FA look to boost England's Wembley backing

Last updated : 02 September 2024 By Three Lions

The Football Association has announced the release of a further batch of Category 3 Wembley tickets, priced at £25 for adults and £12.50 for under-16's, for the Nations League clash with Finland next week.

Facing a trio of low-key opponents in the Finns, Greece and the Republic of Ireland this autumn, generating enthusiasm in the fixtures will be tough for the FA.

If England were coming home as champions of Europe it may have been different but there could also have been a call for at least a couple of the games to have been played elsewhere in the country, and taking the Three Lions message out on the road.

Midweek evenings in North London are difficult to do for those living a fair distance away and there are plenty of competing events jostling for people's money at the moment (not least the Oasis gigs that will be bringing plenty into the Wembley coffers next summer).

The Finland game will see tributes paid to Sven Goran Eriksson following the death of the former England manager recently.

His time in charge coincided with the building of the new Wembley so was conducted at grounds all around the country, starting at Villa Park in February 2001 and ending with a World Cup send-off against Jamaica at Old Trafford in 2006.

England's ventures away from Wembley have been much rarer in recent years but a few more games across the nation could help keep interest up prior to the next World Cup, given the low-profile of this autumn's matches and what may also be a fairly routine qualification for 2026.