FA to review ticket sale process after Australia fans buy seats for England supporters
The FA is set to review its ticket sales process after Australia fans reportedly bought up seats intended to be available exclusively to England supporters.
An official England supportersâ allocation of 1,970 tickets was released for Wednesdayâs semi-final after the Lionesses beat Colombia 2-1 on Saturday.
A post on the FA-run England Football website said supporters could buy their tickets via Fifa using the access code âLionessâ.
But the code was soon picked up and shared by an Australia-supporting Facebook group, the Daily Mail reported, allowing fans of the home team to snap up some of the visitorsâ seats.
A spokesperson for the FA told i: âWe worked with Fifa to secure an additional allocation of tickets for Englandâs World Cup Semi-Final against Australia.
âThe details of how to purchase these tickets were communicated directly to our fans on our England Football channel, and we are disappointed to see reports that a limited number of these tickets have been accessed by other fans.
âWe are working with Fifa to review this ticketing process going forward.â
![Soccer Football - FIFA Women???s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 - Fans watch England v Colombia - London, Britain - August 12, 2023 England fans celebrate after the match REUTERS/Alishia Abodunde](https://wp.inews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SEI_167388835.jpg?w=760)
Australia fans were already expected to outnumber the visitors by around 10 to one at the 83,500-seater Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Fans back home could get the chance to watch the Lionesses secure World Cup victory alongside thousands of others should England book their place in the final.
Sadiq Khanâs office has said that City Hall will âwork with partners to look at the best way to enable Londoners to come together to support the teamâ if England make it to Sundayâs match.
Last yearâs Euros victory was screened in Trafalgar Square to 7,000 supporters who attended for free on a first-come-first-served basis.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: âWe encourage Londoners to come together this Wednesday to cheer the team onto glory and support pubs, bars and restaurants across the capital.
âShould they reach the final, City Hall will work with partners to look at the best way to enable Londoners to come together to support the team on what is sure to be a momentous occasion.â