​After careful consideration among Bayern Munich’s highest executives, the club has decided to transition to digital-only ticketing for all home matches at the Allianz Arena starting next season. Physical, paper tickets will no longer be issued for Bayern’s home games. A core motive behind this shift is to significantly reduce the risk of tickets being manipulated by scammers who exploit resale platforms by inflating prices, a pattern that has been observed in major international events and markets. The move also serves to guard against counterfeit tickets being produced and sold to unsuspecting fans seeking to attend matches.
This digital transition aligns with trends already adopted by many sports venues around the world during the height of the pandemic, when contactless solutions were introduced to curb the spread of the virus through physical currency and in-person transactions. While those health-focused considerations remain relevant, Bayern’s primary impetus for moving to digital distribution for Allianz Arena matches is to counteract forgery, fraud, and the black market in ticket sales.
As Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen noted during the club’s summer meeting of the Fan Dialogue Working Group, the change positions FC Bayern as a pioneer in football security, proactively stamping out counterfeiting in ticket forwarding and actively combating the secondary market.
For supporters, tickets will be delivered exclusively to purchasers through the FC Bayern app or the Allianz Arena app. This shift has generated concerns among some fan groups, particularly regarding access to smartphones and the ability of supporters’ associations to handle large ticket blocks. The club is aware of these issues and is addressing them directly, with Dreesen affirming that fan clubs and members will be supported throughout the transition. He emphasized that bespoke technical solutions have been developed to assist fan clubs in distributing digital tickets to their members who travel to home matches by fan bus, ensuring a smooth process for organized supporter groups.
In short, Bayern’s move to digital-only tickets marks a forward-looking step aimed at enhancing security, reducing counterfeiting, and protecting genuine fans, while also providing targeted support to members and fan clubs as they adapt to the new system.