Buy Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City tickets for the 2026/27 Season. The fixture kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday 7 November 2026 at the City Ground in Nottingham, matchday eleven of the Premier League campaign. Seven Premier League meetings have been played at this ground. The record stands at three wins each, one draw, seven goals apiece.
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That dead heat is the most interesting number in the fixture, because almost nothing else about these two clubs is level. Manchester City have dominated English football for more than a decade. At the City Ground they have not been able to make it count. Anyone weighing up Nottingham Forest tickets for the marquee home fixture of the season is buying into a genuinely even contest rather than a procession.
What follows is a buyer's guide to the fixture: what the four stands at the City Ground cost, where the noise actually comes from, why a ground of just over 30,000 makes this the hardest league ticket of Forest's season, plus how the expansion plans sitting with the council could change all of it. Every figure below is scoped to the Premier League at this ground with Forest hosting.
Three things converge. The City Ground holds just over 30,000, which puts it in the smaller half of the division. Manchester City are the largest league draw on the calendar. And Forest have no European football this season after their run to the Europa League semi-finals ended in 2025/26.
That last point matters more than it sounds. Nineteen league home fixtures are the entire home programme, so demand that would otherwise spread across Thursday nights lands on Saturdays instead. Season ticket holders who might have skipped a league game to attend a European tie now have nothing to trade off.
The visiting allocation is roughly 2,500 in the lower tier of the Bridgford Stand, which is generous by Premier League standards yet nowhere near enough for a club that fills 53,000 at home. Buyers tracking Manchester City tickets across the season will find Nottingham one of the harder away days to reach through the club route. Visiting colours are not permitted outside that section.
Forest themselves have changed what this fixture means. A seventh-place finish in 2024/25 took them into Europe for the first time in 29 years. The run that followed reached a Europa League semi-final. Even after a harder league campaign in 2025/26, the club that visits the City Ground now is not the one that spent 23 consecutive seasons outside the top flight.
Timing helps the buyer slightly. A 15:00 Saturday is the traditional slot rather than a television pick, which means no late rescheduling and a straightforward day out. It also means no broadcast premium baked into the occasion, so the pricing pressure here is pure supply rather than hype.
Yes, though this is the fixture where the club route closes fastest. Forest operate a membership scheme that sits behind season ticket holders in the queue. In a ground of this size the two groups together absorb the overwhelming majority of seats. For a category A visitor, a general sale may not happen at all.
Membership carries a waiting cost as well as a fee. Priority is decided by loyalty accrued over previous purchases, which does nothing for somebody planning a trip from outside Nottinghamshire eight weeks out. Overseas buyers face the further problem that the highest-demand fixtures often move from members straight to sold out.
The resale market exists for exactly that gap. Seats released by members and season ticket holders who cannot attend are listed with the stand and the delivery method stated before you pay. Prices sit above the club's own bands, which run from roughly fifty pounds for an adult this season, because a small ground hosting the division's biggest away support is a textbook supply squeeze.
Travelling Manchester City supporters work through their own club's away scheme, which allocates by loyalty points accrued across previous away matches. For a 2,500-seat allocation the threshold is high, rising further for a fixture that has produced three City defeats in seven visits. If you missed that cut, the resale market is the remaining route.
Five things set the price. Stand comes first, with the Brian Clough Stand carrying a clear premium over the two ends. Opponent is second, placing Manchester City at the very top of Forest's pricing ladder. Timing is third, though the usual advice inverts here because scarcity means prices firm rather than soften as matchday approaches.
