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 can be made from 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 8 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?
Ticket prices during the group stages range from $60 (€51) to $2,735 (€2,349), but the newly introduced dynamic pricing and the resale of tickets could hike the cost of a seat by 1,000 per cent in some cases.
At an estimate, tickets for the South Korea match may range from $60 to $620 (€533) due to moderate demand, while against the host nation with high demand it might range from $75 (€64) to more than $2,000.
[ 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.
