Nearly 10,000 seats sat empty on the opening evening of the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, with just 13,623 spectators filling the 23,000-capacity Alexander Stadium for Monday's session. Attendance hovered between 55% and 59% across Monday and Tuesday at the first European Championships ever held on British soil in the event's 92-year history.
Organisers attribute the thin crowds to steep pricing. Category A tickets on the home straight cost £150 for Monday's session, while comparable seats at the Rome championships two years ago ran €88. Concession food drew similar scrutiny, with pork rolls priced at £18.50 and hotdogs at £15. Birmingham 2026 organisers insisted overall sales have "far exceeded" targets, with weekend evenings nearly sold out.
On the track, Britain's Amy Hunt captured her first senior title in the 100 metres, while Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen and the Norwegian relay team secured two golds on Monday. Keely Hodgkinson's manager suggested many Britons were unaware the country was hosting, amid concerns the turnout could hurt London's 2029 World Athletics Championships bid.