The final for Europe’s second most important football championship is taking place next Wednesday. Sevilla and Liverpool will battle it out at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland for the 2016 Europa League title.
The two sides are no strangers to the tournament. Sevilla currently hold the record for most UEFA Cup and Europa League victories, having won 4 in total. If the Spanish side manage to win this year, it would be their third consecutive Europa League title. Liverpool on the other hand, hold 3 victories with the last one being in 2001. If Klopp’s side secure the win next week, they will tie with Sevilla for the record of most titles. Moreover, this is already the furthest a Premier League club has ventured in an international competition this season.
According to international fan-to-fan ticket marketplace Ticketbis.net, the presence of an English team in the final is leading to increased sales from abroad and higher prices. After analysing ticket information on sales via their platform for each final since 2012, the figures show that fans from at least 32 countries have purchased tickets for this year’s final - a significant increase on the 2015 final which attracted sales from 18 countries in total. The nationalities which have bought the most tickets this year have been British, Germans, and Americans.
In addition the platform have noticed a 158% increase in ticket prices for this year’s final from the average over the previous 4 years, showing the growing popularity of the Europa League. Fans are currently paying an average of £550 for tickets to the final on Ticketbis.net. The second highest average ticket price for an Europa League final was for the Chelsea vs Benfica match in 2013 where fans paid an average of £277 per ticket.
“Despite English teams not doing as well as the Spanish clubs in the international arena, they still generate a larger demand for tickets” says Ander Michelena CEO of Ticketbis.net. “If we consider the last five Europa League finals, you’ll see that the most expensive prices are found for the matches that involve two Premier League teams, Chelsea and Liverpool.”
The high prices for finals involving English sides is no coincidence. The ticketing company has found that Premier League teams generally generate more international pull than other clubs, and fans from countries such as the Russia, US, and Japan will usually spend more on tickets for important final matches. The highest ticket price for a Europa League match was bought for this year’s final from Russia for £2,335. On the other hand, some fans seek bargains. A few lucky fans from Poland were able to secure their tickets for no more than £18.
.... - Goal