Wimbledon tickets are sold in three main ways: through the Wimbledon Public Ballot months in advance, on the day through the Queue in Wimbledon Park, and as debenture tickets, the only kind that may legally be resold. The 2027 Championships run from 28 June to 11 July 2027, the tournament's 150th anniversary, and the ballot for 2027 has already closed, so the Queue is now the main route for most visitors.
The Championships, as the tournament is officially called, are held every summer at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) in Wimbledon, south-west London. Unlike most major sporting events, Wimbledon still sells a large number of tickets on the day of play, including seats on Centre Court. That is what the famous Queue is for.
This guide explains how each route works, what the tickets cost, what you can bring into the grounds, and how to avoid the unofficial sellers whose tickets can be cancelled. All rules and prices come from the official wimbledon.com website; they can change before 2027, so check there before you travel.
Wimbledon 2027 at a glance
- Dates
- Monday 28 June to Sunday 11 July 2027
- Public Ballot
- Closed for 2027
- The Queue
- Starts in Wimbledon Park, about five minutes' walk from Southfields station
- Grounds Pass (2027)
- £35 on days 1-8, £27 on days 9-11, £22 on days 12-14
- Resale
- Only debenture tickets may be resold; other tickets are non-transferable
- Bring
- Your ticket, an original photo ID and a bag no bigger than 40cm x 30cm x 30cm
How Wimbledon ticketing works
The AELTC sells nearly all tickets itself, and it keeps tight control over who uses them. Apart from debenture tickets, tickets cannot be sold, transferred or advertised for sale, and any ticket advertised that way is void. The ticket buyer may pass a ticket only to a genuine guest, such as a family member or friend. Most tickets are issued as mobile tickets.
The conditions of entry say that you must show a valid ticket and an original proof of identity, such as a passport or driving licence, to enter the grounds, and staff can ask to see your ID again later. For international visitors this means carrying your passport or national ID card on the day. Our guide to UK entry requirements covers the documents you need for the trip itself.
The Wimbledon Public Ballot
The Public Ballot is a random draw for tickets, held many months before The Championships. The ballot for 2027 has now closed. If you are successful, you are offered tickets for a day and court chosen by an automated process: you cannot choose the day, the court or the seat. Wimbledon accepts only one application per household, per email address and per myWimbledon account.
Ballot tickets are non-transferable. People who are unsuccessful are given access to a returns shop, where tickets may be bought in the lead-up to The Championships. To hear when the next ballot opens, register for a free myWimbledon account and choose tickets and ballot information in your preferences.
Missed the 2027 ballot? Sign up for myWimbledon now anyway. The same account is needed to buy a ticket in the Queue, it is how Wimbledon announces the next ballot, and it gives access to later ticket options. Create it at home, not in the park at 6am.
The Queue, step by step
Wimbledon describes itself as one of the very few major sporting events where you can buy premium tickets on the day of play. Each day a limited number of Show Court and Grounds tickets are sold to people in the Queue, one per person and non-transferable. The Queue forms in Wimbledon Park, next to the grounds. In 2026 it opened at 2pm on the Sunday before the tournament began, and the AELTC asked people not to arrive earlier; the 2027 start time will be announced on wimbledon.com.
- Check the Queue status online before you travel. If the Queue is full, no more Queue cards are handed out.
- Join the end of the Queue in Wimbledon Park. A steward gives you a Queue card, dated and numbered to show your position. Keep it until you reach the ticket sales point; it cannot be transferred, and you cannot save a place for someone else.
- Wait. Short breaks for food or toilets must not exceed 30 minutes. There are toilets, food outlets, water refill points and first aid in the park.
- Wristbands for the show courts. At 7.30am stewards start issuing wristbands from the front of the Queue to people who want Centre Court, No.1 Court or No.2 Court tickets. The number of wristbands matches exactly the number of tickets for that day.
- Buy your ticket. The grounds open at 10am. At the ticket sales point you show your Queue card and your myWIMBLEDON account in the Wimbledon app (required in 2026). Only credit and debit cards are accepted, so read our advice on paying by card in London if your card is issued abroad.
- Go through security. You and your bags are searched before you enter.
For each day the courts are in play, 500 tickets are sold in the Queue for Centre Court (except on the last four days), No.1 Court and No.2 Court. Having a Queue card does not guarantee entry: once the grounds reach capacity, people are let in only as others leave. How early you need to arrive depends on the day and the players, and Wimbledon itself only says to arrive "very early".
