West Ham United data dump uncovers revealing London Stadium findings as quarter of a million fans missing
Data obtained via a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request from turnstile software managed by Newham Council has revealed an average discrepancy of nearly 13,000 unoccupied seats per Premier League fixture at the London Stadium during the 2025/26 season.
The council’s turnstile entry logs, which track real-time stadium access, contrast with West Ham United’s published ticketing figures.
While the club reported selling an average of 62,455 tickets across 19 home league matches – representing a 99.92% capacity fill rate – turnstiles recorded an actual average attendance of just 49,567 spectators, placing true stadium occupancy at 78.66%, meaning a total of 244,870 paid-for seats remained empty on matchdays across the campaign.
Midweek West Ham fixtures record largest drop-offs
Turnstile data shows that attendance fell most during evening and midweek fixtures. For the visit of Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, January 6, over 62,000 tickets were sold but only 33,357 supporters attended.
This meant there were over 29,000 empty seats for that particular fixture.
Against Brentford on Monday, October 20, 2025, West Ham again sold over 62,000 tickets, but just over 40,000 turned up.
Again, on December 30, 2025, the Hammers’ actual attendance of 43,696 for their game against Brighton fell some way short of the 62,438 gate officially reported, which counted tickets sold.
High-profile Category A fixtures also recorded significant absences. The London derby against Tottenham Hotspur saw 9,868 ticket holders absent despite 62,459 tickets sold, while the fixture against Chelsea recorded 6,630 unused seats.
The FOI disclosure provides numerical backing to long-standing supporter grievances following West Ham’s 2016 move from the Boleyn Ground. Upton Park was noted for its compact, hostile atmosphere, and proximity of fans to the pitch. In contrast, the converted Olympic venue in Stratford has faced criticism over its sightlines, distance from the playing surface, and diluted matchday atmosphere.
Coupled with transport challenges and rising ticket costs, the council turnstile figures indicate that a substantial portion of season ticket holders regularly choose not to attend mid-tier or inconveniently scheduled matches, despite having already purchased their seats.
West Ham Official Attendance v Real Attendance obtained by Freedom of Information to Newham Council for the last full season in the Premier League. Credit to Lee Pearce for compiling these. pic.twitter.com/yxLFRqAXrLSeptember 13, 2026
