Get alerts for ballots, on-sales, resale windows and price drops before
the best tickets disappear.
Never Miss a London Ticket Drop
See Upcoming Events ↓
A friendly is an international match that carries no competitive consequence — it does not count towards qualification for a tournament and has no bearing on a group table. What it does affect is the FIFA world ranking, which in turn feeds into tournament seeding, so the results are not entirely without weight.
Their real purpose is preparation. Friendlies let a manager test players, systems and combinations against opposition chosen deliberately — a side that plays in a style England might face at a tournament, or one that presents a specific tactical problem. In the months before a World Cup or European Championship, the friendly programme is effectively the final phase of squad selection.
They also allow experimentation that a competitive fixture does not. Substitution allowances are more generous than in competitive matches, which lets a manager give minutes to a larger number of players across ninety minutes, and it is common for a squad to be assessed across two friendlies in a single international window.
Friendlies are played within FIFA international windows — designated periods during which clubs are obliged to release players for national duty. These windows are scattered through the season, and each typically allows a nation two fixtures.
Whether those fixtures are friendlies or competitive matches depends on where the calendar sits in the cycle. In qualification years the windows are largely filled with competitive games; in the periods immediately before a major tournament, or immediately after one, friendlies dominate. That is why the number of friendlies England play varies considerably from season to season.
Wembley Stadium is the permanent home of the England men’s team, and friendlies are staged there alongside competitive fixtures. The stadium is the largest in the country, and for a friendly it is rarely full, which changes the experience considerably from a tournament qualifier.
A less-than-capacity Wembley has advantages for a spectator. Tickets are available, seat choice is genuine rather than nominal, and the concourses and transport are far less pressed than for a sold-out fixture. The atmosphere is correspondingly more subdued, and the crowd skews heavily towards families and first-time attendees.
The Wembley seating guide explains how the tiers compare, and the Wembley stadium guide covers the venue in general. Wembley empties an enormous crowd into a small area at once. Wembley Park is the largest and busiest station; Wembley Stadium and Wembley Central spread the load and are often quicker on the way out. Stewarded queuing operates after major fixtures and the walk back routinely takes far longer than the walk in. The Wembley transport guide has the detail, though for a friendly the exit is materially easier than after a full house.
The football is recognisably different. Managers make large numbers of changes, often reshaping an entire side at half-time, and the intensity is lower than a fixture where qualification is at stake. Players are being assessed rather than fighting for a result, and it shows in the tempo.
The crowd differs too. A competitive England fixture at Wembley draws a partisan support built around established supporter groups; a friendly draws a broader, quieter, more family-oriented audience. Neither is better, but anyone expecting a tournament atmosphere from a friendly will be disappointed.
What a friendly does offer is access to the occasion itself — the walk up Wembley Way, the scale of the stadium, the national anthem in a bowl that size. For a first visit, those things are undiminished by the fixture carrying no competitive weight.
There is one further advantage worth noting: friendlies are frequently scheduled at more convenient times than competitive fixtures, which are dictated by broadcast and confederation requirements. That makes them considerably easier to attend with children, and easier to get home from afterwards.
For anyone wanting to see England at Wembley, a friendly is by some distance the most realistic option. Competitive fixtures — qualifiers against significant opposition, and anything tournament-related — sell out through the England Supporters Travel Club and membership schemes long before general sale. Friendlies routinely reach general sale and stay available.
Pricing reflects that. Friendly tickets are typically the cheapest England fixtures of the season, with substantial family and concession pricing, and clubs of tickets are often released in promotions to fill the stadium. The Wembley tickets guide sets out how England ticketing works across fixture types.
The trade-off is honest: you are watching a match that does not matter, often with an experimental line-up and a second-half procession of substitutions. For a first visit to Wembley, or for taking children to international football, that trade-off is usually worth making.