Buy Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal tickets for the 2026/27 Season, with kickoff at the City Ground on Saturday 18 October 2026 at 17:00. Arsenal arrive as reigning Premier League champions, at a ground where they have failed to score on either of their last two visits.
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That statistic is doing a lot of work in this fixture's favour. Nottingham Forest have held Arsenal to a goalless draw at the City Ground in each of the past two seasons, which is not a record many clubs of Forest's size can claim against a title-winning side. It is also why a fixture the bookmakers will call one-sided sells out here regardless.
The ground makes it harder still. The City Ground holds just over 30,000, the season card list has been closed for years with a waiting list running past 12,000. Forest also require a membership before you can even enter a sale window. General availability for the champions' visit is close to nonexistent.
Forest run a members-first system with almost nothing reaching open sale. Season cards are sold out entirely, prices frozen for 2026/27 across a range from around £190 to £915 by age category, with adult holders paying roughly a third less than matchday buyers. Those holders keep their seats, so the pool available to anyone else starts small and shrinks further for the heaviest fixtures.
Arsenal are the heaviest fixture on the calendar this season by a clear margin. They took the title in 2025/26 with 85 points, ending a wait of more than two decades. A championship-winning side travelling to a compact ground creates demand that a 2,500-seat away allocation cannot begin to absorb. Everything that does not fit spills into resale.
Forest bring their own weight to it. This is a club that won back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, then reached a Europa League semi-final as recently as April 2026 before Aston Villa knocked them out. A sixteenth-place league finish that same season tells you very little about the size of the following.
Two numbers put the squeeze in perspective. The ground holds just over 30,000 and the season card waiting list runs beyond 12,000, which means the queue for a seat is roughly two-fifths of the stadium's entire capacity. That is before a single member enters a sale window for an individual match.
Set it beside the season's other heavyweight home dates for scale. Liverpool's visit to the City Ground prices in the same bracket, while the return fixture at the Emirates offers double the capacity for the same match. If it is Nottingham you want, October is the only chance in the calendar.
Through the club, no. A MyForest Membership is required for access to home match sales, which makes it the gateway rather than an optional extra. Membership buys entry to the sale windows, the resale exchange plus priority periods. It does not buy a seat.
The process runs through the club's ticketing platform with set on-sale dates for each fixture, member windows first. When standard sales sell out, which for a fixture like this they do, members can try the exchange where season card holders list seats they cannot use. That exchange is the closest thing Forest have to open availability. It is closed to non-members.
Season cards are the other route. They have been shut for some time. The waiting list runs beyond 12,000 supporters, which at current turnover is not a queue you join with a specific fixture in mind. The planned expansion will eventually ease that pressure, though nothing about it helps this October.
Face values give a sense of what the queue competes for. Forest price in three categories, with Category A fixtures against the largest visiting clubs running roughly £50 to £70 for adults, Category B from £45 to £65, Category C from £38 to £49. Central seating costs more, corners and outer wings less. Arsenal sit squarely in the top band.
Five things set the price here. Which stand the seat sits in, how little escapes the member windows, the Saturday teatime broadcast slot, Arsenal's status as champions and Champions League participants, plus whether the listing includes hospitality. Scarcity dominates: a ground of just over 30,000 with a members-only sale process leaves very little in circulation.
| Ticket Type | Resale Price Range | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgford Stand upper and corner areas | £110 – £215 | Buyers who want in at the lowest entry point | The lower tier of this stand houses visiting supporters, so home seats sit above and alongside |
| Trent End | £140 – £265 | Home atmosphere behind the goal | Rebuilt in the mid-1990s. The most vocal end of the ground on a big night |
| Brian Clough Stand | £180 – £345 | Side-on view at a fair rate | The two-tier stand opposite the main side, opened in 1980 and named for the club's greatest era |
| Peter Taylor Stand | £220 – £430 | Neutral buyers wanting the halfway line | The main stand along the River Trent side, carrying the premium central seating |
| Hospitality packages | £550 – £1,100+ | Guests, clients or a milestone trip | Corporate packages start around £540 per person across the season. Champions fixtures sit at the top |
Prices reflect typical resale ranges and may change as demand and availability shift closer to the match.
Timing behaves differently at the City Ground from most grounds. There is no meaningful late release, because the club's own exchange absorbs returned seats and redistributes them to members rather than letting them reach open circulation. Inventory here is thickest early and narrows steadily rather than loosening near the date.
The expansion is worth knowing about, not least because a decision is imminent. Forest have a revised application with Rushcliffe Borough Council covering the Peter Taylor Stand, the Brian Clough Stand and the Bridgford End, aiming at around 45,000 in the first phase and a long-term figure of 52,500, with a determination expected in September 2026. None of it changes the capacity for this fixture. It does explain why the club has spent two years describing demand as the constraint on everything else.