Competition context is fourth. A category A Premier League fixture prices far above an ordinary league Saturday at the same ground, with no European nights on the calendar this season, so there is no lower-priced midweek alternative for seeing the City Ground. The fifth driver is hospitality tier, priced on the room rather than the seat. The ranges below reflect typical resale movement for this fixture in the 2026/27 season.
| Ticket Type | Resale Price Range | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgford Stand, upper | £110 – £200 | Getting in without paying for a view | Home seating above the away section. The lowest-priced route into the ground for this fixture. |
| Trent End | £150 – £280 | Atmosphere behind the goal | The most modern of the four stands, with a clean elevated view along the pitch. |
| Peter Taylor Stand | £190 – £340 | Longside seating with character | The older main side. Dated facilities, close to the pitch, home to one of the more vocal home blocks. |
| Brian Clough Stand, central | £300 – £560 | Comfort and the clearest sightlines | The largest and most modern stand, facing the river side. Central blocks command the upper end of the bracket. |
| Hospitality and VIP | £500 – £1,400+ | Client entertaining or a milestone occasion | Lounge access, catering and a central seat. Numbers are limited at this ground, so availability closes early. |
Prices reflect typical resale ranges and may change as demand and availability shift closer to the match.
The City Ground is four stands of four different eras, which is unusual in the modern Premier League and makes stand choice matter more than it does at a uniform bowl. It sits on the south bank of the Trent, close enough to the water that the river is part of the walk in. The City Ground seating plan is worth opening alongside the table below.
The Brian Clough Stand is the largest and most modern, running one touchline. The Trent End sits behind one goal and is the newest of the four. Opposite the Clough Stand, the Peter Taylor Stand is the oldest structure at the ground, while the Bridgford Stand behind the other goal holds visiting supporters in its lower tier. General City Ground tickets reach resale across all four in very different volumes.
| Area | What It Suits | Pricing Bracket | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trent End | Supporters who want noise and a clean view | Mid | Behind the goal, modern and elevated, with a full view along the length of the pitch. The most comfortable of the vocal areas. |
| Brian Clough Stand, central | Comfort and the technical areas | High | Halfway line in the largest stand, with the deepest cover and the most legroom. The seats most buyers ask for first. |
| Brian Clough Stand, wings | Value seekers who still want the good side | Mid to high | Same stand and same roof, angled towards one goal, usually a full bracket below the central blocks. |
| Peter Taylor Stand | Supporters who want the old ground | Mid | The oldest side, low and close to the touchline. Facilities are dated, though A block here is among the loudest home sections. |
| Bridgford Stand, upper | Buyers watching the budget | Lower to mid | Home seating in the upper tier directly above the visiting support, which makes for a lively but occasionally fractious corner. |
| Bridgford Stand, lower | Travelling Manchester City supporters | Mid to high | The visiting section, roughly 2,500 seats with a spacious concourse. City colours belong here only. |
If you are neutral, the Trent End gives you the strongest combination of noise, view and price for this fixture, while the wings of the Brian Clough Stand are the comfortable alternative. Buyers bringing children should avoid the upper Bridgford, since sitting directly above 2,500 travelling supporters is not a gentle introduction to the ground.
Getting there is simple enough to be a selling point. Nottingham railway station is roughly a mile away, about twenty minutes on foot, with the route crossing Trent Bridge and the ground visible on the left as you come over the water. Direct services run from London St Pancras, Birmingham, Sheffield and Leeds, which makes this an easy day trip from several directions.
Allow more time than the distance suggests. The bridge is a pinch point, the approach roads are narrow, while a category A fixture funnels 30,000 people across a limited number of crossings. Arriving forty-five minutes before kickoff is comfortable; arriving fifteen minutes before leaves you in a queue with a view of the river rather than the pitch.
Hospitality at the City Ground is concentrated in the Brian Clough Stand, where the modern facilities sit. The scale is modest by Premier League standards, a function of the ground's age and footprint rather than the club's intent, which is precisely what the expansion plans are designed to address. For now the premium product is limited in number and sells early.
| Hospitality Option | Typical Buyer | Main Appeal |
|---|---|---|
| Lounge seat with pre-match reception | Pairs and small groups marking an occasion | Entry point to the premium side. Drinks and food before kickoff, a padded central seat and no queueing on a narrow concourse. |
| Seated dining package | Business hosts entertaining two to six guests | Table service before the match and at half-time, with a reserved Brian Clough Stand seat a short walk from the room. |
| Executive box | Companies and larger private parties | Enclosed space for the group with dedicated service and a private view over the halfway line. Very limited in number. |
| Premium seat with lounge access | Buyers who want comfort over catering | Wider padded seating in the central blocks with indoor access, without the cost of a full dining package. |
Two points before committing. Packages at Forest are largely sold on seasonal contracts, so single-match availability on resale is thin for a fixture of this profile. Dress codes apply in the lounges, usually smart casual with no club colours, enforced at the door rather than waved through.
