Thousands of fans attending the 2026 Wimbledon Championships have reported waiting up to seven hours in the queue and facing overcrowding inside the All England Club. Lauren Owen, a spectator, told MyLondon that she and her partner Christian woke up at 3am on Wednesday to join the queue at 5:20am, eventually entering the grounds at around 12pm—a wait of nearly seven hours. Despite arriving early, they were 5,724th in line. Owen said, "It was worth the wait and we had an amazing day and got to see so many courts available through just a ground ticket."
Early morning queues and capacity concerns
Owen had first attempted to join the queue on Tuesday at 10am but was told it would be impossible to get in. A worker advised her to arrive before the first Tube service. Roughly 43,000 supporters have attended each day of the championships, a figure similar to last year. The famous viewing slope, Murray's Mound (or Henman Hill), has restricted spectator access at times due to large crowds watching British wildcard Arthur Fery, Novak Djokovic, and Naomi Osaka.
Social media complaints about overcrowding
Fans took to Reddit to share frustrations. One Centre Court ticket holder said: "I was genuinely shocked at how overcrowded it was. If you made the mistake of leaving your seat to do anything, it tested my patience to the extreme. Thirty minutes queue for anything. Need to go to the loo… 30 minutes queue. Feel like a Pimms… 30 minutes queue. What about a salad or sausage roll… 30 minutes queue." Another fan wrote: "After this year, I don’t see myself doing the Queue again unless I actually camp. Arriving at 3:55am, we were in queue number 2600-ish on Thursday, which wasn’t bad, but by 6am, I think they were giving out tickets beyond 10,000. It’s not really the queueing in the queue that I mind, it’s the queueing once you get inside."
Arthur Fery's remarkable run
British wildcard Arthur Fery has made a remarkable run through the tournament, preparing to face world number two Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals on July 10. His success has drawn additional crowds to the grounds. Staff have repeatedly told guests to "keep moving" as people gathered on stairways and walkways, while the viewing slope remained a popular spot for those without show court tickets.
