A BBC undercover investigation has revealed the thriving black market trade in Premier League tickets, with overseas companies running sophisticated operations that resell thousands of tickets at inflated prices.
The probe uncovered how businesses based in locations as unlikely as a Swiss town of just 4,000 residents are exploiting club memberships and specialized software to scoop up tickets from official online platforms before fans can access them. These tickets are then resold illegally through unauthorized websites at two to four times their original price, despite UK laws banning ticket touting.
BBC Sport journalists were able to purchase tickets for four top-flight matches last weekend, including the sold-out Manchester derby, just days before the game. Reporters also gained entry to fixtures at Arsenal, Everton, and West Ham, while other fans reported being scammed after paying for tickets that never allowed them through the turnstiles.
The scale of the problem has been described as “endemic” in English football. Some tickets were sent directly via WhatsApp from UK phone numbers, accompanied by warnings not to communicate with stewards. Prices ranged from £55 to a staggering £14,962, with one case involving Japanese tourists who paid £2,200 for seats valued at just £87 each.
Safety concerns have been raised over the resale market, as strict segregation rules between rival supporters could be undermined by tickets changing hands outside official channels. Critics say the booming black market is shutting genuine fans out of stadiums and eroding trust in the Premier League’s ticketing system.
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In response, clubs claim they are cracking down, canceling tens of thousands of memberships and tickets linked to suspicious activity. The Premier League also maintains a blacklist of more than 50 unauthorized sellers, including StubHub and Vivid Seats, where Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly sits on the board.
Yet the BBC’s investigation revealed that just four of these sites, all accessible from the UK, had tens of thousands of tickets advertised. For Arsenal’s clash with Nottingham Forest, more than 18,000 seats were listed, nearly a third of the Emirates Stadium’s capacity. Ticket security expert Reg Walker told the BBC that many of these may be “speculative listings”-tickets that don’t actually exist. Even so, he estimated that between 10 and 25 percent are real, representing thousands of seats per matchweek being diverted to the black market.
The revelations have fueled fresh calls for the Premier League, clubs, and the government to intensify efforts against illegal resales, with many fans demanding stricter enforcement to protect both affordability and safety in English football’s biggest competition.
