Football ticket resale: the best sites and how club exchanges work

Football ticket resale in the UK runs on two tracks. A club’s own ticket exchange lets members buy seats that others hand back, usually at face value, the price printed on the ticket. Independent marketplaces are open to anyone, but sellers set the price. Try the club’s exchange first, then a marketplace once it has nothing left.

Every Premier League game, with the state of its sale, is on the Premier League tickets page.

What is football ticket resale?

Football ticket resale means buying a seat from someone who already has it, usually because they cannot go. It happens in three kinds of place, and they work very differently.

• Club ticket exchange: the club’s own resale service. Season ticket holders, who have paid for the same seat at every home league game, hand back games they cannot use, and other fans buy them.
• Resale marketplace: a website where sellers list tickets and set their own prices, such as StubHub, viagogo, LiveFootballTickets or Hellotickets.
• Comparison site: a website such as SeatPick that shows listings from several marketplaces side by side. It is not a seller.

Ticket forwarding is something else. It means sending a ticket you own to a friend’s club account, with no sale involved.

Which football ticket resale site is the best?

The best football ticket resale site is usually the home club’s own exchange, because seats sell at or near face value and land straight in your club account. If it has nothing, or you cannot use it, compare the marketplaces below.

Each promise above is the site’s own published wording, and review scores change often. Best for: use a club exchange if you are a member, and a marketplace if you are not, or if the exchange has closed.

How do club ticket exchanges work?

Club ticket exchanges work by letting season ticket holders, and at some clubs members, hand back a seat for other fans to buy, usually once a game has sold out. Each club sets its own rules, so check yours:

Arsenal adds one more filter. Its Ticket Exchange opens first to members who lost that game’s ballot, a free draw for the chance to buy, and only sometimes to others. The Arsenal Ticket Exchange guide covers it step by step.

How do you buy a resale football ticket?

You buy a resale football ticket by checking the club’s exchange first, then comparing marketplaces if it cannot help. Follow these steps in order:

1. Look up your game on the club’s site. Find out whether it has an exchange, who can use it and when it closes.
2. Enter the ballot, even if you expect to lose. At Arsenal and Chelsea, losing a ballot is what puts you first in the exchange queue.
3. Check again in the week of the match. Seats appear when season ticket holders find they cannot go.
4. Compare marketplaces if the exchange is closed to you. Look at the same block on each site, and go to the last checkout screen. Judge that total, not the first price.
5. Read the listing. Check the stand, block, row, face value and any restriction.
6. Check how the ticket reaches you. Make sure the date suits your travel plans.
7. Pay through the site’s own checkout. Never pay by bank transfer.

What must a resale football ticket listing tell you?

A UK listing for a resale football ticket must, by law, show your seat, any limit on its use, the printed price and any tie between seller and website. The rule is section 90 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which applies to sporting events resold online.

• Where you will be: the stand, block, row and seat number, where they apply, plus any unique ticket number that helps identify the seat.
• Any restriction: for example, a seat that only a junior or a member can use.
• The face value: the amount stated on the ticket as its price.
• Who is selling: you must be told if the seller is the site itself, a business linked to it, someone who works for it or the event organiser.

The law says this must be clear, and you must get it before you are bound by the contract. So if a detail is missing, ask before you pay.

Why do some resale football tickets not show the exact seat?

Some resale football tickets show only a general area at first, because the listing gives a section rather than a seat. Section 90 asks for the details needed to identify a seat where the ticket is for a particular seat. If you cannot see the block and row, ask the site before you pay, or choose another listing.

What does a resale football ticket cost?

A resale football ticket costs face value on most club exchanges, and whatever the seller asks on a marketplace. That one difference matters more than any other.

• Club exchanges: the club sets the price, not the seller. Tottenham sells at face value with its small fee already in the price, Liverpool sells at face value and Fulham sells at the adult rate.
• Marketplaces: the seller sets the price, and fees are added. viagogo says it has no set fee percentage, and Hellotickets shows the final price before you pay.

Compare any total with the club’s own price for that seat. Tottenham v Ipswich, a Category C game on Saturday 21 November, starts from £38 for an adult at the club. Live resale prices sit beside each fixture on the Premier League tickets page, so you can see the gap for yourself.

A government plan to limit resale prices to the original cost was announced on 19 November 2025. It was still not law on 31 October 2026, and on 10 August 2026 the government said it was still bringing forward draft legislation. Football already runs differently, because clubs control their own exchanges.

How do you sell a football ticket you cannot use?

To sell a football ticket you cannot use, list it on your club’s exchange, because that is the route clubs build for this. You are paid only if the seat sells, and each club pays in its own way:

List as soon as you know you cannot go. Manchester United only charges for a listing made within two weeks of the game, so its holders should list earlier. The guides to the Aston Villa season ticket and the Brentford season ticket explain how listing counts towards each club’s usage rule.

Can you give your ticket to a friend instead?

Yes, you can give your ticket to a friend through the club’s own forwarding tool, not by sharing a login or a screenshot. Premier League rules say digital tickets must move between people through the club’s own transfer system.

Some clubs ask the friend to hold a basic membership. Chelsea’s Ticket Forwarding Membership costs £15 a season, and Manchester United’s Forwarding Membership costs £30. At Chelsea, a ticket you have forwarded can no longer be listed on the exchange.

When do resale football tickets arrive?

Resale football tickets from a club exchange go straight into your club account, while marketplace tickets arrive when the seller has them. That can be late, because clubs often release tickets close to the game.

West Ham, for example, makes tickets for Preston on Saturday 21 November downloadable from 11am on Monday 16 November. Hellotickets says tickets are sent as soon as it receives them from the seller, sometimes only 1-2 days before the event. It also says every ticket is authenticated and that if there is ever an issue, you are protected by its refund policy.

On the day, most clubs use a digital ticket on your phone. Charge your phone, keep the ticket ready at the turnstile, the entry gate, and allow extra time.

Who should use which football resale route?

The right football resale route depends on whether you belong to the club. Members should use the exchange, and everyone else has fewer choices.

• Members of the club: use the exchange, and enter every ballot so you are first in line.
• First-timers: you may not need resale at all. Look for a game still on sale at the club before you look elsewhere.
• Bringing children? Exchange prices are often adult prices. Tottenham’s exchange has no child or senior prices, and Fulham resells at the adult rate.
• Groups: seats on an exchange are rarely side by side, and Brentford allows one ticket per game.
• Disabled fans: speak to the club first. Arsenal’s Disability Liaison Team is on 0207 619 5000, option 2.
• Coming from abroad? Most exchanges need a membership, so check for an overseas plan, such as Bees Overseas at Brentford.
• Not worth it if: the club still has hospitality on sale, a ticket with food and drink. Compare the totals before you decide.

What mistakes should you avoid with football ticket resale?

The biggest football ticket resale mistakes are skipping the ballot, comparing the wrong price and forgetting that exchange sales are usually final. These are easy to avoid:

• Skipping the ballot. At several clubs, losing a ballot is your way into the exchange.
• Comparing first prices. Only the final total counts.
• Expecting a refund. Chelsea’s exchange purchases are final, and Tottenham’s cannot be refunded or transferred.
• Sharing a login. Use the club’s forwarding tool instead.
• Listing too late. A seat only sells if someone sees it in time.

What to do now (as of 31 October 2026)

As of 31 October 2026, three of these Premier League games are sold out at the club, and the others still have an exchange or a later sale to watch. The next fixed date is 11am on Monday 16 November, when returned Liverpool seats go on sale.

Do this first: if you hold a membership, check your club’s exchange today. If you do not, compare the final totals beside each fixture on the Premier League tickets page.