There is a timing argument worth weighing. Forest have a planning application with Rushcliffe Borough Council for a phased expansion towards 52,500, with a decision expected around now and projected capacities running well into the next decade. Nothing about the 2026/27 bowl changes this season, but the small, old, tightly packed version of the City Ground has a finite life.
English entry rules are lighter than the Italian or Spanish equivalent, so the friction here is about timing and listing detail rather than documentation. Premier League clubs increasingly issue digital tickets, with the method attached to your order set by the seller, so read the listing before you buy rather than afterwards.
| Delivery Type | What to Confirm |
|---|---|
| Mobile ticket transfer | The most common method for Premier League fixtures. Confirm you can receive a transfer into a smartphone wallet, then save the pass offline before travelling. |
| Electronic ticket by email | A scannable file sent ahead of matchday. Confirm the send-out window stated on the listing, since some are released only in the final week. |
| Collection in Nottingham | Pickup from a stated point in the city or near the ground. Confirm the collection window and whether photo identification is required at handover. |
| Courier delivery | Physical tickets to a nominated address. Confirm your address is reachable in time; overseas buyers should nominate a Nottingham hotel rather than a home address abroad. |
Read the listing notes in full before completing the order, because seat allocation, delivery timing and any restrictions are stated there. Bring photo identification, charge your phone before leaving if entry is mobile, then take the seat printed on your ticket. At a sold-out category A fixture there are no spare seats to move into.
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Step1
Open the fixture listing
Start on the match page for 7 November 2026 so you are seeing inventory for this fixture at the City Ground only, not the return meeting at the Etihad later in the season.
Step2
Set up your account
You can create an account before or during the purchase. Doing it first saves time on a fixture where the better listings move quickly.
Step3
Filter by quantity first
Set the number of seats before anything else. Listings sell in fixed splits, so filtering by quantity strips out everything that cannot take your group in a single move.
Step4
Choose your stand
Decide between the Trent End, the two sides and the Bridgford using the guidance above. The four stands here differ more from one another than at most grounds, so this is the decision that shapes your afternoon.
Step5
Read the listing notes
Restrictions, seating-together status, delivery method and any age rules are all stated on the listing. Two minutes here prevents most post-purchase surprises.
Step6
Confirm the all-in total
Move to the payment screen and review the final figure including fees and delivery before committing. The displayed per-seat price is not always the amount charged.
Step7
Complete the purchase securely
Pay through the encrypted payment page. You will receive written confirmation carrying your order reference, stand details and the delivery method the seller has attached.
Step8
Follow your order to matchday
Use track order to watch the status through to delivery. If anything looks wrong in the final fortnight before 7 November, raise it then rather than on the day.
Overseas buyers should favour mobile transfer or electronic delivery over anything physical. A courier to an address outside the United Kingdom can miss the window entirely, while collection points have fixed hours that rarely suit a same-day arrival. If collection is your only option, plan to be in Nottingham the day before.
Request seats together at the point of purchase rather than assuming it. A listing showing four seats does not always mean four in a row; the notes will say so if they are split across rows. For groups of five or more, two or three pairs in the same stand is far more achievable at this ground than one continuous block.
On date movement, a 15:00 Saturday kickoff is the traditional slot rather than a broadcast selection, which makes this fixture unusually safe to book travel around. Nottingham sits a little under two hours from London by train and is well connected to the Midlands and the north, so a day return is realistic. East Midlands Airport is the closest arrival point for anyone flying in, with Birmingham and Manchester both within reach for wider international routes.
