Arsenal is navigating various strategies to secure victories this season as they aim for both the Premier League and Champions League titles. Fans now face their own challenges if they wish to attend the UEFA final in Budapest.
With direct flights from London priced as high as £1,500 and hotel accommodations situated approximately 20 miles from the city center, this year’s Champions League final could become the most costly to attend in history. However, with some luck and adaptability in their travel plans, supporters can still strive to fulfill Declan Rice’s aspiration of having 200,000 fans gather along the Danube at the end of the month.
“Traveling to Budapest by air is generally impractical, but there are alternatives that allow fans to get closer and then travel by train,” explains Tom Hall, a travel specialist at Lonely Planet and an Arsenal season-ticket holder. “Some fans in my vicinity have chosen to book flights to Bratislava and Vienna, while I noticed direct return flights to Bucharest for under £200, which is just a 15-hour bus or train ride away.”
Alternatively, there is a bus service that runs from London to Budapest, with round-trip tickets priced below £300. The only downside is that the journey takes 48 hours and requires an overnight stay in Nuremberg on Friday.
After securing transportation, the next hurdle is obtaining match tickets. Arsenal has announced that UEFA has allocated 16,824 tickets for the final, representing roughly 27% of the Puskas Arena’s stated capacity of 61,400. These tickets will be allocated through a ballot system favoring season-ticket holders, with prices starting at €70 (£60) for “fan first” tickets, escalating to €950 for premium seating and €760 for seats with obstructed views. UEFA prohibits the resale of tickets through secondary markets and warns that violators risk having their tickets revoked, yet listings have emerged with prices beginning at nearly £4,000.
Earlier this season, UEFA committed to ensuring that a majority of the tickets at the Puskas Arena—39,000—would be allocated to fans of the competing clubs and the general public. The remainder is typically distributed among UEFA officials, member associations, competition sponsors, and their guests.
Once travel and ticketing issues are resolved, fans must tackle what Hall refers to as the “hotel hurdle,” as available accommodations in Budapest are scarce and exorbitantly priced. “There are some sleeper train options to and from Bucharest that might help with this issue,” Hall notes. “Honestly, I don’t have any other solutions. However, considering the game is scheduled for Saturday evening local time, staying awake until the early hours of Sunday may be feasible.”
A night without sleep could be a common occurrence for fans, but there is another layer of complexity. Reports have emerged suggesting that if Arsenal secures either or both of their targeted trophies, a victory parade in north London will occur on May 31, the day following the Budapest final.
While Arsenal has not confirmed these plans, the challenge of staying awake all night pales in comparison to the difficulty of booking a return flight to London that arrives by lunchtime the next day.
