The rule that costs people the most money at Wembley is an age limit, and it is filed under Stadium Guide where nobody looks before buying.
No one under 2 is admitted to sporting events. No one under 5 is admitted to concerts.
A ticket bought for a four year old to see a band at Wembley is a ticket that will not get them in. The stadium’s own explanation cites crowd density, noise, intoxication risk and pyrotechnics, and says the policy was set with the Sports Ground Safety Authority, the police and the local authority.
The bag rule has exact millimetres
One small bag per person, and it must not exceed A4: 297mm high, 210mm wide, 210mm deep.
The detail that catches people is the next line. A bag that is half full and folded over to make it smaller will not be accepted. The measurement is the bag, not the contents.
Bags are checked at an outer cordon, and a bag gauge is used if there is any doubt. Anything outside the policy means no entry, not a cloakroom.
A phone or camera may be carried in, but not in a bag of its own. So a camera case counts as your one bag.
Merchandise bought at the stadium store comes in a sealed clear plastic bag that is allowed in. Do not break the seal before you go through.
Medical exemptions exist but need paperwork in advance
Exceptions are made for medical equipment, but you must apply before the event and be issued a Medical Exemption Certificate, which you show to security. The bag is still searched and may be x-rayed.
The published list of accepted proof: higher or middle rate Disability Living Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance or Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, a qualifying annual uprating letter, the Access Card, a Registered Blind or Partially Sighted certificate, or a Veterans Agency War Disablement Pension letter. A personal letter from a hospital specialist is also accepted if reasonably recent.
The list is not exhaustive and applications are considered case by case. The point is the timing: this is not something you can sort out at the turnstile.
The water bottle loophole, which is worth real money
This is the single most useful line on their restricted items page and it is phrased as a note.
Empty, crushable, soft clear plastic bottles of 500ml or under, with the tops removed, are allowed in. There are 16 free refill stations inside the stadium.
Hard plastic, metal and glass bottles are not permitted, and neither are flasks, cans or aluminium containers. So bring a soft 500ml bottle, empty, no lid, and drink free all day.
The restricted list that surprises people
Illegal items are the obvious ones: knives, flares, pyrotechnics, smoke devices, weapons. The interesting half is the things that are perfectly legal and still turned away.
Laptops and tablets. Not allowed.
Cameras with interchangeable lenses, which rules out most actual cameras. Selfie sticks too.
Prams and pushchairs are assessed for each event rather than being allowed or banned outright.
Flag poles over 1m, and any national flag that is not of the competing teams.
Unlicensed musical instruments including trumpets, drums, vuvuzelas and megaphones.
Also: food and drink, alcohol, umbrellas described as large, motorbike helmets, cold boxes, hampers, darts, frisbees, scooters, skateboards, drones, spray paint, large permanent marker pens, laser devices, transmitting devices, and signs with corporate branding. Animals except service and guide dogs.
For concerts, no posters bigger than A3.
The fee that is not in the ticket price
A sustainability fee of £2.75 per ticket is added to events at Wembley.
It funds the stadium’s environmental programme, which includes renewable energy, LED lighting on the arch, organic pitch fertiliser and those 16 refill stations. Wembley has been zero waste to landfill since 2010 and holds ISO 20121.
One honest note: the page announcing it still reads as though 2024 were ahead, so the wording is dated even though the fee is current. Treat £2.75 as the published figure and expect it on top of whatever the ticket is advertised at.
The rules may not be Wembley’s rules
This is the caveat the stadium puts at the bottom of its own list, and it matters.
Wembley is owned by the Football Association, but the FA does not run every event there. The Carabao Cup Final, the Play-Off Finals, non-football sport and concerts are not FA events, and those promoters may publish their own prohibited items list.
So check the event, not just the stadium, and check it close to the day: Wembley says the list may change without notice.
How to plan it
With young children: under 2 cannot attend sport, under 5 cannot attend a concert. Check before you buy, not after.
Bags: one per person, A4 or smaller, measured as a bag and not as a half-empty bag folded over.
Water: bring an empty soft plastic bottle, 500ml, no top, and refill free inside.
Budget: add £2.75 a ticket.
Medical equipment: apply for the exemption certificate well before the day.
Wembley Stadium
- Address
- Wembley Stadium, London HA9 0WS
- Nearest
- Wembley Park, Wembley Stadium and Wembley Central
- Booking
- Through the event promoter. Medical Exemption Certificates must be applied for in advance of the event
- Price
- Varies by event, with a sustainability fee of 2.75 pounds added per ticket
- Standing
- England’s national stadium, capacity 90,000, owned by the Football Association
How to get in
No under 2s at sporting events and no one under 5 at concerts. One bag per person, A4 maximum at 297 by 210 by 210mm, measured as a bag rather than as a folded one. Empty soft clear plastic bottles of 500ml or less without tops are allowed, with 16 free refill stations inside. Laptops, tablets, interchangeable-lens cameras and selfie sticks are refused.
Where to go next
Twickenham is the rugby equivalent and the Emirates and Stamford Bridge cover the club grounds.
Lord’s and the Oval are the cricket pair, with a sixfold price difference between their tours.
Questions we get asked
Can children go to Wembley Stadium?
Not the youngest. No one under 2 is admitted to sporting events and no one under 5 is admitted to concerts. The stadium sets this with the Sports Ground Safety Authority, the police and the local authority, citing crowd density, noise and the risk of pyrotechnics.
What size bag can you take into Wembley?
One small bag per person, no larger than A4: 297mm high, 210mm wide and 210mm deep. The measurement is of the bag itself, so a half-full bag folded over to look smaller will be refused. A phone or camera can be carried in but not in a bag of its own.
Can you take a water bottle into Wembley Stadium?
Yes, if it is an empty, crushable, soft clear plastic bottle of 500ml or less with the top removed. There are 16 free refill stations inside. Hard plastic, metal and glass bottles, flasks and cans are all refused.
Is there a booking fee at Wembley Stadium?
There is a sustainability fee of £2.75 per ticket added to events at the stadium, on top of the advertised ticket price. It funds the stadium's environmental programme.
Can you take a laptop or camera into Wembley?
Laptops and tablets are not allowed. Nor are cameras with interchangeable lenses, professional cameras, recording devices or selfie sticks. An ordinary phone or compact camera is fine, but not carried in its own bag.
Do Wembley's rules apply to every event there?
Not necessarily. Wembley is owned by the Football Association, but the Carabao Cup Final, the Play-Off Finals, non-football sport and concerts are not FA events, and those promoters may publish their own prohibited items lists. Check the event as well as the stadium.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 256 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
