Optimistic Irish fans can look to pick up tickets for next year’s World Cup, after Ireland’s potential path was revealed in Group A with hosts Mexico, South Korea and South Africa.
The Republic of Ireland’s place in the tournament is, of course, dependent on playoffs in March 2026, where they would have to beat the Czech Republic and the winners of Denmark and North Macedonia to qualify for the tournament in North America.
But Irish fans can get tickets on general sale well before then, as applications for tickets went live on December 11th on Fifa’s system.
Should Ireland qualify, they will play South Korea in their opening match in Zapopan, Guadalajara, in Mexico on June 11th. Their second match would be against South Africa in Atlanta on June 18th, finishing the group stage with a game against the hosts Mexico in Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, on June 24th.
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What happens with the tickets general sale?
Almost two million tickets have already been sold in North America, but the last global lottery runs from December 11th through January 13th. Unlike concert ticket rushes on Ticketmaster, there is no need for panic as it is not on a first-come-first-served basis for the lottery, as long as you apply between these dates. Applicants will find out if they were successful in February.
Your chance in the lottery is dependent on the category of game or seats you apply for and the popularity of the game. Tickets for an Ireland match against hosts Mexico in the capital, for example, are likely to be more difficult to get on general sale than the match against South Korea.
If you are unsuccessful, tickets are available on resale platforms. Fifa also has a resale platform, which they say guarantees you will get your ticket as long as you are prepared to pay top dollar.
Fifa is employing dynamic pricing, with prices rising or falling depending on demand. You can buy up to four tickets per match and up to 40 tickets across the tournament per household.
Are there tickets specifically for Irish fans?
Another way to get tickets for Ireland games is through the FAI at a later date. A separate “ringfenced” window will be opened in early April should The Boys in Green win their playoff games.
The association will receive eight per cent of tickets for each game involving Heimir Hallgrímsson’s team. For example, for Ireland’s potential final game of Group A against Mexico, the FAI will get 7,000 “ringfenced” tickets out of the 87,523 capacity.
“These allocations will be set at a fixed price for the duration of the next ticket sales phase,” a Fifa spokesman said.
“The ringfenced allocations include tickets reserved for supporters of the participating member associations (PMAs), who will be allocated 8 per cent of the tickets for each match in which they take part, including all conditional knockout stage matches.”
According to Fifa, each federation will determine its own eligibility criteria and ticket distribution process. The cost and location of these tickets is not yet known.
How much are tickets?
The cheapest tickets are category 3 tickets for the game against South Africa in Atlanta on June 18th for US$140 (€119), where category 2 are $380 (€323) and category 1 are $450 (€383).
For the opening game against South Korea on June 11th in Guadalajara, category 3 is $180 (€153), category 2 is $400 (€340) and category 1 is $500 (€425). The final group game against hosts Mexico in Mexico City on June 24th is most expensive, with the cheapest tickets of category 3 at $265 (€225), category 2 is $500 (€425) and category 1 is $700 (€595).
Fifa has been urged to halt World Cup ticket sales after it emerged countries’ most loyal fans faced paying “extortionate” prices for tickets, with the cheapest for the final coming in at more than €3,500.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) described Fifa’s approach as a “monumental betrayal” of fans. It said based on the information it had available, fans faced paying €6,900 (£6,041, $8,110) to attend every match from the first game to the final via the PMA allocation – five times more than they would have paid to do so at the last finals in Qatar.
“Football Supporters Europe is astonished by the extortionate ticket prices imposed by Fifa on the most dedicated supporters for next year’s World Cup,” a statement said. “This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is.
[ FAI guaranteed 8% of tickets to Ireland’s World Cup matches if team gets thereOpens in new window ]
How do you get to Mexico or the US?
Irish passport holders may travel to Mexico without a visa for up to 180 days, more than covering the tournament. For travelling to the US, you need a tourist ESTA visa, which covers 90 days.
Trips to Guadalajara in western Mexico from Dublin may require two connecting flights through the US, with Mexico City slightly easier to get to. Atlanta is less of a problem, with several airlines flying direct to the city from Dublin.
