The UK is introducing a new ban on reselling tickets for entertainment events, but for football fans, a 30-year-plus ban prevents football tickets from being covered.
The UK is set to ban the resale of tickets on platforms above face value in a bid to curb the rising costs for sports and entertainment events.
The government intends to halt ticket resale sites, such as StubHub and Viagogo, to avoid consumers from being “ripped off”. The ban on resale tickets above face value will apply to sporting events, concerts, theatre, comedy and other live events.
The new rules, announced on November 19, will make the resale of tickets above the original price illegal, defined by incoming legislation that will also forbid unavoidable fees, and reduced service charges.
The cap on service charges on resale ticketing platforms will be implemented to stop the price limit from being undermined, according to the UK government.
Other measures include a legal duty for resale platforms to monitor and enforce compliance with the price cap. Individuals will also be banned from reselling more tickets than they were entitled to buy in the initial ticket sale.
“The UK is home to a brilliant range of music, entertainers and sporting stars – but when fans are shut out – it only benefits the touts,” said Business Secretary Peter Kyle.
“That’s why we’re taking these bold measures to smash their model to pieces and make sure more fans can enjoy their favourite stars at a fair price.”
The £112m solution
With the UK introducing these new cost effective measures, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will fine any reselling ticket platform in the UK, including secondary firms and social media websites, 10% of the global turnover from the CMA.
According to analysis by the CMA, typical mark-ups on secondary market tickets exceed 50%, whilst investigations by Trading Standards has uncovered evidence of tickets being resold for up to six times their original cost.
Government analysis suggests that these measures could save fans around £112m annually, with 900,000 more tickets bought directly from primary sellers each year. Inclusive of all fees paid, the average ticket price paid by fans on the resale market could be reduced by £37.
“For too long, ticket touts have ripped off fans, using bots to snap up batches of tickets and resell them at sky-high prices,” said Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. “They’ve become a shadow industry on resale sites, acting without consequence.
“This government is putting fans first. Our new proposals will shut down the touts’ racket and make world-class music, comedy, theatre and sport affordable for everyone.”
Bad news for football fans… tickets do not apply to new ban
Despite the resale measures applying to most of the UK entertainment economy, they do not apply to football tickets due to a preexisting rule.
The 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, which only applies to tickets sold in England and Wales, forbids the sale of football tickets other than clubs or associated organisations.
This still allows for companies like Viagogo, who are not based in England or Wales, to continue to resell tickets for football matches in both countries significantly above face value.
Football club supporters groups have routinely called out the overpriced ticket sales on these resell ticketing platforms for pricing out fans attending games.
Manchester City’s 1894 supporters group called out the club’s ticketing partnership with Viagogo in March 2025, staging protests against what became the club’s ninth ticketing partnership during the first 10 minutes of games at the Etihad Stadium.