A late Queue card can mean waiting outside the gates all afternoon. The grounds have a fixed capacity that depends on the weather and on how many courts are in use. In the busy first week, people who join after the morning rush may enter only as others leave. The order of play for the next day is published at wimbledon.com after 8pm each evening; use it to choose your day.
Camping overnight in Wimbledon Park
Many people queue overnight, especially for show court wristbands. Only tents for a maximum of two people are allowed, and one person must stay with the tent at all times. Gazebos, barbecues, camping stoves and fires are banned, and so are smoking and vaping in the Queue. Loud music is not allowed, and excessive drinking is not tolerated.
At 6am stewards wake the campers so that tents can be packed away and the Queue can form. Tents, sleeping bags and bags larger than 60cm x 45cm x 25cm (aircraft cabin size) go to the left luggage "A" facility in the park, because they are not allowed into the grounds. Leaving overnight equipment costs £5 and other items cost £1, paid cashless. The left luggage opens at 5.30am and closes one hour after play ends. Bags larger than cabin size are not accepted, so if you are travelling with a big suitcase, use one of the left luggage services in central London.
Takeaway food deliveries must be collected at the Wimbledon Park Road gate before 10pm. The park's pedestrian gates on Revelstoke Road and Home Park Road are open from 6.30am to 10pm, and the main Wimbledon Park Road entrance is open all night.
Grounds passes, show court seats and 2027 prices
A Grounds Pass lets you move freely around the outside courts, including No.3 Court, Court 12 and Court 18, and sit on the Hill, the grass bank where matches on Centre Court and No.1 Court are shown on a big screen. It does not give you a seat on Centre, No.1 or No.2 Court. For many first-time visitors it is the best way to experience the atmosphere, especially in the first week, when the outside courts have top players in the early rounds.
The official price list for The Championships 2027, which runs from Monday 28 June to Sunday 11 July, includes these prices:
| Ticket | Days 1-2 | Days 5-6 | Days 9-10 | Days 13-14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre Court, rows A-T | £130 | £200 | £295 | £400 |
| Centre Court, rows ZA-ZF | £85 | £130 | £190 | £255 |
| No.1 Court, rows X-ZC | £75 | £120 | £180 | £40 |
| No.2 Court | £60 | £95 | £55 | no play |
| Grounds Pass | £35 | £35 | £27 | £22 |
A couple buying two Grounds Passes in the first week pays £70; two adults and two older children pay £140, as everyone who enters needs a ticket. These are face-value prices from the AELTC. See the full table, including the days not shown here, on the official ticket prices page.
Debentures, hospitality and official packages
Debentures are a long-established Wimbledon scheme. There are 2,520 debenture seats on Centre Court and 1,250 on No.1 Court, and each debenture gives a premium seat for The Championships for five years, plus access to exclusive restaurants and bars in the grounds. Debenture tickets are the only category of Wimbledon ticket that may be resold, so they are the only Wimbledon tickets you can legally buy from a third party. The seller sets the resale price.
Anyone offering a debenture ticket must state clearly that it is a debenture ticket. If a seller combines it with travel, a hotel or hospitality, they must also display a statement that they are not an official provider to the AELTC. If a "package" does not say this and does not describe the ticket as a debenture, treat it with suspicion.
Wimbledon names its official hospitality partner on wimbledon.com and links to official travel packages from its tickets page. Hospitality packages combine a ticket with dining and cost far more than face value. Buy them only through the partners listed on the official site.
Avoiding touts and unofficial ticket sites
Apart from debentures, any Wimbledon ticket advertised for sale online or elsewhere is void. The AELTC can also withhold certain tickets until the buyer collects them in person at the grounds, as part of its effort to stop unauthorised resale. A ticket bought from a stranger, a social media advert or a resale website can therefore be cancelled before the day or refused at the gate.
- Buy only from wimbledon.com, the Queue, the official returns shop or a named official partner.
- Check that any debenture ticket is clearly described as one, with the seller's disclaimer.
- Remember that you must show original photo ID at the gate.
- Never hand over your Queue card or wristband, which are non-transferable.
What to bring and what to leave at the hotel
Pack everything in one soft bag no bigger than 40cm x 30cm x 30cm. Hard-sided bags such as picnic hampers and cool boxes are not allowed, and neither are tents, camping chairs, parasols (personal umbrellas are fine), or vacuum flasks and opaque bottles larger than 500ml. Glass is not allowed into the show courts, and nor is hot or strong-smelling food.
