Since my family’s 2025 travel plans are mostly booked, I’ve had 2026 on my mind. My husband and son want to attend Wimbledon tennis tournament in London. We haven’t been to London since before we had kids, and we can tack on a side trip to Switzerland on the same journey. Easy peasy, right?
Not so fast. It turns out that getting tickets to Wimbledon is not a slam dunk.
3 Ways to get Tickets to Wimbledon
Wimbledon takes place every June/July. Demand for tickets far exceeds the supply for the two-week event. To get tickets, you have the following options:
Public Ballot: This ballot is run by Wimbledon officials and is like a lottery for tickets. Each household can only submit one ballot for a maximum of 2 people. If you’re one of the lucky 10% of folks who are chosen randomly, you will have the option to buy two tickets for the day/court the ballot picked for you. Registration for the public ballot is usually in September of the prior year for next year’s event, and winners are notified over the next several months.
The Queue: Wimbledon is one of the few sporting events that saves tickets to sell each morning of the event. These are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Around 500 seats are available for the top two courts, along with a few thousand “grounds passes” that get you into the complex with views to the lower-ranked courts. Wimbledon starts selling tickets at 9:45 a.m., but some people line up for the queue the night before and camp out overnight. Oof.
Hospitality Tickets: Wimbledon sells hospitality tickets in advance that include access to on-site lounges and tickets to the top 2 courts. This is really the only way to guarantee you will attend Wimbledon. As you can imagine, these tickets are quite expensive, starting at around $1500 USD per person per day. Ouch!
What I Will and Will Not Do for Wimbledon Tickets
Even though I’m not the biggest tennis fan in my household, I do think going to Wimbledon will be fun. The event offers unique food options (like the famous strawberries and cream). Plus, tons of celebrities attend. But, I don’t want to go broke for the event.
Best case scenario is that my husband and son enter the public ballot and get tickets for one of the first few days of the tournament. They are really the most passionate tennis fans in my family. But, our chances of getting selected in the public ballot are slim. And, since I will be booking award flights 11-12 months in advance, it could be hard to change our flights if we don’t get our first choice of dates.
My husband and I both agreed that we won’t camp out overnight in the queue. Nope, no way. But, we would consider getting in the queue around 6 a.m. We would most likely be able to get grounds passes, which would be enough for me. Or, we heard that you can show up later in the afternoon and potentially get a ground pass after the morning/early afternoon spectators leave.
Of course, my husband might try to talk me into buying hospitality tickets for him and my son for one day. I understand that Wimbledon is a bucket-list event for him. But still, those prices give me pause!
If you have attended Wimbledon and you have any advice, please sound off in the comments!
I really appreciate this informative blog post! It breaks down the options for getting tickets to Wimbledon clearly and concisely. The tips about the official ballot, hospitality packages, and the famous queue are incredibly helpful for anyone looking to experience this iconic event. This guide makes navigating the ticketing process feel much more manageable—thank you for sharing these insights!
Very good insight.
Buy a Wimbledon debenture. You get interest on yoru investment and you get access to tickets.
@D.A. Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll look into it.
I’ve gone to Wimbledon twice, in 1996 and 1998. Both times, IIRC, my friend and I went in the afternoon and bought resold grounds passes that had already been used that day and donated to charity. Because of the time of year, it doesn’t get dark until late, so we saw matches for like 6-7 hours. (It was the early rounds and plenty of matches were taking place on outer courts.)
@Aaron Thanks for sharing your experience! That sounds better than lining up at 6 a.m.