Most Premier League fixtures have thirty years of history behind them. This one has seven matches. Between 30 September 1995 and 18 February 2023 the two clubs did not meet in the league at all, because their top-flight spells simply never overlapped. Forest spent 23 consecutive seasons outside the division, while Manchester City fell as far as the third tier in the late 1990s.
What history there is, though, is remarkably balanced at this ground. Three Forest wins, three City wins, one draw, seven goals scored by each side. In a league where Manchester City have won more than anyone, the City Ground is one of the few places where the ledger reads level.
The contrast with the away leg is what makes the home record so striking. In Manchester, Forest have taken three points from a possible twenty-one across seven Premier League visits, with no wins at all. Every point they have won in this fixture beyond a handful of draws has come on the south bank of the Trent.
For a buyer, that is the argument. You are not buying a fixture the visitors are expected to win comfortably, whatever the reputations suggest. You are buying the one ground where this particular opponent has consistently found it difficult, in front of a crowd that knows it.
There is a practical reading for anyone choosing between Forest's home fixtures. This is the most expensive league ticket at the ground, yet it is also the one where the home side's record gives you the strongest reason to expect a contest. If you are buying an occasion rather than a formality, the seven-match record here argues for this one over the other marquee visits.
The table below covers every Premier League meeting between the clubs at the City Ground with Forest hosting, from the competition's formation in 1992 onwards. Matches at Maine Road and the Etihad Stadium, cup ties including the 2025 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, second-tier meetings and all pre-1992 First Division fixtures sit outside this scope and are excluded. Both clubs spent long spells outside the top flight, so the sample covers seven seasons rather than thirty-four.
| Metric | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 7 |
| Nottingham Forest wins | 3 |
| Manchester City wins | 3 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Nottingham Forest goals | 7 |
| Manchester City goals | 7 |
| Biggest Nottingham Forest win | 3-0 |
| Biggest Manchester City win | 0-2 |
| First Premier League meeting in scope | 27 February 1993 |
| Most recent meeting in scope | 27 December 2025 |
All totals are calculated from the verified match-by-match results below. Manchester City's widest win at this ground is two goals, achieved twice, in February 1993 and April 2024.
| Date | Score |
|---|---|
| 27 Dec 2025 | 1-2 |
| 08 Mar 2025 | 1-0 |
| 28 Apr 2024 | 0-2 |
| 18 Feb 2023 | 1-1 |
| 30 Sep 1995 | 3-0 |
| 06 May 1995 | 1-0 |
| 27 Feb 1993 | 0-2 |
Scores listed from the perspective of Nottingham Forest as hosts, newest first, each verified against two or more independent match records.
Yes. Membership and season ticket priority govern the club's own sale windows, but seats released by those holders reach the resale market and are open to any buyer without a membership history or loyalty points.
It is roughly a mile, about twenty minutes on foot, crossing Trent Bridge with the ground visible on your left as you come over the river. Allow longer on a matchday, since the bridge is a pinch point.
The Trent End and A block of the Peter Taylor Stand hold the most vocal home support. Travelling supporters sit separately in the lower tier of the Bridgford Stand, with home fans in the tier above.
A phased expansion towards 52,500 is with Rushcliffe Borough Council, covering the Peter Taylor Stand, the Trent End corners and the Brian Clough Stand. Capacity for the 2026/27 season is unchanged at just over 30,000.
Seats from one listing are usually together, though some are split across rows in the same stand. Request seating together at the point of purchase, then read the listing notes, which state the arrangement.
Sources: match results compiled from football-data.co.uk English season files, RSSSF England archives, an independently compiled English league match dataset and the official Nottingham Forest season articles published on Wikipedia, with every result confirmed by at least two independent records. Fixture date, kickoff time and venue confirmed against Premier League scheduling and the club's published match calendar. Stadium capacity, stand names and expansion status from published City Ground records, the Premier League handbook and planning reporting on the Rushcliffe application. Away allocation, stand character, face-value bands and travel directions from the Football Ground Guide visiting supporters' guide. Attendances and competition entries from published season records.