Upcoming Wimbledon dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
How people actually get into Wimbledon
Most Wimbledon tickets are not sold in an open sale. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), which runs The Championships, distributes the bulk of public show-court tickets through a public ballot (a random draw held months ahead) and holds back a set number of same-day tickets for the Queue, a line that forms in Wimbledon Park the evening before each day of play. The other main routes are debenture tickets (seats tied to five-year investments in the club), official hospitality, and the club's own returns sales.
Resale is the part buyers most need to understand. The AELTC states that, apart from debenture tickets, which are authorized for resale, tickets must not be sold, transferred or advertised for sale, and that tickets advertised that way will be void. In practice, that makes debenture tickets the only Wimbledon seats you can legitimately buy secondhand. Before buying any Wimbledon listing on a resale marketplace, confirm that it is a debenture seat.
The tournament runs for two weeks starting on the last Monday in June or the first Monday in July. The club lists the 2027 Championships, its 150th-anniversary year, for June 28 to July 11, 2027.
The public ballot
The ballot has been the main route to show-court tickets since 1924, and it is always heavily oversubscribed. Applicants are drawn at random by computer, and the club allocates the day, the court and the seats; you cannot choose them. The AELTC accepts one application per household, per email address and per myWimbledon account (the club's free online account, which you need to register for to enter).
Ballot tickets are non-transferable. Applicants who are unsuccessful are given access to a returns shop where tickets may be bought in the lead-up to the tournament. As of the club's latest update, the ballot for the 2027 Championships had already closed, so anyone planning for 2027 without a ballot place is down to the Queue, debentures or hospitality. Register with myWimbledon and opt in to ticket news to hear when the next ballot opens on the club's ballot page.
The Queue: same-day tickets for the patient
Wimbledon is one of very few major events where you can buy premium seats on the day of play. Each day the club sells a limited number of show-court tickets and grounds passes to people in the Queue, one per person and non-transferable. As described for 2026:
- Show courts: 500 tickets each for Centre Court (excluding the last four days), No.1 Court and No.2 Court, on days those courts are in use.
- Grounds passes: entry to the grounds, the unreserved outer courts including No.3 Court, Court 12 and Court 18, and The Hill.
- Queue cards: on arrival you receive a dated, numbered card showing your place. If the Queue is at capacity, no more cards are issued.
- Accounts: for 2026 the club asked everyone to download the Wimbledon app and create a myWimbledon account, which is scanned when you buy.
For a show-court seat, plan to queue overnight. Stewards wake campers at 6 a.m., and at 7:30 a.m. they hand out court wristbands from the front of the line, exactly matching the tickets available that day. Rules for overnight queuers include two-person tents only, no stoves or barbecues, and bags no larger than 60 by 45 by 25 cm for left luggage. The Queue starts in Wimbledon Park, about a five-minute walk from Southfields station on the District line. For 2026 it opened at 2 p.m. on the Sunday before play; check the club's Queue page for the current rules and live status before you travel.
A grounds pass needs far less commitment: arriving early on the day is usually enough, though the grounds have a capacity limit and entry may then depend on people leaving.
Which courts and seats to aim for
Centre Court (14,979 seats) hosts the semifinals and finals of the main events and many early-round matches involving top seeds. The Royal Box sits at its south end. Its retractable roof, in use since 2009, closes in about 20 minutes, so a ticket here is the one most likely to deliver tennis on a rainy day.
No.1 Court (12,345 seats) gained its own roof for 2019 and carries a heavy schedule of top players in the first week, often with better odds of a long, close match than Centre's headline slot.
No.2 Court (about 4,000 seats) is sunk about 3.5 meters below ground level and gives a close, low view of the play. It has no roof, so rain can wipe out a day.
In the first week, a grounds pass is underrated: dozens of matches run on the outer courts, where you can stand or sit a few rows from players. The Hill (officially the Aorangi Terrace, nicknamed Henman Hill) shows Centre and No.1 Court action on a big screen. In the second week, the outer-court schedule thins out and the show courts carry almost everything worth watching.
One scheduling rule worth knowing: play must end by 11 p.m. under a local curfew, so a late, roof-closed match can be suspended overnight.
Debentures and the resale question
The club's subsidiary issues debentures every five years to fund building work. Each debenture gives its holder a pair of tickets for every day of The Championships for the five years it lasts, and debenture holders are the only ticket holders permitted to sell their tickets to third parties. That is why debenture seats are what you will find on legitimate resale listings.
Structurally, demand for debenture seats follows the draw: Centre Court in the second week, the men's and women's semifinals and the finals carry the strongest demand, while first-week days on No.1 Court move more easily. Prices can rise sharply when a home favorite or a headline name advances. Every GoodSeats order carries a 100% guarantee, but the club's rules still apply to the ticket itself, so make sure any Wimbledon listing you consider is identified as a debenture seat.
Traditions and a short history
The first Championship began on July 9, 1877, with one event, the Gentlemen's Singles, and moved to its current Church Road site in 1922. It is played entirely on outdoor grass courts.
- All-white dress code: players must wear white or almost entirely white; the rule applies to competitors, not spectators.
- Strawberries and cream: the tournament's signature snack, served in very large quantities each year.
- Middle Sunday: traditionally a rest day, it became a scheduled day of play in 2022.
- Minimal advertising: sponsor branding is deliberately low-key, and Slazenger has supplied the balls since 1902.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get Wimbledon tickets?
Mainly through the public ballot, a random draw held well before the tournament, or by joining the Queue for same-day tickets. Debenture tickets and official hospitality are the other routes.
Can you buy Wimbledon tickets on the resale market?
Only debenture tickets are authorized for resale. The club says other tickets advertised for sale or transfer will be void, so confirm any resale listing is a debenture seat.
How long do you need to queue at Wimbledon?
For a Centre, No.1 or No.2 Court ticket, plan to queue overnight, since each court has about 500 Queue tickets a day. For a grounds pass, arriving early in the morning is usually enough.
What does a Wimbledon grounds pass include?
Entry to the grounds and the unreserved outer courts, including No.3 Court, Court 12 and Court 18, plus The Hill, where Centre and No.1 Court matches are shown on a big screen.
When is Wimbledon 2027?
The club lists The Championships 2027 for June 28 to July 11, 2027, the tournament's 150th-anniversary year.
Do Centre Court and No.1 Court have roofs?
Yes. Centre Court's retractable roof has been in use since 2009 and No.1 Court's since 2019, so matches on both can continue in rain.