How the 2025/26 Europa League Knockouts Will Drive Ticket Sales for English Clubs

English teams have often done well in Europe, and the Europa League is not different, as they have done well in the knockout phase of the 2025/2026 edition.

Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest have both advanced deep into the competition after winning their round of 16 ties, following difficult games against Lille and Midtjylland.

They are considered two of the favourites that could lift the trophy at the end of this season, and it is not a surprise that they remain in the tournament.

Reaching the last eight hands them a huge chance to boost their ticket revenue and offer their fans even more matches to watch on the road outside England.

This season, the Premier League had a record nine clubs in all European competitions, and the Europa League has become a key revenue stream for teams that have failed to qualify for the Champions League. 

Deep knockout runs not only provide prize money, which is often up to €20m+ for quarter-finalists, but also generate substantial matchday income through sell-outs and premium hospitality. 

This article examines how the knockouts are driving ticket sales for English participants, including current demand trends, pricing impacts, and strategies clubs use to capitalise on their progress in the competition. 

Any fan keen on getting their hands on a good ticket for the remaining matches in the competition, LocoTickets offers the best from vetted resellers with authentic tickets.

English clubs’ progress in the 2025/2026 Europa League

English teams have benefited so much from the revamped Europa League, which now accommodates 36 teams in the league phase alone. The key highlights so far include:

• Aston Villa: Villa were top performers during the league phase of the competition and continued that fine form in the round of 16, where they knocked out Lille.

Their reward is a game against Bologna in the quarterfinals, as they look to go as far as they can in the competition this season.

Unai Emery's side has turned Villa Park into a fortress, with home legs drawing near-capacity crowds, and this has been a major boost to the club’s finances, which is one of their reasons they will not be bothered too much by their inconsistent domestic form.

• Nottingham Forest: Forest has been a surprise package in the competition and has done surprisingly well, like their qualification for the tournament shocked most people in England.

After beating Midtjylland in the round of 16, they will now face FC Porto in the quarterfinals of the competition and will look to continue to overperform and keep European games coming at the City Ground.

Both of these teams have truly benefited from the knockout structure, which means the revenues will continue to pour in by April, even though the Europa League tickets are not as expensive as Champions League tickets.

How knockout progression boosts club revenues

There are several ways that progressing in the Europa League boosts the revenue of participating clubs, including:

• Increased home matches: The more progress a team makes, the more home matches they will get to play. Each team that makes the quarterfinals has guaranteed itself two home games in the knockout stage of the competition. If they host the second, there is almost a guarantee that their stadium will be sold out.
• Higher attendance & pricing: More fans watch knockout games than the league phase matches because that is where the real business starts.

There are more upsets in the knockout games, and their team is likely to draw a big club with superstars to entertain them.

• Resale market surge: Official channels often sell out their ticket allocation, which leads to the flooding of the resale market, and this could drive the ticket price up by up to 50%, especially for big matches.
• Merchandise & Concessions: One of the biggest drivers of non-ticket revenue is a packed stadium, so these clubs have enjoyed a surge in their matchday revenue because of going deep in Europe.

Aston Villa could make as much as 10m euros per home game in Europe in the knockout rounds of the Europa League, and Forest’s City Ground also enjoys a similar lift.

Pricing trends for the quarterfinals of the Europa League

Although the Europa League knockout games are more affordable than the Champions League’s, demand volatility could raise prices sharply.

Aston Villa vs Bologna (quarterfinal second leg) ticket prices on LocoTickets

Nottingham Forest vs FC Porto (quarterfinal second leg)

Why the knockout games provide an important revenue stream for EPL teams

• Aston Villa’s reemergence: Under Unai Emery, Villa has consistently made the knockout stage of European competitions, which has now drawn consistently large crowds to Villa Park.
• Surprising Forest performances: Forest’s qualification for the competition and reaching the quarterfinals have given fans more reasons to come to the City Ground, attracting more fans, with the club experiencing up to a 20% surge in ticket demands for home European games this season.
• Boosted prestige: When a club goes deep in European games, it directly improves its prestige, which in turn leads to more season ticket renewals. They also have more money to offset operational costs, with up to €20m being made by these teams for reaching the quarterfinals.

How English clubs maximise ticket sales

To sell as many tickets as possible and finish their allocations fast, English clubs use some tactics to boost their sales, including:

• Membership: Villa and Forest are two teams that take good care of their members, so season ticket holders often gets priorities when the sale is on for home European tickets.
• Dynamic pricing: prices often rise for high-demand games, especially second-leg matches when the aggregate scores are close. While clubs would rather be in a comfortable position before the second leg, they love the hype around a high-stakes second leg.
• Marketing: English clubs make good use of their best marketing tactics to sell tickets for “European nights”, making fans’ decision to buy tickets easy.
• Bundles: English clubs often market bundles, which often include some concessions to get their fans to pay less for a broader experience.

Conclusion

Reaching the quarterfinal of the 2025/2026 Europa League has provided a serious revenue stream for Aston Villa and Nottingham. Remaining in the tournament this deep has boosted attendance to their home matches, improving matchday revenue as well as unlocking more funds from UEFA and TV for their progress.