Aston Villa have placed their Premier League match against Leeds United in their most expensive pricing band
James Smailes
11:33, 20 Feb 2026
Villa Park, the home of Aston Villa
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Villa Park, the home of Aston Villa(Image: Getty Images)
Aston Villa will welcome their first Saturday 3pm kick-off in more than 12 months this weekend when they face Leeds United, though the club's pricing structure for the fixture has provoked anger amongst certain fans.
Villa have placed this match in Category 3, their most expensive Premier League pricing tier, which typically encompasses fixtures against the so-called 'big six' clubs throughout the campaign - despite Leeds being newly promoted.
During the summer months, Villa unveiled changes to their ticketing arrangements for the current season, introducing a fresh categorisation framework. The club stated the system aimed to ensure fairer and more accessible entry to matches.
League fixtures fall into two categories. Category 3 matches are defined as featuring "top Premier League teams and key fixture dates," whilst Category 4 encompasses "remaining Premier League teams and fixture dates."
Villa evidently regard the club's first Saturday 3pm kick-off in over a year as a "key fixture date," with their determination driven largely by pre-sale figures, reports Birmingham Live.
For Category 3 fixtures, adult tickets are priced between £92, £82, £77, £71 and £58.
The Birmingham Live team have been examining the circumstances and responding to queries regarding the issue....
What was your response to the Leeds ticket pricing?
John Townley: I was shocked by it. The club's justification doesn't cut it for me.
Leeds are a big club, but they're not a "top side", and just because this is a Saturday 3pm kick-off doesn't make it a "key fixture date" either.
The first and last games of the season are key fixture dates, but what if Villa had hosted a newly-promoted team instead of Newcastle on the opening weekend?
That wouldn't justify tickets being priced as high as they are in Category 3.
Tickets to watch Arsenal and Man City are already too expensive as it is, let alone to watch - with respect - a Leeds team that doesn't have the international superstars at Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola's disposal.
Mat Kendrick: Living in 2026 comes at a cost; that's simply unavoidable. We're bearing the financial burden, quite literally, of backing a football club with ambitious aspirations whilst navigating stringent, restrictive financial regulations.
Villa are determined to squeeze every possible revenue stream both on and off the pitch, and cashing in on supporter loyalty is one avenue they're pursuing. £77, though? For a fixture against relegation-threatened Leeds United. A photograph recently surfaced of a 1996 Coca Cola Cup ticket for a match, also against Leeds, priced at just £36.
For perspective, very little has maintained its value over 30 years, so direct comparisons are somewhat unfair – yet the prices Villa are charging for this particular fixture are, in my view, extraordinarily steep.
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Dan Rolinson: I think it's a disgrace personally; I'm not even convinced prices against the top sides should be that expensive either!
We've spoken recently about Premier League football 'eating itself. '.
At what point does too much actually become too much? There will be those of you reading who have already been priced out, but I worry how far clubs can keep pushing the envelope before fans finally say, "enough is enough'.