Regarding the "ticket price debate," what approaches have Europe and North America adopted?

Written by Han Bing Taking Europe's top five leagues and the Japanese/Korean leagues as primary references, the main factors influencing league ticket prices include the club's geographical location, historical status, recent performance, opponent strength, club culture, ticket supply-demand relationship, and even inflation. The global football world has also had many ideas regarding ticket pricing operations. For example, halftime shows or opening ceremony performances, but these are typically sponsored and funded by sponsors, and do not cause ticket price fluctuations due to related costs. However, North American football circles often employ new practices, widely adopting dynamic pricing mechanisms in recent years. Prices are adjusted instantly based on real-time supply and demand, event popularity, player form, weather, opponent strength, and other factors.

Ticket prices in Europe's top five leagues: the Premier League, with the highest TV broadcasting and commercial revenue, is the most expensive. For the 2025/26 season, the lowest adult retail ticket price in the Premier League is West Ham United's 25 euros (210 RMB, hereafter), while Everton's highest is 67 euros (approximately 560 RMB).

Comparing the highest retail price tier, Sunderland's most expensive retail ticket is 53 euros (440 RMB), while giants Manchester City (69 euros, 580 RMB) and Liverpool (71 euros, 590 RMB) are considered mid-range. Six clubs have maximum retail prices exceeding 100 euros (840 RMB), with Arsenal topping the list at 168 euros (1400 RMB).

Ten Premier League clubs have adult season ticket minimum prices below 700 euros (5800 RMB), with West Ham United's lowest at just 399 euros (3350 RMB), but West Ham's highest-tier season ticket price is 1991 euros (16700 RMB). Fulham's lowest season ticket price is 563 euros (4700 RMB), and its highest is 3570 euros (29900 RMB), a difference of 6.3 times. Chelsea has the smallest season ticket price gap—the lowest is 1019 euros (8500 RMB), and the highest is 1268 euros (10600 RMB).

To stabilize the "core base" of loyal fans, even amid high demand, seven Premier League clubs have frozen season ticket prices this season. This includes smaller clubs like Burnley and Brentford, as well as giants Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham. The average increase for the lowest season ticket prices in the Premier League this season is 7.27%, within an acceptable range for fans.

Many factors affect ticket price changes, including club location, last season's performance, historical status, opponent strength, etc. London, with the highest average income, generally has higher ticket prices, while other regions have lower prices. However, Manchester and Liverpool, due to their clubs' better historical achievements, have more expensive tickets. Traditional giants have seen ticket price increases recently, mainly due to high demand and limited supply. Current club performance also leads to price hikes; last season and this season, Aston Villa and Newcastle United raised prices by 3% to 5% correspondingly after qualifying for European competitions. Prices also vary based on the opponent. For example, Arsenal's upper-tier central retail ticket prices range from 68-168 euros (570-1400 RMB). Lower prices apply to weaker opponents, while higher prices are for title contenders like Manchester City or derby rivals Tottenham.

It's worth noting that promoted clubs' retail ticket prices do not necessarily rise after promotion. Clubs often maintain season ticket prices unchanged after promotion to thank fans for their support. This season's Premier League newcomers Burnley kept both season ticket and retail prices unchanged. Sunderland and Leeds United increased season ticket prices by 11% and 14% respectively after promotion, while their lowest retail ticket prices remained almost unchanged.

Ticket prices in other major European leagues are relatively cheaper compared to the Premier League. La Liga has the highest adult minimum retail ticket prices, with 11 clubs exceeding 30 euros (250 RMB), while Alavés has the lowest at 13 euros (115 RMB). Bundesliga minimum retail prices are generally below 30 euros (250 RMB), with standing terrace tickets at some stadiums costing only 15-20 euros (125-170 RMB). In Serie A, only Juventus, Inter Milan, and Roma exceed 20 euros (170 RMB); reigning champion Napoli charges only 10 euros (84 RMB), and the rising star Como under Fabregas's management has the lowest price (9 euros, approximately 75 RMB). In Ligue 1, eight clubs have adult minimum retail ticket prices below 10 euros (84 RMB), including giants Marseille and Monaco, with Auxerre being the lowest at just 5 euros (42 RMB).

During the Club World Cup final on July 13 last year, FIFA made a temporary decision to hold an unprecedented halftime show performance. Grammy-winning rapper Doja Cat, Nigerian singer Tems, and reggae superstar J Balvin performed together, but the lowest ticket price did not increase due to the added halftime entertainment. On FIFA's final poster, the performers occupied the central position, with players from the two competing teams placed on either side.

