In this guide
Key TakeawaysWhat a MyForest Card Actually GatesThe Sale Order That Decides EverythingRoutes That Work Without a MembershipWhy Cup Nights Are the Softest TargetThe Membership Price Drop Nobody MentionsWhich Fixtures Are Realistic This SeasonBuying Resale Tickets in England: What the Law SaysBuying Through 1BoxOffice Step by StepFrequently Asked QuestionsForest sold out their season cards again for 2026/27 and the club's waiting list has been reported at more than 12,000 supporters. Squeeze that demand into a ground holding just over 30,000 and you get the reason so many people end up searching for Nottingham Forest tickets without membership in the first place. The good news is that the club has never made a MyForest card a legal requirement. The bad news is that the sale sequence is built so that almost nothing survives to a public window.
The gap between what is allowed and what is actually available is the whole story. Below are the routes that still work for non-members, what each costs and which fixtures are worth targeting. If you already know the game you want, see what is currently listed for Nottingham Forest.
Key Takeaways
- A MyForest card is not required to attend a match, but it gates almost every home sale window.
- Public general sale is rare and mostly limited to midweek games and lower-demand visitors.
- Hospitality is the one route that reliably skips the queue, from around £540 per person as of mid-2026.
- Domestic cup ties are the softest route through the club for a first-time buyer.
- The club Ticket Exchange sits behind the membership wall, so it is not a non-member route.
- Verified resale covers the fixtures that never reach an open window.
What a MyForest Card Actually Gates
Forest run six membership packages for 2026/27: MyForest Pro, MyForest Plus, MyForest Core, MyForest Core Youth, Junior Reds and International Reds. The club confirmed in June 2026 that prices would stay level with the previous campaign, with one addition: a Young Adult rate for supporters aged 18 to 21. Memberships run from 1 August 2026 to 31 May 2027 and are non-refundable once bought.
| Tier | 2025/26 price | Home ticket priority |
|---|---|---|
| MyForest Pro | £99 | First window, capped membership, auto-entry to the season card waiting list |
| MyForest Plus | £70 | Second window, also capped |
| MyForest Core | £40 | Third window, alongside Core Youth, Junior Reds and International Reds |
Rates above are 2025/26 prices carried forward, correct as of August 2026. The second column is what matters. A membership does not buy a ticket, it buys a place in a queue, and Pro members clear the best fixtures before Core members see them. The same priority logic runs across the division, as covered in our guide to Premier League tickets without membership.
The Sale Order That Decides Everything
Home tickets move in a fixed sequence: season card holders first, then Pro, then Plus, then the third-priority group. Anything left over can reach a general public sale, and for a sold-out fixture that almost never happens. In practice only midweek games, cup ties and matches against the league's less glamorous visitors have reached open sale in recent seasons.
This is why the honest answer to "do I need a membership" is a qualified no. You do not need one to attend. You will need one if you want a realistic shot at buying a big Premier League fixture through the club, and even then availability is not certain.
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Routes That Work Without a Membership
Four options are open to you with no MyForest card at all. Note that the club's Ticket Exchange is not one of them: it sits behind the membership wall, so it is a route for members only despite being widely recommended as a non-member fix.
- Hospitality. The most reliable route, because packages sit outside the general admission queue entirely. Expect prices from around £540 per person depending on fixture and package, as of mid-2026.
- Verified resale. Seats released by season card holders and members who cannot attend. Availability is best in the fortnight before kick-off.
- General sale. Free to enter and cheapest when it happens, but rare and usually restricted to lower-demand fixtures.
- Cup football. Lower renewal take-up and smaller crowds mean early rounds are the softest route through the club.
Where you sit matters more here than at most grounds. The stands sit close to the pitch and sightlines vary sharply between tiers, so it is worth studying the seating plan at the City Ground before you commit to a price band. Everything on at the City Ground this season sits in one place.
Why Cup Nights Are the Softest Target
Forest are out of European football for 2026/27 after finishing 16th last season, so the midweek continental ties that used to soak up member demand are gone. What remains is a run in the Carabao Cup and, from January, the FA Cup third round. Cup tickets price below league equivalents, season card holders are not automatically allocated them and member take-up is lower. If you want to see a game at the City Ground rather than a specific opponent, an early cup round is the cheapest way in.
The Membership Price Drop Nobody Mentions
Membership pricing is not fixed across the season. In April 2026 Forest cut MyForest Core and International Reds to £25 and Junior Reds to £15 to open up the closing run of home games. If you are reading this in the back half of a campaign and expect to attend more than once, check the current rate before ruling membership out. Paying full price in August for one fixture in April rarely adds up.
Which Fixtures Are Realistic This Season
Demand at the City Ground is tiered by opponent. Forest use a three-band match category system, and the bands map neatly onto how hard a ticket is to find.
| Fixture type | Adult face value | Non-member realism |
|---|---|---|
| Category A: Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal | £50 to £70 | Hospitality or resale only |
| Category B: mid-table visitors | £45 to £65 | Occasional resale, no realistic general sale |
| Category C: promoted and lower-half sides | £38 to £49 | Best chance of an open window |
September brings Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa to Trentside, both firmly in the harder bracket under Oliver Glasner's first months in charge. Face values quoted are 2026/27 club prices as of August 2026 and resale pricing will sit above or below them depending on demand.
Buying Resale Tickets in England: What the Law Says
Football is treated differently from concerts in England and Wales. Under Section 166 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, selling tickets for a designated football match without the home club's authorisation is a criminal offence, which is why clubs operate their own exchanges. As a buyer you are not committing an offence, but clubs do reserve the right to cancel tickets they identify as having moved outside their own systems, and Forest set this out in their ticket terms.
So where you buy matters. Check the seller's protection before you pay, keep your confirmation and treat any listing offering to meet you outside the ground with suspicion. Our guide to spotting ticket scams covers the warning signs. This is general guidance and not legal advice.
Buying Through 1BoxOffice Step by Step
- Find your fixture and compare listings by stand and price band.
- Register with 1BoxOffice or log in to your account.
- Select your seats, checking the quantity rules for that listing.
- Review the total, including any delivery method noted on the listing.
- Complete payment, covered by the 150% money-back guarantee.
- Follow delivery through track order until your tickets arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can supporters based overseas buy without a UK address?
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Yes, and Forest also run an International Reds package for overseas supporters that carries the same third-priority access as Core.
2. Are away tickets ever available to non-members?
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No, Forest allocate away tickets on accumulated loyalty points to established supporters, so there is no entry point for a first-time buyer.
3. Do children need their own membership to attend?
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Not to attend on a ticket bought by an adult, though Junior Reds exists for ages four to 13 if you want them in the priority queue in their own right.
4. Will I get a physical membership card for 2026/27?
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No, Forest have moved to a digital membership card on the club app for 2026/27, and tickets are not loaded onto it.
5. Does the City Ground expansion change availability soon?
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No, the revised plans submitted to Rushcliffe Borough Council in 2026 target a capacity beyond 50,000 but add nothing before the end of this decade.
A membership is worth buying if you plan to attend regularly, but it is not the only way through the door. For the fixtures you actually want to see, 1BoxOffice lists seats from supporters who cannot attend, every order backed by the 150% money-back guarantee.
Sources: Nottingham Forest official club website (membership terms, ticket terms and 2026/27 pricing announcements), Premier League, Sky Sports, BBC Sport, Football Ground Guide.
