Queue is part of Wimbledon’s character, and for many people it is worth doing once. It can also be a very smart route if you want a lower-cost day, outside-court tennis and the chance of resale later.
What it does not offer is certainty. You are trading sleep, time, comfort, and a degree of unpredictability for the chance to buy on the day. That trade-off is fine for some visitors and deeply inconvenient for others.
If you already know the day and court you want, comparing advance options can be more practical. Ticket-Compare.com is useful here as a ticket comparison platform.
It shows Wimbledon listings, mainly debenture tickets, from pre-vetted resale sites and official ticketing partners, often including hospitality, so fans can compare price and availability in one place instead of opening multiple tabs and then click through to buy from the relevant site.
That is especially relevant for readers who do not want to camp, cannot risk missing Centre Court, or are travelling to London on a fixed schedule.
Wimbledon Queue Timing | Frequently Asked Questions
What time should you join the Wimbledon Queue?
For Centre Court, the realistic answer is often the previous day. For No.1 Court or No.2 Court, think overnight or very pre-dawn. For a strong Grounds Pass day, very early morning is usually best. For a shorter, lower-stress visit, late afternoon can still work.
How early do you need to queue for Wimbledon tickets?
That depends on the ticket. Same-day show-court tickets are scarce and front-loaded, so they reward overnight queuers. Grounds Passes are more numerous, but Wimbledon warns that capacity can be reached, so arriving merely before play starts is not a reliable strategy on busy days.
Can you get Centre Court tickets through the Queue?
Yes, but only on the first 10 days of the Championships. No Centre Court tickets are sold via the Queue on the last four days, so anyone targeting finals weekend needs another route.
Is it worth queuing overnight at Wimbledon?
It is worth it if Centre Court or a main show court is your real goal and you would be disappointed with a Grounds Pass instead. Wimbledon has formal overnight rules on tents, wake-up times and conduct, which shows camping is an established part of the system.
When is the Wimbledon Queue shortest?
Usually later in the day, especially once the big early intake has passed and some spectators begin to leave. That said, a shorter late queue comes with a weaker product: less live tennis time, little chance of primary show-court access, and more reliance on atmosphere or resale.
Can you still get good value with a Grounds Pass?
Yes, especially in the first week. A Grounds Pass includes outside courts and unreserved seating on No.3 Court, Court 12 and Court 18, and it also puts you in position to try for returned show-court tickets after 3pm. That combination is where much of the queue’s value sits.
Does the weather change the best queue strategy?
Very much so. On hot days, the queue can become more physically demanding and require careful preparation. On wet days, Centre Court and No.1 Court gain value because they are roofed, while a Grounds Pass can become less attractive if outside-court play is heavily disrupted.
What Time Should You Join The Wimbledon Queue? Final Thoughts
For most readers, the cleanest answer is this: queue the day before for Centre Court, queue before dawn for a serious No.1 Court or No.2 Court attempt, and queue very early in the morning for the best Grounds Pass experience. Late afternoon is a perfectly sensible option if you care more about atmosphere than all-day tennis.
The Queue can still be a brilliant Wimbledon tradition, but it is not the best route for everyone. If you want certainty on a particular court or day, comparing advance listings through Ticket-Compare.com can be the simpler option, because it lets you view options from pre-vetted resale sites and official partners in one place rather than relying on a long, uncertain wait.
At present there are 5,652 Wimbledon tickets for Centre Court or Court No.1 on sale via Ticket-Compare.com.
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