Buy Brighton and Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace tickets for the 2026/27 Season, with kickoff at the Amex Community Stadium on Saturday 18 October 2026 at 15:00. This is the M23 derby, a fixture with roots in the 1970s that has spent the past decade producing some of the tightest afternoons in the Premier League calendar.
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It arrives with an edge nobody could have predicted three seasons ago. Crystal Palace are the reigning Conference League holders, having won the competition in May 2026, which puts them in the Europa League this season. Brighton and Hove Albion finished eighth and came through a qualifying round to reach the Conference League league phase. Both clubs are in Europe, in a derby that used to be about survival.
The practical problem is supply. The Amex holds just under 32,000. Season ticket holders and members take almost everything before general sale, so a derby of this profile is gone long before that stage. This is a Category A fixture in every sense the club uses the term.
Brighton operate a strict priority order. A derby is where that order bites hardest. Season ticket holders come first, then hospitality-level members, then the general membership in staged windows.
For the heaviest fixtures the ground is effectively full before anything reaches open sale. Palace sit firmly in that bracket for reasons that have nothing to do with league position.
Crystal Palace also take one of the largest away allocations in the division. The South Stand arrangement at the Amex gives visiting supporters roughly 3,300 seats, more than a tenth of the ground, which for a derby is filled the moment it goes on sale. Every one of those is a seat that was never going to reach a neutral buyer.
Palace's European campaign has widened their following too. Winning a continental trophy in Leipzig in May 2026 turned a club with a strong local base into one with a national profile. The derby is where that new attention lands first. Brighton supporters have their own reason to turn up in numbers, which is that Palace have taken more from recent visits to the Amex than the hosts have.
That allocation cuts both ways for home buyers. Handing 3,300 seats to the visitors is generous by Premier League standards, a choice tied to the way the South Stand is built rather than a rule the club could easily change. The consequence is that Brighton's own supporters compete for a smaller pool on derby day than they do for any other fixture.
Set it against the season's other big home dates and the shape is clear. Arsenal's visit to the Amex carries heavier pricing on paper, while the return meeting at Selhurst Park is harder still because the away allocation there is a fraction of what Palace get on the coast. For sheer difficulty relative to the opponent's profile, this is the toughest ticket Brighton sell.
Not through the club, realistically. Brighton's sale process runs season ticket holders first, then the hospitality-tier membership, then the general membership in a priority window that allows one ticket per member, then a second window, then general sale roughly a fortnight after the initial release. For a derby, nothing survives to that last stage.
The entry point for a visitor is the club's paid membership, which buys access to those priority windows rather than a guaranteed seat. It is genuinely useful for a mid-table fixture or an early-season game against a promoted side. For the M23 derby it improves your odds without changing the arithmetic, because there are more members than there are tickets.
General sale, when it exists, is not the moment most buyers imagine. It opens roughly a fortnight after the initial release, by which point three rounds of priority have taken the ground. For a promoted side in August it can genuinely deliver seats. For a derby against the Conference League holders it delivers a sold-out message and a waiting page.
Brighton price by opposition category, so a derby sits at the top band with the upper tiers of the East and North stands carrying the more affordable rates. Those are the seats that vanish first in the member windows, which is the opposite of what most buyers expect.
That leaves resale as the practical route for anyone outside the membership base, which for a fixture like this is most people looking. The trade is straightforward: you pay above face value, in exchange for fixing a seat months ahead rather than entering a ballot two weeks out and hoping.
Five things move the price. Which stand the seat sits in, how little inventory escapes the member windows, the derby's category-A status, both clubs' European commitments this season, plus whether the listing carries hospitality. Scarcity does most of the work: with just under 32,000 seats and a 3,300-seat away allocation, the pool available to everyone else is smaller than the capacity suggests.
| Ticket Type | Resale Price Range | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Stand upper and East Stand upper | £95 – £185 | Buyers who want the derby at the lowest entry point | The club's cheaper bands at face value, which is why they clear first |
| East Stand lower | £120 – £225 | Side-on view at a fair rate | Runs the length of the pitch. Central blocks carry the higher end |
| West Stand | £160 – £310 | Neutral buyers wanting the halfway line | The main stand, three tiers, with premium areas built into the upper levels |
| Premium seating | £240 – £460 | Upgrades without full hospitality | Padded seating with lounge access, sold in limited numbers |
| Hospitality packages | £350 – £850+ | Guests, clients or a milestone trip | Restaurant dining and box options. Derby pricing sits at the top of the range |
Prices reflect typical resale ranges and may change as demand and availability shift closer to the match.
Timing works against late buyers here. The Amex does not generate a large late release, because members who secured a derby ticket rarely give it back. Inventory tends to be thickest early, thin through the autumn, then tighten in the final ten days as the fixture approaches rather than loosening the way a mid-table game might.
