Anxious wait as Euro 2012 ticket chase underway

IRISH football fans will have an anxious wait of a couple of months before they know if they have been successful in securing tickets for the Euro finals in Poland and Ukraine next summer.

Tickets went on sale on UEFA’s website at 9am yesterday but since they are being sold on a first-come, first-served basis, fans won’t know if they have been successful until the application window closes at the end of February.

Supporters entitled to apply for these tickets — and already given a password by the FAI so they can access the relevant portal on www.uefa.com — include those who have attended away qualifiers, current season ticket holders, active block bookers and Vantage Club members.

In the event of the Republic’s matches against Croatia, Italy and Spain being over-subscribed — a certainty since demand will vastly exceed supply — ballots will be held, with the most loyal fans getting preference.

UEFA have indicated that 32% of the overall stadia capacity have been reserved for the supporters of the 16 finalists. In a statement, the governing body said: “Each team will receive 16% of the overall net stadium capacity, or a minimum of 6,000 tickets, for each group-stage match. For quarter-finals and semi-finals, the number of tickets reserved is 5,000 per participating team, and for the final it is 9,000 per participating team.”