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Manchester United supporters have voiced outrage over the club’s decision to increase ticket prices and introduce a new match categorisation model for the first time — a move that has been met with sharp criticism from the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST), who have described it as “a fresh kick in the teeth for Manchester United fans.”
The club’s overhaul of matchday pricing will impact roughly 20,000 fans who purchase tickets on a match-by-match basis, with MUST warning that for most Premier League fixtures, the cost of the cheapest available seats has soared by 50 per cent. The price rise follows a five per cent increase in season ticket prices announced in March, with even higher hikes affecting senior fans.
Under the new system, Premier League matches have been split into three categories — A, B, and C — while a fourth category, D, will apply to certain domestic cup games. The six most high-profile fixtures — against Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Newcastle — fall under Category A, where ticket prices will range from £59 to £97.
Category B includes 11 games such as those against Aston Villa, West Ham, and Everton, with tickets priced between £57 and £86. Category C, the cheapest tier, will only apply to two matches: Wolves and Sunderland, where prices are set at £37 to £60. Cup matches classified as Category D are priced from £32 to £52.
United say the categorisation is based on historical demand and brings them into line with other Premier League clubs. According to the club, the average cost of a general admission ticket next season will be £46.51 — up from £41.41 last season — and fewer than one per cent of all tickets will be at the highest £97 price point.
Despite assurances from United’s leadership that the Fan Advisory Board (FAB) was consulted, MUST claim that supporters were shut out of meaningful discussions about the changes. They argue that the club is once again disregarding its fanbase, particularly regular attendees and younger supporters.
“When the club said they were introducing this new model for members' tickets, we urged them to keep the majority of matches at current levels and only apply the highest price category for a small number of the biggest games, and reduced prices for lower demand games," a MUST spokesperson said. “Once again, they have failed to consult any of the fans representative bodies on the details of the decision, and once again they’re making choices against the interests of fans and, we believe, the club as a whole."
Club chief executive Omar Berrada has admitted previous missteps in ticket pricing. Speaking to United We Stand, Berrada acknowledged that the rollout of £66 tickets mid-season last year was mishandled. “What I accept is that the way it was rolled out was not good,” he said. “I raise my hand, I’m responsible for that decision... We didn’t communicate it well. And we did it too quickly, mid-season.”
He stressed that lessons had been learned and that ongoing dialogue with the FAB had helped temper the final pricing. “We’ve had some robust conversations and they pushed back on a lot of the ideas that we had,” Berrada said.
Nonetheless, discontent remains high among fans, particularly as the club recorded its worst-ever Premier League finish last season — ending 15th — and now expects fans to pay more.
United will open the 2025/26 campaign at home to Arsenal on August 17 — a Category A fixture — which will also be featured on Sky Sports’ Super Sunday. Other early season TV fixtures include Liverpool vs Bournemouth, Aston Villa vs Newcastle, and Chelsea vs Crystal Palace.
Featured Image Credit: Unsplash / Dexter Fernandes, Unsplash / Mark mc neill
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