The City Ground Stadium has staged football since 1898 and sits directly on the north bank of the Trent, close enough that the river is part of the walk in. Four stands of different ages ring the pitch: the Peter Taylor Stand along the river side, the two-tier Brian Clough Stand opposite, the Trent End behind one goal, the Bridgford Stand behind the other. The City Ground seating plan is worth a look, because those four differ more than a modern bowl would.
| Area | What It Suits | Pricing Bracket | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Taylor Stand | Halfway-line view from the main side | Premium | The river side of the ground, holding the central premium seating. First to sell for a fixture of this size |
| Brian Clough Stand upper | The strongest all-round view for the money | Upper mid | Two tiers opposite the main stand. The upper tier reads the shape of the game best |
| Brian Clough Stand lower | Proximity to the touchline | Mid | Closer to pitch level, with a flatter sightline in the front rows |
| Trent End | Home atmosphere | Mid | Behind the goal, the noisiest home section. Expect singing rather than analysis |
| Bridgford Stand upper | Value with a clear view of play | Entry to mid | Above the away section. The most affordable home seats in the ground |
| Bridgford Stand lower, away allocation | Travelling Arsenal supporters only | Entry | Around 2,500 seats in the lower tier, on the left-hand side viewed from the pitch. Visiting colours belong there rather than anywhere else |
For a neutral buyer the Brian Clough Stand upper is the sensible pick. It looks across the full width of the pitch from height, it prices below the Peter Taylor Stand opposite, it sits clear of both the away corner and the Trent End's noise. If the occasion matters more than the value, the main stand central blocks are what you are paying for.
One point on the away section. Because visiting supporters sit in the lower Bridgford tier rather than in a separate corner, home seats in the upper Bridgford sit almost directly above them. That is a fine place to watch a match. It is not the place to sit in the wrong colours.
Height matters more here than at a newer ground. The Brian Clough Stand is the only two-tier structure of the four, so its upper tier gives an elevation the other three sides cannot match at any price. If you are choosing between a mid-priced seat there and a similar rate elsewhere, that is the tiebreaker.
Hospitality at the City Ground is compact rather than expansive, which follows from the size of the ground. Corporate packages start from around £540 per person across the season and cover executive boxes, premium seating and dining access, concentrated in the Peter Taylor and Brian Clough stands. For a champions fixture these clear well before the standard seats around them.
| Hospitality Option | Typical Buyer | Main Appeal |
|---|---|---|
| Executive boxes | Companies hosting groups | Private space with its own service, the most controlled version of a matchday at a small ground |
| Premium lounge packages | Clients and small parties | Pre-match dining with padded central seating and a dedicated entrance |
| Matchday dining packages | Couples marking an occasion | A full meal before kickoff with a guaranteed seat together, the mid-point of the range |
| Entry-level hospitality | Supporters upgrading from a standard seat | The cheapest route to a faster way in plus a better seat than open sale offers |
Read what each listing actually covers before committing. At a ground this size the meaningful difference between packages is the dining format and how long before kickoff the space opens, rather than the seat itself, since no seat at the City Ground is far from the pitch.
Arrive with time to spare. The approach runs over Trent Bridge with pedestrian traffic funnelling along the river, so hospitality guests wanting their full access window should be across the bridge well before the crowd builds.
Premier League ticketing is now overwhelmingly digital. Forest are no exception. Because the club runs its own exchange a great many seats change hands electronically, so the useful question about any listing is whose account the ticket arrives in.
| Delivery Type | What to Check |
|---|---|
| Mobile or digital ticket | Whether the seller transfers it into your own account or sends a screenshot, plus which app is needed to open it |
| E-ticket, print at home | That the barcode is clean and unmarked. Keep a paper copy alongside the phone copy |
| Collection in Nottingham | The exact meeting point and time window. The station is a mile from the ground, so build in the walk |
| Courier or postal delivery | That the delivery window closes well before your travel date. The address you give must be where you will be that week |
Read the listing notes on every seat before completing a purchase, because delivery method is set by the seller rather than the stand. Bring photo identification. Charge your phone before you set off, since digital entry is standard and there is no paper backup waiting at the turnstile.
Getting there is straightforward on foot. Nottingham station sits about a mile away, roughly twenty minutes' walk, heading down to the dual carriageway then along past Trent Bridge. Parking at the stadium is very limited, with Victoria Embankment, the Eastcroft depot and the station car parks the usual alternatives. For a fixture of this size the train plus the walk is the simplest option.
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Step1
Open the fixture listing
Start on the match page for this Premier League fixture rather than a general search. It filters availability down to seats released for 17 October 2026 at the City Ground.
Step2
Set up your account
You can create an account before you browse. It saves your details for checkout and keeps every order together if you are building a longer trip around the match.
Step3
Choose your stand
Settle the stand before you compare prices. The four sides here differ in age and height, so the choice between the Brian Clough upper and the Peter Taylor Stand is a real one rather than a matter of taste.
Step4
Set the group size
Enter the exact number of seats you need. Inventory at a ground this size skews towards singles and pairs, so filtering early stops you chasing a price that only covers one place.