The Amex Community Stadium opened in 2011 at just over 22,000 and has been enlarged repeatedly since, which is why the stands sit at different heights around a continuous bowl. The North Stand runs to three tiers, the West Stand to three, the East Stand to two, the South Stand stays single-tier. The Amex seating plan is worth checking before you commit, because tier matters more than block at this ground.
| Area | What It Suits | Pricing Bracket | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Stand | Halfway-line view with elevation | Premium | Three tiers with hospitality built into the upper levels. The strongest sightline in the ground |
| East Stand lower | Side-on view at a fairer rate | Mid | Opposite the West Stand, closer to pitch level. Aim for central blocks |
| East Stand upper | Value with the full pitch in front of you | Lower mid | One of the club's cheaper bands. Steep enough to read the game properly |
| North Stand | Home atmosphere | Entry to mid | Three tiers behind the goal holding the most vocal home support. Loud on a derby day |
| Premium and hospitality areas | Corporate guests and upgrades | Top | Concentrated in the West Stand upper levels, sold as named restaurant and box products |
| South Stand, away allocation | Travelling Crystal Palace supporters only | Entry | Around 3,300 seats across the South and South East lower tiers. Padded seats, no pillars, a clear view. Visiting colours belong here rather than anywhere else |
For a neutral the East Stand upper is the sensible answer. It carries one of the lower price bands, it looks straight down the length of the pitch, it sits clear of both the away corner and the noisiest home tier. If the occasion matters more than the value, take a West Stand seat and pay for the elevation.
One detail visiting supporters appreciate. The away section at the Amex has padded seats with generous legroom, which is unusual in English football. There are no supporting pillars anywhere in the bowl. Whatever else this ground does, it does not sell restricted views.
Accessibility is a genuine strength here rather than an afterthought. The ground carries 202 wheelchair spaces, 727 easy-access seats plus 37 accessible toilets and a changing places facility, which is a stronger provision than most Premier League venues of similar size manage. If anyone in your group needs one of those positions, book through the club directly rather than through resale, since accessible places are allocated separately.
Hospitality at the Amex is run as a set of named products rather than one lounge tier, concentrated in the West Stand. Options range from full restaurant dining to boxes for groups, with a members' club sitting at the top of the structure. Derby fixtures clear these earlier than any other date on the calendar.
| Hospitality Option | Typical Buyer | Main Appeal |
|---|---|---|
| The 1901 Club | Members and long-term hospitality holders | The club's premium tier, with its own seating and priority ahead of the general membership |
| Goldstone Restaurant | Couples and small groups marking an occasion | Three-course dining with a complimentary bar, named for the club's old ground |
| Mullery's Restaurant | Groups wanting a relaxed format | Unlimited small plates rather than a set menu, named after a figure central to the derby's history |
| Executive and Legends boxes | Companies hosting clients | Private space with dedicated service, the most controlled version of a derby day |
Read what each product actually includes rather than assuming from the price. At the Amex the meaningful differences are the dining format and how long before kickoff you can use the space, not the quality of the seat, since every seat in this ground has a clear view.
Arrive earlier than you would for a normal fixture. Falmer sits outside the city with one railway station serving the whole ground, so hospitality guests wanting their full access window should aim to be on site well before the main crowd arrives.
Premier League ticketing is now overwhelmingly digital. Brighton are no exception, so the useful question about any listing is less how the ticket travels than whose account it arrives in when it does.
| Delivery Type | What to Check |
|---|---|
| Mobile or digital ticket | Whether the seller transfers it into your own account or sends a screenshot, plus which app is needed to open it |
| E-ticket, print at home | That the barcode is clean and unmarked. Keep a paper copy alongside the phone copy |
| Collection in Brighton | The exact meeting point and time window. Central Brighton is two miles from the ground, so build in the journey |
| Courier or postal delivery | That the delivery window closes well before your travel date. The address you give must be where you will be that week |
Read the listing notes on every seat before completing a purchase, because delivery method is set by the seller rather than the stand. Bring photo identification. Charge your phone before you set off, since digital entry is standard and there is no paper backup waiting at the turnstile.
Travel is where the Amex genuinely outperforms most Premier League grounds. A match ticket includes free train and bus travel across the Brighton and Hove area on matchday, extending to services from Haywards Heath, Worthing, Eastbourne and Seaford.
Falmer station sits alongside the stadium, three stops from Brighton Central. There is no away parking at the ground plus a large matchday restriction zone around it, so the train is not merely the easier option. It is the sensible one.
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Step1
Open the fixture listing
Start on the match page for this Premier League fixture rather than a general search. It filters availability down to seats released for 17 October 2026 at the Amex.
Step2
Set up your account
You can create an account before you browse. It saves your details for checkout and keeps every order together if you are pairing the derby with another fixture on the trip.
Step3
Choose your stand
Settle the stand before you compare prices. Every seat here has a clear view, so the real decision is between elevation in the West Stand and value in the East Stand upper.
