Arsenal and Chelsea can expect to receive less than 7,000 tickets each by UEFA for the Europa League final in Azerbaijan – despite Baku’s Olympic Stadium having a capacity of 68,700.
The final is scheduled to take place on May 29 but the allocations are likely to fall woefully short for the most dedicated supporters of both clubs if they progress in next month’s semi-finals. Arsenal have 44,000 season-ticket holders while Chelsea have an estimated 24,000.
The Gunners booked their place in the last-four of the competition last Thursday with a 3-0 aggregate win over Napoli, while Maurizio Sarri’s side did likewise with a 5-3 two-leg defeat of Slavia Prague.
Arsenal and Chelsea can expect to receive less than 7,000 tickets for the Europa League final
The Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan will host the final, which has a capacity of 68,700
Maurizio Sarri's side reached the last-four with a 5-3 aggregate win over Slavia Prague
Should either side qualify for the tournament’s showpiece conclusion, supporters will face a fight to secure a seat – despite UEFA’s own struggles to sell the remaining tickets to the general public.
In February, UEFA put 37,500 tickets on general sale for the final; a total that amounts to 58 per cent of the stadium’s 64,000-capacity for the final - an all-time record.
But they are evidently struggling to sell those tickets as they have been put back up for sale on UEFA.com, despite the original application deadline of March 21.
Individuals are able to purchase as many as four tickets in one purchase, double the average amount available from previous finals.
With travel costs for supporters expected to be far higher than previous years, UEFA have also slashed the cost of a the cheapest ticket to €30 (£25), which is €15 cheaper than the Category 4 tickets at the last two finals.
Direct flight prices from London in the week of the final are already in excess of £500 return.
UEFA are also struggling to sell 37,500 tickets which were put on sale for the general public
UEFA told Sportsmail tickets are still available due to fans not paying for tickets they had previously reserved.
‘The number of tickets reserved for supporters of the two finalists will be confirmed in due course,’ a UEFA spokesperson