Step5
Read the listing notes
Every listing carries seller notes covering delivery method, seating position, plus whether places are guaranteed together. This is the most useful minute you will spend on the purchase.
Step6
Confirm the total
Compare the full price with fees and delivery included rather than the headline figure. Across two or three listings that comparison usually shows which stand offers the stronger value.
Step7
Complete the purchase
Pay through the secure checkout. Enter the lead traveller's name as it appears on the identification you will carry, so the order details match the person entering the ground.
Step8
Follow your order through to delivery
Use track order to see the status of your seats and the delivery timeline. If anything looks unclear as the date approaches, raise it early rather than in the final week.
Overseas buyers should favour digital delivery where it is offered, because collection means a fixed meeting point in a city centre a mile from the ground on its busiest afternoon. Where a seller transfers tickets into a named account, complete that transfer before you travel rather than on arrival. If courier delivery is the only option, confirm the address you enter is where you will actually be during the delivery window.
Seats together are worth requesting in writing rather than assuming. Inventory at a 30,000-seat ground is fragmented by nature, so a listing described as four seats is not always four in a row. Premier League fixtures involving the champions are also strong candidates for a broadcast move, so book accommodation with flexible cancellation instead of committing to a tight Saturday evening departure.
Arsenal supporters have the easier of the two journeys in this pairing, with Nottingham reachable from London in under two hours by rail. The return fixture at the Emirates Stadium offers double the capacity for the same match, so anyone flexible about which leg they attend will find the London date a considerably easier ticket.
There is no historic grudge here in the way there is between neighbours. What these clubs share instead is a long record of meeting when it mattered, across 109 competitive matches that have gone 56 wins to Arsenal, 29 to Forest, with 24 drawn. Forest's strongest years came at the end of the 1970s, when a club from a city of this size won the league then took the European Cup in 1979 and again in 1980.
The modern chapter began in 2022 with Forest back in the top flight after a twenty-three year absence. It opened badly, a 5-0 defeat at the Emirates that autumn, then produced the result that defines the fixture for a generation of Forest supporters. On 20 May 2023 Forest beat Arsenal 1-0 at the City Ground to secure their Premier League survival, a win that also did serious damage to Arsenal's title challenge that season.
Arsenal have not lost to Forest since. What has changed is the shape of the defeats that did not happen. The last two visits to the City Ground both finished goalless, which means a side that won the championship in 2025/26 has gone two full matches at this ground without scoring.
What gives the 2026/27 meeting its edge is that pattern rather than any long-running feud. Arsenal have won five of the last eight between the clubs, yet they have not scored a goal in Nottingham since January 2024. Forest have spent two seasons proving they can frustrate this particular opponent at this particular ground without quite finding a way to beat them, which is a specific kind of tension that fills a stadium.
Forest have hosted Arsenal only four times in the Premier League since returning to the top flight, so the figures below widen to cover all Premier League meetings between the clubs since 2022, at both grounds. Scores are given with Nottingham Forest's goals first.
| Metric | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 8 |
| Nottingham Forest wins | 1 |
| Arsenal wins | 5 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Nottingham Forest goals | 3 |
| Arsenal goals | 15 |
| Biggest Nottingham Forest win | 1-0 |
| Biggest Arsenal win | 0-5 |
| First meeting in scope | 30 October 2022 |
| Most recent meeting | 17 January 2026 |
Compiled from head-to-head records cross-referenced across two independent archives plus contemporary match reports. Every result reconciles.
Newest first, covering both grounds, with Nottingham Forest's goals given first in each score.
| Date | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Jan 2026 | 0-0 | City Ground |
| 13 Sep 2025 | 0-3 | Emirates Stadium |
| 26 Feb 2025 | 0-0 | City Ground |
| 23 Nov 2024 | 0-3 | Emirates Stadium |
| 30 Jan 2024 | 1-2 | City Ground |
| 12 Aug 2023 | 1-2 | Emirates Stadium |
| 20 May 2023 | 1-0 | City Ground |
| 30 Oct 2022 | 0-5 | Emirates Stadium |
Every score verified against two independent match archives.
To buy direct, yes. A MyForest Membership is required for home match sales and for the club's resale exchange. A resale marketplace requires nothing of the kind.
Early. Returned seats go back to the club's own member exchange rather than into open circulation, so choice narrows as the date approaches.
In the lower tier of the Bridgford Stand, on the left-hand side viewed from the pitch, with a league allocation of roughly 2,500 seats.
The Brian Clough Stand upper tier. It looks across the full pitch from height at a lower rate than the main stand opposite.
It is about a mile on foot, roughly twenty minutes, heading down to the dual carriageway then along past Trent Bridge to the river.
Sources: Nottingham Forest official club ticketing information, membership requirements and season card pricing; City Ground capacity, stand names, away allocation, transport and redevelopment plans from published ground guides, StadiumDB and planning coverage; Premier League 2026/27 fixture scheduling and 2025/26 final standings; head-to-head records cross-referenced across two independent archives plus contemporary match reports from national broadcasters and club match reports.