Double Dutch! England fans to be outnumbered by their semi-final rivals as 30,000 Three Lions supporters scramble for last-minute tickets to Dortmund... and hotel prices soar
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England's supporters will be outnumbered by their Dutch rivals at their Euro 2024 showdown as desperate fans scramble for last-minute tickets amid soaring prices.
Ticket prices for Wednesday night's match in Dortmund have skyrocketed in recent days after the two teams booked their places in the semi-final, with 30,000 England fans expected to travel to North Rhine-Westphalia.
Many will revel in the atmosphere created by themselves and the hordes of Netherlands fans who are expected to descend on the city, with officials estimating 75,000 Dutch supporters will travel across the border, which is only an hour away.
The build-up to the match has seen ticket, accommodation and airline prices surge amid increased demand, with many people facing paying thousands for their journey.
Prime seats - those situated by the halfway line - have been listed for as much as £17,000, while the cheapest seats up in the gods, which usually go for around £70, are barely available for less than £600, an increase of nearly 1000 per cent.
England fans celebrate the Three Lions' penalty shootout victory over Switzerland in Dusseldorf on Saturday
Thousands of England fans are expected to make the journey to Dortmund for the semi-final clash against the Netherlands
England have reached their third semi-final at a major tournament in the last four major tournaments. Pictured: England players celebrate after Trent Alexander-Arnold scores the winning penalty against Switzerland
The 80,000-capacity Westfalenstadion in Dortmund is expected to sell out for the match between England and the Netherlands
If you're lucky enough to get your hands on a set of tickets, the bill doesn't end there, as some entrepreneurial hotel and AirBnB owners have jacked up their prices to 22 times their normal rates.
Multiple Ryanair flights to Dortmund from London are also sold out, and the few seats that are available are going for nearly five times their regular prices.
England fans are daring to dream of success once more after the Three Lions squeezed past Switzerland on penalties on Saturday night to reach their third semi-final in the last four major tournaments.
Jubilant members of the Barmy Army, who have travelled across the length and breadth of Germany over the last couple of weeks following Gareth Southgate's team will have already spent thousands of pounds supporting their heroes.
But the most expensive trip is ahead of them as they vie for what is promising to be one of the biggest matches of the tournament, with the Dutch supporters - known as Het Legioen (The Legion) - certain to create a raucous atmosphere.
England fans are expected to be outnumbered, with officials estimating that 60 per cent of supporters will be from Het Legioen- 75,000 from the Netherlands are expected to travel to the city, which lies an hour from the Dutch border.
For many of the Netherlands' matches during the tournament the host city has been packed with Dutch supporters filling up fan zones in their iconic orange livery.
England's official travel club was only given 6,500 tickets in the ballot, leaving many fans at the mercy of ticket resale sites where the prices can be increased in line with demand.
Dutch fans celebrate their teams victory over Turkey in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 on Saturday
Dutch football supporters walk behind the Orangjebus during a fan walk to the Olympic stadium in Berlin ahead of their Euro 2024 clash with Turkey
Players from the Netherlands celebrate with their fans after beating Turkey 2-1 to reach the Euro 2024 semi-finals
On one of these site, Viagogo, a seat in a prime location was listed as being available for €19,780 (£16,500), reports The Telegraph.
Meanwhile, on StubHub tickets ranged from €700 (£592) each for seats high up in one of the corners at Signal Iduna Park, rising to €16,090 (£13,602) for a VIP package.
Many of these have since sold out, with eager fans willing to pay the price to see their team have a chance to reach the Euro 2024 final, which will be played on Sunday night at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
Outside the ground, hotels and AirBnBs are largely sold out, with Booking.com saying that 91 per cent of its listings in the city are unavailable on Wednesday night.
The Hotel Unique Dortmund Hauptbahnhof, for example, lists its cheapest room as being available for €1,803 (£1,524) on its website for Wednesday's clash.
But the same sort of room a week later is priced at €83 (£69).
The LivInn Hotel, a three-star establishment in the city lists a single room for an overnight stay on the day of the match as €1,235 (£1,044).
A week later the same room would be priced €95 (£80).
It is a similar story on AirBnB, with one flat being listed for £923 for Wednesday, with the same venue costing £118 for the same days next week.
While many England fans will have been staying in Germany over the last couple of weeks, some have been flying in and out of the country as and when the matches take place.
Those wanting to fly directly to Dortmund for the match this week face hiked prices for plane tickets as well, if they can get them.
Ryanair has two sold out flights leaving London Stansted for Dortmund on Wednesday morning, with tickets for a third flight going for a minimum of £250 when MailOnline checked earlier this morning.
By comparison flights leaving the same airport for Dortmund on the same day next week were being sold for a comparatively cheap £56.
On StubHub the cheapest tickets for the match were being sold for €700, which is the equivalent of £592
On StubHub fans were being offered a VIP package for €16,090, which is the equivalent of £13,602
Two Ryanair flights to Dortmund from London are sold out for the morning of the match, while on a third tickets are being sold at nearly five times the normal price
Ryanair flights from Dortmund back to London are sold out on Thursday and Friday after the match
And those looking for fly back with the same airline face a wait, with all Ryanair services from Dortmund to London sold out for Thursday and Friday, with the earliest available flight home on Saturday.
Among the lucky few to get tickets were Nikki Jude, 58, and her daughter Acacia Cameron-Jude, 22.
They told the i: 'We've found out the England area is the north end of the stadium so we've just managed to get some [tickets] quite close to the corner.
'We didn't get tickets for the quarters because we're limited on our funds and just thought we'll take a chance on us winning [against Switzerland] and go for tickets for the semis, and thankfully it's paid off.'
A Football Supporters Association spokesperson said that fans trying to buy tickets should do so through official routes.
Thomas Concannon told the i: 'Our advice to supporters would always be to go through the official Uefa portal rather than through any touts or third-party websites.'
He added that if England fans are unable to buy tickets for the match itself, they could go to fan parks and public viewing areas instead.
Over the weekend the Mail spoke to fans trying to extend their stay in Germany after the success of Gareth Southgate's men against Switzerland.
Investment firm worker Rhys Godden, 28, travelled to Dusseldorf from Southampton on Thursday with two friends and was set to return home on Sunday.
He said he was also due back at work but 'would have to ring the boss in the morning', adding: 'He isn't a huge football fan, but I'm sure he'll understand.'
Mr Godden said they had found a triple room on the outskirts of Dortmund for £1,000 for three nights.
Paul and Claire Scott, from Rotherham, were hoping to see the Netherlands game. 'I will have to go home after that though,' Mrs Scott, 44, added. 'I can't leave the kids with my mother any longer.'