During The Championships each ticket holder of legal age may bring in one bottle of wine or Champagne (maximum 750ml), or two cans of beer or lager (maximum 500ml each), or two cans of premixed drinks (maximum 500ml each). Spirits and fortified wine are not allowed, and corked bottles must be opened before you take them to your seat. Bringing a picnic is common and much cheaper than buying food inside.
Pack for both sun and rain. At Heathrow, the nearest Met Office long-term station, the average daily maximum in July is about 24°C, but both hot spells and showers are possible during the tournament. Our guide to London weather and what to pack has the monthly averages. The AELTC may also stop readmission at any time, so do not count on leaving the grounds and coming back.
Order of play and how the day runs
The grounds open at 10am every day. Play starts at 11am on the outside courts, at 1pm on No.1 Court and at 1.30pm on Centre Court. On the finals weekend play starts earlier: 11am on No.1 Court and 1pm on Centre Court. The order of play for the next day appears on wimbledon.com and in the Wimbledon app after 8pm the evening before.
The first week has the most matches and the most famous players on the outside courts. The second week has fewer matches and cheaper Grounds Passes, and more of the action is on the show courts, which you can follow on the big screen from the Hill. Around the tournament, London has a busy calendar; see what else is happening in London in June and London in July.
Getting to Wimbledon
For the Queue, the nearest station is Southfields on the Wimbledon branch of the District line; Wimbledon Park, where the Queue starts, is about five minutes' walk away. Wimbledon station, served by the District line, trains from Waterloo and the tram, is further from the grounds. Our Underground guide explains the District line branches, which can confuse first-time visitors.
Southfields and Wimbledon are in Zone 3, so with contactless or Oyster the daily cap for Zones 1-3 is £10.50 (September 2026). Our guide to Oyster and contactless payment explains how the cap works. Accessible waiting space for the Queue is at the north end of the AELTC's part of Wimbledon Park, entered from the Car Park 10 gate; see our guide to accessible London for travel help.
If you want to stay close to the grounds, south-west London areas such as Wimbledon and Putney are quieter than the centre but still on the District line. Our overview of the best areas to stay in London compares them.
A cheaper taste of Wimbledon: qualifying week and tours
The week before The Championships, the Qualifying Competition decides the last places in the main singles draws. In 2026 it was held from 22 to 25 June at the Community Sports Centre Roehampton, with unallocated tickets at £20 bought in advance or at the gate. After 4pm, if tickets were still available, entry cost £5 and under-16s went in free. The nearest station is Barnes, about 20 minutes by train from Waterloo, then a 25-minute walk. Dates and prices for 2027 will be published on wimbledon.com.
Outside the tournament you can visit the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum and take a tour of the grounds; see our guide to stadium tours in London. Other summer sport in London includes Test cricket at Lord's and The Oval, which runs at the same time of year.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get Wimbledon tickets without the ballot?
Join the Queue in Wimbledon Park on the day you want to go. Each day a limited number of Show Court and Grounds tickets are sold there, one per person. Debenture tickets, which may legally be resold, and official hospitality packages are other options, but they cost far more.
What time should I join the Wimbledon Queue?
Wimbledon does not give a time and simply advises arriving very early. For show court wristbands, many people queue overnight. For a Grounds Pass in the first week, arriving in the early morning is usually needed; later arrivals may wait until others leave the grounds.
How much is a Wimbledon Grounds Pass in 2027?
According to the official 2027 price list, a Grounds Pass costs £35 on days 1 to 8, £27 on days 9 to 11 and £22 on days 12 to 14. It gives access to the outside courts, including No.3 Court, Court 12 and Court 18, and to the Hill.
Can I buy Wimbledon tickets on resale websites?
Only debenture tickets may legally be resold. Any other Wimbledon ticket advertised for sale is void and can be cancelled, and you must show photo ID at the gate. Buy through wimbledon.com, the Queue or the official partners named there.
Can I bring food and alcohol into Wimbledon?
Yes, within limits. You may bring a picnic in a soft bag up to 40cm x 30cm x 30cm, plus one bottle of wine or Champagne, or two cans of beer or premixed drinks. Spirits, hampers, cool boxes and glass on the show courts are not allowed.
Sources
- Wimbledon - The Queue (checked September 2026)
- Wimbledon - Wimbledon Public Ballot (checked September 2026)
- Wimbledon - Ticket prices (checked September 2026)
- Wimbledon - Ticket terms and conditions (checked September 2026)
- Wimbledon - Conditions of Entry (checked September 2026)
- Wimbledon - Debentures (checked September 2026)
- Wimbledon - Qualifying Competition (checked September 2026)
- Met Office - Heathrow climate averages 1991-2020 (checked September 2026)