Landmark Royal Antwerp case is another test of EU’s appetite to help football consumers

EU law protects market competition but has been used too little to help football fans. Worse still, Europe has helped the big clubs to increase their market power, writes Tsjalle van der Burg. Football tickets have become expensive. Paris Saint-Germain currently top the European ranking: in 2024-25, the average admission price for a seat was €139. Barcelona, Real Madrid and four English clubs followed, while Bayern Munich was eighth at €79. Signs suggest ticket prices have risen further this year and the EU shares part of the blame for this. Fans like to watch a club that can win major trophies. In the past, there was much choice. In the 1970s, five clubs in France were national champions. In the past 10 years, by contrast, PSG have won eight times. So, anyone now wishing to see a French winner has fewer options, which implies competition in the French consumer market has decreased. This helps explain the high prices of tickets. Similar stories hold elsewhere. In principle