England are set to have a huge advantage over Spain in terms of crowd support for tonight’s Euro 2024 final in Berlin. Around 50,000 fans of the Three Lions are expected to be in Berlin’s Olympiastadion as their side bids to land a first international tournament title since 1966.
On the contrary, only around 12,000 Spanish fans are due to be in the stadium.
The remaining tickets in the 71,000 seater venue will be taken up by UEFA representatives and VIP guests.
It means the English will outnumber their rivals by a ratio of around 5:1, and the news will be welcomed by manager Gareth Southgate. He’s spoken frequently about his side’s travelling fans in Germany, despite being subjected to plastic cups being hurled at him after the disappointing group stage draw with Slovenia.
On social media, Sky Sports Spain reporter Guillem Balague explained why Southgate’s side were set to be handed an advantage before a ball is kicked at 8pm. And he implied that for many fans, the gamble of buying final tickets in advance had paid off.
“UEFA shared the same amount of tickets, (10k for general sale, 1.2k for guests),” he said. “The latest tickets sold by UEFA rewarded those that have travelled more often with the national side (clearly England fans, it makes sense).
“They seem to have more access to main sponsors, many of them with HQ in the UK. England fans have bought tickets for the final well in advance (having experienced problems to get them in the past).”
Balague also added further spice to reports that some supporters were prepared to pay thousands to secure their seat in Berlin. “I am sure they will pay over the odds with touts more often than Spain fans,” he added.
For England’s players, the crowd will be in stark contrast to their dramatic semi-final win over the Netherlands in Dortmund. It was th Dutch who enjoyed the bulk of the support, having taken over the famous ‘yellow wall’ that signifies the Westfalenstadion.
However, amid reports of many fans landing in Germany on last-minute flights, Southgate will also be wary that having a ‘home crowd’ doesn’t guarantee victory. In the chaotic Euro 2020 final three years ago, England took on Italy at Wembley with their fans having inevitably been handed the majority of the tickets.
The attendance in London was subjected to restrictions that day, due to Covid-19. Hundred of fans also stormed through security and attended without tickets, with the FA duly fined and ordered to play England’s next game behind closed doors.
