UEFA announce Champions League rule change in boost to Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City fans | OneFootball

Lower cap for away fans’ tickets confirmed ahead of new league phase

UEFA has lowered the cap for away tickets in this season's Champions League to £50, with a further reduction pledged for the next campaign.

European football's governing body confirmed the change to the cap on Monday, following a weekend dominated by discussions around ticket pricing for Oasis' reunion gigs next summer and the England vs Sri Lanka cricket match at Lord's.

From next season Champions League away tickets will be capped at £42 as UEFA and its president Aleksander Ceferin tries to ensure supporters feel "valued and recognised".

Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa are English football’s representatives in the competition this season, when the £50 cap will be in place.

A price cap of £59 had been in place since 2019, with Monday's announcement signalling the first lowering of that mark. From this season, clubs are now playing at least one extra away match in the new-look league phases of the Champions League and Europa League.

The new cap is the result of further consultation between UEFA, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) and the European Club Association (ECA).

Away tickets in the Europa League, where Tottenham and Manchester United play, will be capped at £34 this season and Conference League tickets at £17 ahead of Chelsea’s maiden trip to the compeititon. The Europa League cap will be further reduced to £29 next term, UEFA said.

"Today's decision marks another key step in reaffirming UEFA's commitment to enhancing the matchday experience for all fans," Ceferin said. "By introducing more fan-friendly policies, we continue our mission to keep football as an inclusive sport where supporters who travel across Europe to follow their teams are valued and recognised."

FSE executive director Ronan Evain said: "The revised price caps are further recognition of how integral away fans are to the atmosphere of European club fixtures. This decision illustrates another positive achievement in FSE's joint work with UEFA and clubs on improving conditions for fans traveling across Europe."

ECA chairman Nasser Al Khelaifi said the move was "an important signal" in helping to improve the match experience for fans.

"ECA's collaboration with UEFA and the fans' representatives through FSE is fundamental in ensuring travelling supporters can enjoy following their teams across Europe to the maximum," he said.

An FSE study published in November last year found ticket prices remained "stubbornly high", and that 12 of the 32 teams involved in the 2022-23 Champions League group phase charged the maximum amount at least once.

Rangers did so twice, Celtic three times and European champions Manchester City did so on six occasions. Despite that, City were found to be the eighth-cheapest club to watch in the Champions League, with away tickets averaging at just over £33 in the season where they won the competition.