The frustrating reason Donegal have been allocated so few tickets for All-Ireland final

Donegal face Kerry in the All-Ireland SFC final at Croke Park

It has been announced that Donegal’s ticket allocation for the final is 13,748, just under 17% of the total capacity of Croke Park.

DonegalLive are reporting that the reason for the shortfall is due to “internal membership oversights”, whereby some clubs have failed to move over paid LGFA and Camogie memberships to the GAA membership system Foireann, a newer database. 

However, some on social media are pointing out that it’s up to the clubs to decide if they want to register LGFA and Camogie members as GAA members for the additional quota of tickets. 

The 13,748 figure does not include Donegal’s season ticket membership of just over 1,200.

Where do tickets for the All-Ireland SFC final go?

Tickets for the final do not go on general sale, unlike other matches throughout the season, with tickets instead allocated to various bodies and groups.

GAA’s annual report from 2025 show that just shy of 60,000 tickets are given to county allocations, with the remaining tickets split across premium/corporate, season tickets, schools, and even some for overseas and Croke Park residents.

The competing counties receive the most significant of that near-60,000 bunch of tickets, with the rest going to all other county boards. These then filter down to clubs and club members, being offered out through a draw.

The GAA has always been firm in its stance that this showpiece match is for everyone in the game in Ireland, hence why each and every club has tickets designated. 

Tickets are €100 for the stands and €55 for the terrace. Research from the CSO Consumer Price Index show that, even with adjustments made for inflation, this is a 363% rise on the same ticket just over 30 years ago.