“Anyone buying or selling tickets?” This may be a familiar refrain outside Croke Park on big match days, but take heed, the GAA has always strongly warned against purchasing tickets from unofficial sources, especially when it comes to the All-Ireland finals.
No tickets for the hurling and football deciders go on general sale. Instead, they are distributed through the GAA’s ticketing office. Tickets are largely distributed through county boards, who then divvy them out to clubs, with the two competing counties receiving the largest allocations.
Every club in the country will receive an allocation based on their size, membership, codes played, etc, regardless of whether their county is competing as the All-Ireland finals are regarded as national occasions, belonging to everyone in the GAA.
Although Croke Park has an official capacity of 82,300, 82,006 tickets are distributed for each of the finals.
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Demand for tickets significantly outstrips supply each year.
Where do the tickets go?
Of the 82,006 total, 71,478 tickets are available for distribution, in addition to 10,528 for premium and corporate ticket holders.
The GAA breaks down the allocation set aside for the various groups in the director general’s annual report. The latest figures available, shared in the 2025 annual report, relate to the 2024 All-Ireland finals.
In previous years, the GAA also broke down the exact allocation to the two counties contesting the final, each receiving roughly 13,000 tickets. Where tickets are not taken up, as can be the case in counties not taking part, the tickets are redistributed to the competing counties.
There are also allocations to provincial and overseas boards, as well as season and term ticket holders.
Ticket breakdown (2024 All-Ireland finals):
Total county allocations – 59,212
Provinces – 380
Overseas – 480
Ard Chomhairle/Iar Uachtarán – 800
Camogie – 140
Ladies football – 100
Rounders & handball – 212
Sponsors – 1,250
Press – 258
TV & radio – 74
Schools and education bodies – 1,666
Third-level (colleges & universities) – 240
Croke Park residents – 200
Match officials & national referees panel – 228
Health bodies & Sport Ireland – 60
Match Day/Vertigo – 148
Staff & subcommittees – 820
Jubilee teams – 70
Go Games – 188
Term tickets – 2,358
Season tickets – 2,594
How much are the tickets?
The GAA increased the price for All-Ireland final tickets in 2024, raising a stand ticket to €100 and a terrace ticket to €55. The last increase was in 2019, when stand and terrace ticket prices were upped to €90 and €50 respectively.
Any chance of a spare tickets surfacing before Sunday?
No, although never say never.
How exactly clubs distribute their ticket allocation is up to them. Many clubs use a portion of their allocation for fundraising purposes, using them as prizes for raffles and the like, but there are other possibilities: Limerick county board are running a competition for the most creatively bedecked home and business ahead of their All-Ireland hurling final against Galway, the prize being two tickets to Sunday’s game.
Some clubs also reserve a certain number of tickets for club officers, team management, and other voluntary members to recognise their contributions. Given the usual barrage of ‘special requests’, it’s certainly the time of year when club secretaries earn their keep.
How many tickets do the competing teams receive?
According to Croke Park, anyone that is part of the official county panel gains access and is accredited in advance of the game.
Where they are on the day depends on their specific role. Managers and selectors are on the sideline, while there is a dedicated stats box in the lower Hogan Stand. Spaces are also reserved in the upper Hogan Stand for those overseeing analysis and recordings for the teams.
