FC Schalke 04 have criticized TSG Hoffenheim’s ticket pricing ahead of Sunday’s Bundesliga encounter in Sinsheim. The Kraichgau club are charging spectators as much as €90 for seats at the PreZero Arena, prompting complaints from Schalke officials about the substantial price increases for matches involving clubs with large travelling fan bases.
According to Kicker, tickets in the same seating category will cost just €25 when Hoffenheim host fellow Bundesliga newcomers SV Elversberg in January. Both clubs earned promotion to Germany’s top flight last season, but the considerable difference in their travelling support appears to be reflected in Hoffenheim’s pricing structure.
Schalke are expected to bring as many as 11,000 supporters to Sunday’s match, despite receiving an official away allocation of approximately 3,000 tickets. Many visiting fans have consequently purchased seats outside the designated away section.
The fixture comes at a difficult time for the Royal Blues, who have failed to win any of their last five Bundesliga matches. Their traveling supporters are nevertheless once again expected to provide a significant presence inside the 30,150-capacity stadium.
Schalke criticize Hoffenheim’s ticketing policy
Schalke director of fan culture Sebastian Buntkirchen has publicly questioned Hoffenheim’s decision to charge significantly higher prices for fixtures against clubs with large supporter bases. Speaking to Sky Germany, Buntkirchen accused Hoffenheim of taking advantage of the considerable demand generated by Schalke’s travelling fans.
“They know Schalke bring a lot of fans, so they set higher ticket prices because they know Schalke supporters will buy them,” Buntkirchen explained. “That’s a development we view very critically.”
The Schalke official also emphasized that the club remains proud of its travelling support, but considers prices reaching €90 for individual seats unacceptable.
The situation is particularly frustrating for visiting supporters who were unable to secure tickets through the official away allocation and have instead been forced to purchase more expensive seats elsewhere in the stadium.
Hoffenheim defend differentiated ticket prices
Hoffenheim have defended their pricing policy, arguing that higher charges for particularly popular fixtures help the club maintain affordable options throughout the season. In a statement provided to the German Press Agency (DPA), the club explained that greater demand naturally leads to the availability of higher-priced ticket categories.
“For matches that are particularly in demand, there are correspondingly higher-priced ticket categories,” Hoffenheim stated. “At the same time, even for these matches, we offer seats starting at €29 for adults and €18 for children.”
The club also argued that its differentiated pricing structure allows it to maintain attractive offers for families, clubs, and schools while keeping season-ticket prices stable over the longer term.
Hoffenheim reportedly classify fixtures against Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, VfB Stuttgart, Hamburger SV, and Schalke as particularly attractive encounters. The return fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt is also expected to fall into that category.
The pricing controversy is not entirely new. Hamburg supporters previously complained about high ticket prices following their club’s 3-2 victory in Sinsheim earlier this season.
Hoffenheim face the unusual challenge of hosting clubs with considerably larger travelling fan bases while struggling to fill their own stadium consistently. Average attendances last season were approximately 25,000, leaving several thousand seats unoccupied at a venue capable of accommodating more than 30,000 spectators.
Visiting supporters have consequently been able to establish a significant presence beyond the designated away section, sometimes producing an atmosphere in which the home side’s fans are outnumbered acoustically.
Karlsruhe supporters could also attend Hoffenheim’s Europa League fixture
Another unusual situation could develop when Hoffenheim host Austrian side Sturm Graz in the Europa League on November 26. According to Kicker, calls have been circulating among Karlsruher SC supporters encouraging fans to purchase tickets for the match in Sinsheim.
Karlsruhe supporters maintain a long-standing friendship with their counterparts from Sturm Graz, while the relatively short distance between Karlsruhe and Hoffenheim’s stadium makes the European fixture an attractive opportunity for fans of the second-division club.
There is no confirmation of how many KSC supporters might attend, but the prospect raises the possibility of another unusually large visiting contingent at the PreZero Arena.
For now, Hoffenheim’s immediate concern is Sunday’s encounter with Schalke, where the debate over ticket prices has already become a prominent talking point before the two teams have even taken the pitch.
