£150 for a Ticket: Are Birmingham’s Stands Empty?

There is an image grabbing a lot of attention in the early days of the European Championships in Birmingham: the stands at the Alexander Stadium appear to feature a large number of empty seats. On Monday, the day when Amy Hunt won the European 100 metres title and Jakob Ingebrigtsen again became the continental champion, organizers reported 13,623 spectators, in a stadium prepared to host up to 23,000 people per session. On paper, more than half of the capacity was filled; on the track, the feeling was very different, especially in certain sections of the stands.

And the main reason cited by fans has a name and a surname: the price of the tickets. For the early sessions, Category A seats reached £110 (about €127), while Categories B, C and D cost £90, £60 and £40 respectively. And the problem worsened during the final stretch of the championships, when the priciest seats rise to £150. These prices have sparked criticism even within athletics. Hunt’s agent, Nick Harwell, summed it up with a blunt “crazy prices,” while Steve Cram, the British track veteran and current BBC commentator, acknowledged live his disappointment at the number of empty seats.

The cost of going to the stadium doesn’t end with the ticket. Fans have also complained about the prices of food — £18.50 for a sandwich, £15 for a hot dog, and £3.95 for a bottle of water — and about the difficulties of reaching the Alexander Stadium. The park-and-ride costs £22.50, while the cheaper alternative at £17.50 requires a 45-minute walk from the car park. Add to that late finishing times near 21:50, which are not very family-friendly, and occasional traffic problems in the surrounding area.

The organizers remind that half of the tickets are priced at £30 or less, with children’s tickets from £6.31.

The Birmingham 2026 organizers, however, defend that sales are exceeding their targets and remind that half of the tickets are priced at £30 or less, with children’s tickets from £6.31 and family packages that allow four people to attend for £30. They also assert that Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon sessions are near selling out, alongside other days approaching full capacity.

And there may lie the key. Birmingham still has its big days ahead. The weekend concentrates some of the events with the strongest local appeal: the women’s 800 metres final, with Keely Hodgkinson emerging as the great British star, and the men’s and women’s 1500 metres finals, with significant medal chances for the home team. Expectation should rise markedly, and the organizers hope those sessions will present a completely different look.

But the images from the early days raise an uncomfortable question for British athletics: if London’s Diamond League filled while the first European Championship on these islands cannot offer a dignified crowd in the stands, is the price deterring the audience that should fill these arenas? The situation also comes just as London unveils its bid to host the 2029 World Championships, so the images from Birmingham will have repercussions far beyond these European Championships.