How to enter the ballot2️⃣ [LTA Advantage Member Priority Ballot]
Priority Ballot for LTA Advantage Members
The LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) offers its members priority entry in the ticket draw. Whilst becoming a member does not guarantee a ticket, it does increase your chances of winning compared to the Public Ballot. Furthermore, unlike the Public Ballot, members are able to select their preferred dates and courts.
There are several types of LTA Advantage membership, some of which are available to people outside the UK.
There are
- FAN (Free)
- FAN+ （£25 p.a.）
- PLAY （Free）
- PLAY+ （Free）
- COMPETE (£35 p.a.）
Of the five categories listed above, only categories 2, 4 and 5 are eligible for the priority draw. However, as category 4 (PLAY+) requires membership of an LTA-approved tennis club in the UK, for those outside the UK, the practical options are effectively just two: ‘2. FAN+’ and ‘5. COMPET’. (For those living in the UK and belonging to an LTA-registered club, I believe PLAY+ is the best choice.)
Please apply by clicking ‘Join Now’ on the LTA website (link here).
However, as I mentioned earlier, there is no guarantee you will be successful in the ballot, so you may end up wasting around £25 or £35 a year.
It might be worth taking a chance on your luck to see if you can improve your odds, provided you are prepared to risk wasting £25 or £35.
The timing of the notification emails vary from person to person, but as a rough guide, they will start arriving from around the beginning of November.
These emails will state that ‘your online ticket sales window will open at X on [date] of [month]’ (this is usually set for a few days after the date you receive the email).
If you are selected in the ballot, you absolutely must be sitting at your computer at X o’clock on [date] of [month]. This is because the tickets will vanish before your very eyes as they sell out rapidly. You should log in and enter the waiting room about 30 minutes before the specified time and wait for your turn to come (it often goes past the specified time, but you just have to be patient).
Here’s an important ‘tip’ for you.
- Decide on the following in advance (there’s absolutely no time to hesitate. Yes, in the split second you spend wondering ‘What should I do?’, the tickets will be gone).
Check the prices of each ticket and decide how much you’re prepared to pay (within the range from the cheapest at £40 (excluding Ground Passes) to the most expensive at £350, set a limit for yourself—such as ‘I’ll pay whatever it takes up to £350’ or ‘I’ll give up if it’s over £200’—so that you can make an instant decision.
Source: Official Website of AELTC - Which days should you aim for? For example, from Day 11 onwards, ticket prices for courts other than Centre Court drop significantly. This is because no singles matches are played on courts other than Centre Court during the final four days. It’s also important to keep track of the schedule—for instance, the women’s singles semi-finals are on Day 11, and the men’s singles semi-finals on Day 12. If you’re looking for courts other than Centre Court, I’d recommend the early part of the first week, as top players will be competing there, too.
- Another important point is that, although the system technically allows you to select one or two tickets, you should assume that the ‘one ticket’ option is virtually non-existent. If you’re going to buy, buy two.
- Have your credit or debit card ready to hand. Even if you think you’ve secured a ticket, it can be snapped up by someone else whilst you’re entering your card details. Make sure you’re ready to enter your card.
If, unfortunately, you are not selected in the ballot
It is not quite over yet. The resale of tickets for which the winning rights have not been exercised begins in late March.
In 2026, this started at 10.00 pm (UK time) on 25 March.
You will receive an email notification a few days beforehand.
When the resale actually begins, you will receive an email notification similar to the one shown in the photo. However, rather than waiting for this email, enter the waiting room a little before the specified time (around 30 minutes beforehand; if you enter earlier than this, you will not be able to access the waiting room) and wait for your turn, as described above.