Step4
Set the group size
Enter the exact number of seats you need. Derby inventory skews heavily towards singles and pairs, so filtering early stops you chasing a price that only covers one place.
Step5
Read the listing notes
Every listing carries seller notes covering delivery method, seating position, plus whether places are guaranteed together. This is the most useful minute you will spend on the purchase.
Step6
Confirm the total
Compare the full price with fees and delivery included rather than the headline figure. Across two or three listings that comparison usually shows which stand offers the stronger value.
Step7
Complete the purchase
Pay through the secure checkout. Enter the lead traveller's name as it appears on the identification you will carry, so the order details match the person entering the ground.
Step8
Follow your order through to delivery
Use track order to see the status of your seats and the delivery timeline. If anything looks unclear as the date approaches, raise it early rather than in the final week.
Overseas buyers should favour digital delivery where it is offered, because collection means a meeting point in a city two miles from the stadium on one of its busiest days. Where a seller transfers tickets into a named account, complete that transfer before you travel rather than on arrival. If courier delivery is the only option, confirm the address you enter is where you will actually be during the delivery window.
Seats together are worth requesting in writing rather than assuming. Derby inventory is fragmented by nature, so a listing described as four seats is not always four in a row. Premier League fixtures also move for broadcast, with derbies shifted more often than most, so book accommodation with flexible cancellation rather than committing to a tight Saturday evening departure.
Both clubs also play European football this season, which adds midweek commitments either side of league weekends through the autumn and makes a date change more likely than usual. Palace supporters have the shorter journey by a distance: the return fixture at Selhurst Park Stadium is under an hour from central London, though the away allocation there is far smaller than the one Palace receive on the coast.
The rivalry is geographically odd and historically specific. Brighton and Croydon are forty-odd miles apart with no shared boundary, no shared county, no obvious reason for animosity. What they have is a motorway connecting them plus a season in the mid-1970s when two managers who had disliked each other as players ended up in opposing dugouts during a promotion race.
The flashpoint was an FA Cup first-round tie in 1976 that needed three matches to settle. Two draws were followed by a second replay Palace won by a single goal, after which the Brighton manager's furious protests at the officiating turned a local fixture into a permanent grudge. The clubs then spent the years between 1990 and 2011 in different divisions, which preserved the rivalry rather than diluting it.
The modern chapter began badly for Brighton. Palace knocked them out of the 2012/13 Championship play-off semi-finals with a 2-0 win at Brighton's own ground, then went up. Brighton followed four years later. The derby has been a Premier League fixture ever since.
What sharpens the 2026/27 edition is the reversal of roles. Brighton have spent recent seasons as the more established Premier League club, yet Palace arrive holding a European trophy Brighton have never won, having taken more from the Amex than they have given up. That is an unusual position for a home side in a derby. It is why this one will feel different from the eight that came before it.
All figures below cover Premier League meetings played at the Amex Community Stadium with Brighton as hosts.
| Metric | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 9 |
| Brighton wins | 3 |
| Crystal Palace wins | 4 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Brighton goals | 11 |
| Crystal Palace goals | 10 |
| Biggest Brighton win | 4-1 |
| Biggest Crystal Palace win | 1-3 |
| First Premier League meeting here | 28 November 2017 |
| Most recent meeting here | 8 February 2026 |
Compiled from head-to-head archives cross-referenced against match reports and rivalry records. Every result reconciles across sources.
Newest first, covering every Premier League fixture between the clubs staged at the Amex.
| Date | Score |
|---|---|
| 08 Feb 2026 | 0-1 |
| 15 Dec 2024 | 1-3 |
| 03 Feb 2024 | 4-1 |
| 15 Mar 2023 | 1-0 |
| 14 Jan 2022 | 1-1 |
| 22 Feb 2021 | 1-2 |
| 29 Feb 2020 | 0-1 |
| 04 Dec 2018 | 3-1 |
| 28 Nov 2017 | 0-0 |
Every score verified against two independent match archives.
To buy direct, effectively yes, since a fixture this size sells out inside the member windows. A resale marketplace requires no membership at all.
Early. Derby tickets are rarely released back by the people who secured them, so choice shrinks as the date approaches instead of growing.
In the South and South East lower tiers, an allocation of roughly 3,300. That is more than a tenth of the ground, one of the larger away sections in the division.
Yes. A match ticket covers train and bus travel across the Brighton and Hove area on matchday, including services from Haywards Heath, Worthing, Eastbourne and Seaford.
There is no visitor parking at the stadium plus a wide restriction zone around it. Park and Ride sites operate from early afternoon, though the train is simpler.
Sources: Brighton and Hove Albion official club ticketing information, membership structure and hospitality listings; Amex Community Stadium capacity, stand layout, away allocation, accessibility provision and matchday travel arrangements from published ground guides; Premier League 2026/27 fixture scheduling and 2025/26 final standings; head-to-head records cross-referenced across two independent match archives plus contemporary match reports; M23 derby history from published rivalry records.