Buy Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham tickets for the 2026/27 Premier League season and you are buying into an early marker in Forest's home campaign. The fixture is scheduled for Saturday 5 September 2026 with a 15:00 BST kick-off at the City Ground, matchweek three of the season. A three o'clock Saturday slot carries no live UK broadcast, which means the only way to watch this one unfold is from a seat beside the River Trent.
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Forest have made the City Ground a genuinely awkward place to visit since their return to the top flight in 2022. Spurs have felt it more than most: their last two league trips to Nottingham have ended without a goal. Anyone planning ahead should treat Nottingham Forest tickets for this date as a fast-moving market rather than something to leave until the week of the game.
The ground holds approximately 30,400. That is small by Premier League standards. It is also the fact that shapes everything else for anyone weighing up how to get in. Supply is tight before demand even enters the conversation, which is why this page walks through what each stand actually offers, what the resale market tends to charge and how the buying process works from search to turnstile.
Two things drive the rush on this fixture. The first is Forest's recent record against this opponent at home. A 1-0 win on Boxing Day 2024 was followed by a 3-0 win in December 2025, the heaviest home defeat Spurs have suffered in Nottingham in the Premier League era. Fixtures that produce results like that stop being routine.
The second is the travelling support. Tottenham Hotspur tickets for away days are consistently oversubscribed through their own loyalty system. The City Ground allocation of roughly 2,500 is also one of the smaller away ends in the division. That gap between demand and allocation pushes a meaningful share of Spurs supporters onto the resale market long before matchday.
Early September adds its own pressure. Matchweek three sits at the point in the season when optimism is highest on both sides and nobody has written anything off. Season ticket holders rarely release seats this early because there is no fixture congestion yet to force a choice, so the pool of returned tickets stays shallow.
Hospitality follows a similar pattern here. Forest have a limited number of premium seats relative to the size of their stadium. Suites for a Category A opponent tend to be committed weeks out. If a hospitality package is the plan, treat the lead time as longer than for a standard seat rather than shorter.
Through club routes, largely no. Forest operate a tiered MyForest membership structure with Pro and Plus sitting above the standard Core tier, plus an International Reds option for supporters based outside the UK. Sales open to the highest tier first and work downwards, which means a Category A fixture like this one is frequently exhausted before the queue reaches everyone holding a basic membership.
Season tickets are not a realistic route either. Forest's season cards have been sold out with a waiting list reported to exceed 12,000 supporters, so the seats that would normally recycle into general sale simply are not there. The club's Ticket Exchange gives members a way to list unwanted seats, but that inventory is visible only to other members and it moves within minutes for the bigger games.
For away supporters the process is stricter still. Tottenham allocate their travelling tickets through accumulated loyalty points. For a 2,500-seat away end at a ground this size the qualifying threshold climbs sharply. Supporters who have not been building points across a season are usually locked out well before the sale opens.
Ticket Exchange is worth a mention because supporters often assume it is a safety net. In practice it is a members-only noticeboard that depends entirely on somebody else deciding not to attend. For a Saturday afternoon fixture in early September, with no midweek European tie beforehand to tire anyone out and no Christmas travel to complicate plans, very few season card holders have a reason to release their seat. The listings that do appear are typically gone inside the hour.
That leaves the resale market as the practical route for most people. It is the reason this page exists. A verified marketplace lets you buy without a membership, without loyalty points and without a purchase history, with the seat block visible before you commit. What you give up is face value; what you gain is certainty that you can actually attend.
Five things move the price on this fixture. Seat location comes first, because a central longside seat in the Brian Clough Stand and a corner seat in the Peter Taylor Stand are different products. Demand comes second: Forest categorise opponents into price bands and Tottenham sit in the top band, so face value starts higher before resale is involved.
Timing matters in both directions. Listings posted early in the 2026/27 season tend to be priced optimistically, while the window inside seven days of kick-off can swing either way depending on how much unsold stock remains. Competition context is the fourth driver: a 15:00 Saturday slot with no live UK coverage keeps demand concentrated on physical attendance. Hospitality tier is the fifth, operating on an entirely separate pricing ladder.
| Ticket Type | Resale Price Range | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper tier or less central | £55 – £85 | First-time visitors watching the budget | Bridgford and Peter Taylor upper areas. Full pitch view, furthest from the action. |
| Longside standard | £85 – £135 | Buyers who want a balanced view without a premium | Brian Clough Stand upper tier. Strong sightlines across both penalty areas. |
| Lower tier or central | £135 – £220+ | Supporters who want to be close to the pitch | Brian Clough lower blocks J to M. The most consistently requested standard seats. |
| Premium seating | £180 – £300+ | Comfort without a full dining package | Padded seating in the corner suites. Includes lounge access on most listings. |
| Hospitality or VIP | £300 – £900+ | Corporate guests or a milestone occasion | Dining, drinks packages and fast-track entry. Priced per person, per tier. |
Prices reflect typical resale ranges and may change as demand and availability shift closer to the match.