The final's lowest ticket price dropped from the official price of 312.2 USD (2240 RMB) set in early July to 249.75 USD (1800 RMB), a result of FIFA implementing a dynamic pricing mechanism. Due to high prices, ensuring stadium attendance was difficult, prompting a last-minute price reduction to boost attendance, unrelated to the added entertainment show. During this summer's World Cup final halftime, Coldplay will also perform.

Previously, Champions League finals also featured opening ceremony performances. Familiar international stars like Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, American pop singer Camila Cabello, American rapper Black Eyed Peas, American rock band Imagine Dragons, British pop singer Dua Lipa, American electronic music star Marshmello, Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz, and Linkin Park have all performed. For many years, the adult minimum ticket price for Champions League finals has remained at around 70 euros (570 RMB), not increased due to opening ceremony entertainment performances.

Typically, such opening ceremony performances are sponsored and funded by sponsors. For example, the 2025 Champions League final opening show by Linkin Park was sponsored by Pepsi, named the "Kick Off Show by Pepsi."

Previously, halftime during English football matches often featured charity-based crossbar challenges and penalty games, or traditional military band parades. When the Premier League was founded in 1992, broadcaster Sky Sports attempted musical performances during halftime to boost atmosphere, but they were quickly canceled due to poor reception. Currently, Crystal Palace is the only Premier League team still maintaining a cheerleading squad, performing simple routines before matches and during halftime.

During the halftime of the Premier League match between Tottenham and Brighton in April 2024, British singer Declan McKenna performed for the audience at Tottenham Stadium, a rare exception. However, Tottenham Club had announced before the season that 2023/24 season ticket prices would remain the same as the previous season. This match was not a high-demand focal event for Tottenham, and retail ticket prices did not increase.

The dynamic pricing mechanism popular in North America's top leagues in recent years has attracted attention. Last year's Club World Cup and this year's World Cup, FIFA also implemented dynamic pricing. The dynamic pricing mechanism has a more immediate impact on box office revenue: when tickets are in high demand, significant price hikes maximize revenue; when supply exceeds demand, price reductions attract more spectators, maintaining attendance while generating higher revenue compared to fixed pricing.

In North American football leagues, the most classic example of dynamic pricing is Lionel Messi's debut for Inter Miami in July 2023. For this CONCACAF League Cup match against Cruz Azul, due to Messi's appearance, the pre-match minimum ticket price soared from 29 USD (approximately 210 RMB) to 325 USD (2340 RMB), an increase of 11.2 times! Later, to address fan dissatisfaction over the rapid price surge, Inter Miami's home match against Orlando City saw the minimum price drop to 105 USD (710 RMB), but it rose again to 160 USD (1150 RMB) before the match started. However, the match was delayed by 1.5 hours due to thunderstorms, and the minimum price then fell to 73 USD (520 RMB).

Due to the volatility of dynamic pricing, in North American professional leagues, season tickets—which are stable and affordable—still account for at least 70% of all seats, ensuring sustainable development of the team's traditional community fan base. Only 20% to 30% of seats are sold via retail, incorporating dynamic pricing. North American leagues collaborate with big data companies, integrating dozens of dynamic factors affecting ticket supply and demand for each match, weighted differently, to calculate the most suitable ticket price. Generally, dynamic pricing can increase box office revenue by 30% during high demand and by 5% to 10% during low demand.

Dynamic pricing brings revenue far exceeding variable pricing mechanisms but also carries legal risks due to high prices. In May 2024, Vancouver Whitecaps hosted Inter Miami; the home team's pre-match promotion that Messi would play led to soaring ticket prices. The minimum price jumped from 35 USD (250 RMB) to 300-600 USD (2170-4340 RMB), with nearly 50,000 tickets sold out. But two days before the match, Inter Miami confirmed Messi, Suarez, and Busquets would be absent, causing the minimum price to plummet below 50 USD (360 RMB) that night. Vancouver Whitecaps offered half-price discounts on in-stadium food or free tickets for future matches to fans who purchased high-price tickets, but angry fans still filed a class-action lawsuit. Nearly two years later, a local Canadian court ruled that Vancouver Whitecaps and MLS must compensate fans 347,000 USD.

Mainstream European football media believe North America's dynamic pricing mechanism is not suitable for European and other world leagues. European football, influenced by long-standing community fan culture, considers fan demands even in retail ticket pricing. Although Premier League retail prices have risen continuously recently, with constant fan complaints, compared to North American events where prices can surge over 10 times, European league price increases remain within a reasonable range.

It should be noted that for this year's World Cup, FIFA's implementation of dynamic pricing may cause ticket prices to surge up to 10 times compared to the previous Qatar World Cup, requiring fans to be mentally prepared.