On Friday evening, Norway and Italy will meet in a big match at Ullevaal Stadium – a match of decisive importance for Norway’s further path towards the World Cup in 2026. Interest is sky-high, and it didn’t take long before tickets were snapped up.
Already in the first round of sales – exclusively for gold members of the Supporters Club – the match was reported sold out. According to the Norwegian Football Association, it only took 90 minutes before there were no more tickets left.
But several gold members are now left without a ticket. Roger Haugen from Skedsmokorset is one of them. He has followed the Norwegian national team closely for a number of years and describes himself as a very avid supporter. When he saw the opportunity to buy a gold membership in December, he did not hesitate to take advantage.
– When I bought gold membership back in December, the Germany or Italy match was the reason. That’s why I signed up, says Haugen.
DISAPPOINTED: Roger Haugen is one of several gold members who did not get a ticket to the match between Norway and Italy.
The gold membership costs 200 kroner a year and will, among other things, provide advance tickets to all home games at Ullevaal Stadium.
– I had high hopes that I would get a ticket. There were lots of advertisements about this: “Buy a gold membership, then you will have the first chance to buy tickets”. There were several campaigns before and after Christmas. Then I had high hopes when I left the 200 krona note. But I didn’t get it.
Standing ready in the ticket queue – still empty-handed
On the day of the ticket sale, he pulled out both his laptop and cell phone early and got everything ready.
– I sat down a quarter of an hour before the tickets went on sale. I got into the ticket system, but never got the tickets through. I waited for an hour and a half before it said it was sold out.
Haugen reacts strongly to the fact that gold memberships can be sold without being able to guarantee real access to tickets.
Are you going to Norway – Italy?
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– They can’t sell more gold memberships than there are opportunities to get tickets. That’s pretty clear, I think, he says before adding:
– I simply feel cheated.
NFF: – The turnout was enormous
NRK has presented the criticism to the NFF, which acknowledges that many are disappointed – but emphasizes that the interest has been extreme.
– 6,000 season tickets have already been sold, and for this match we could have sold out Ullevaal three times. We know that many are disappointed, but there was a very high demand, says commercial director Runar Pahr Andresen in the NFF.
He confirms that a total of 4,500 new gold members signed up in the week before the pre-sale.
– Gold membership gives access to advance tickets, but in accordance with the membership terms and conditions, there is no guarantee of getting a ticket. We inform you about this in several places, including in the terms and conditions, says Andresen.
ANSWER: Commercial Director of the Norwegian Football Federation, Runar Pahr Andresen, explains that interest in Norway–Italy was record high.
He points out that membership also provides other benefits – such as exclusive content, competitions and access to tickets to championships.
– Gold membership is also about loyalty and accumulating points over time. It is our most active members who get access first during major championships, says Andresen.
This is how the tickets for Norway – Italy will be distributed
Supporters: 12,562 (Supporters Club, Oljeberget, Norwegian Supporters Alliance and possibly open air)
Season tickets for supporters: 6000
Away team: 1650
Series units/circuit: 305
Free card: 800
NFF’s partners: 2,150
Press: 311
Club Ullevaal & Panorama: 2,400
NFF (Arrangement (ie protocol, mascots, balls etc.): 210
Blocked seats: 439 (varies depending on camera positions and safety zone)
Total 26,827
As of now, the Supporters Club has a total of 24,800 members, and 12,200 are gold members. Haugen will not answer whether there should be a cap on the number of gold members in relation to the capacity at Ullevaal, and says:
be a cap on the number of gold members in relation to the capacity at Ullevaal, and says:be a cap on the number of gold members in relation to the capacity at Ullevaal, and says:
– We understand the disappointment, of course. But we have limited capacity. Ullevaal holds 27,000 spectators, and we have to distribute the tickets between several groups.