The City Ground has four stands with genuinely different characters, so the choice matters more here than at a modern bowl where every seat is a variation on the same theme. Before committing, it is worth checking the block layout on the City Ground seating plan so you know what you are looking at when block codes appear on a listing.
The Brian Clough Stand is the two-tier northern longside and the closest thing the ground has to a neutral premium option. Its lower blocks give the flattest, cleanest view of the pitch. The Trent End sits at the riverside western end with a steep upper tier that produces a genuinely good elevated view, while its lower blocks are among the more vocal parts of the ground.
| Area | What It Suits | Pricing Bracket | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Clough Stand, lower tier (blocks J to M) | Buyers who want proximity and a clean central view | Upper mid to premium | Flat sightlines, no obstructions. Sells fastest of the standard seats. |
| Brian Clough Stand, upper tier | Watching the shape of the game rather than the noise | Mid | Elevated angle over both goals. A calmer, more mature crowd. |
| Trent End, upper tier | Value seats with a genuinely good view | Lower mid | Steep rake gives a wide view of play. Riverside end of the ground. |
| Bridgford Stand, upper safe standing (blocks U1, U2) | Home supporters who want atmosphere | Lower mid | Rail seating installed for the 2024/25 season. Standing is expected here. |
| Peter Taylor Stand | Families and supporters wanting the historic main stand | Lower to mid | Two structural pillars affect some seats. Check listing notes for restricted view. |
| Bridgford Stand away section (blocks W, X1, X2) | Travelling Tottenham supporters only | Set by allocation | Turnstiles 41 to 53. Visiting colours are for this section, not home areas. |
Safe standing is worth understanding before you buy into it. The rail seating installed in the Bridgford Stand gives every supporter a barrier in front of them, which makes standing for 90 minutes legal rather than merely tolerated. The trade-off is that everyone around you will be on their feet from kick-off to full time, so it is the wrong block for anyone who wants to sit down or who is bringing younger children. The concourse behind that end is also tighter than the newer stands, which matters at half time on a full house.
Legroom varies more than the seating plan suggests. The Peter Taylor Stand dates from 1965 and the row spacing shows it, particularly towards the back where the roof sits low. The Brian Clough Stand is the most comfortable of the four for anyone tall. None of this appears in a block code, which is why the listing notes are worth the extra 30 seconds before checkout.
If you are neutral or undecided, the Brian Clough Stand upper tier is the safest choice: good view, mixed crowd, no segregation to worry about. Avoid buying into a home end while wearing visiting colours, because that is a stewarding issue rather than a preference. Anyone comparing several dates across the season will find broader stand-by-stand context on the City Ground tickets page.
Forest have invested in their premium spaces in recent years. The offer now stretches from a lounge seat with a buffet through to full dining in the main stand. The important distinction for buyers is between a padded seat with lounge access and a genuine dining package, because the price gap between them is wide and the listings do not always make it obvious.
| Hospitality Option | Typical Buyer | Main Appeal |
|---|---|---|
| Executive box, Brian Clough Stand | Groups of six to twelve, corporate or family occasions | Private space along the longside with its own catering and viewing balcony. |
| Directors' Club, Peter Taylor Stand | Guests wanting the full sit-down experience | Multi-course dining in the main stand with seating in the Directors' Box area. |
| Trentside Lounge, Trent End | Couples or small groups marking an occasion | Pre-match buffet and lounge access on the riverside side of the ground. |
| City Ground Suites | Buyers wanting comfort without a formal dinner | Padded balcony seating in the corner, VIP entrance, half-time refreshments. |
Hospitality listings for a Category A opponent tend to specify a dress code. Most require names for every guest rather than a single lead booker. Read the inclusions line carefully: some packages price the drinks package separately while others fold it in.
One practical point on timing. Hospitality guests are usually asked to arrive two to three hours before kick-off, which for a 15:00 start means being in the building by around midday. That changes travel planning considerably compared with a standard seat, where 90 minutes before kick-off is comfortable.
Delivery method is set by the seller, not by the buyer, so check it before you commit rather than after. For Premier League fixtures the trend has moved firmly towards digital, but paper still exists on some listings and the two behave very differently on the day.
| Delivery Type | What to Check |
|---|---|
| Mobile ticket transfer | Confirm which wallet or app is required. Check that the transfer window opens before you travel. Charge your phone. |
| E-ticket PDF | Check whether the barcode scans from a screen or needs printing. Save a copy offline in case signal is poor. |
| Courier or postal delivery | Confirm the dispatch date against your travel dates. Overseas buyers should verify the address is reachable in time. |
| Local collection near the venue | Note the collection point, opening hours and what identification is required. Build in time before turnstiles open. |
Whatever the method, read the listing notes in full before checkout. Bring valid photo identification, because some transfers are name-locked. Turnstiles at the City Ground typically open 90 minutes before kick-off. Bags larger than A4 are refused entry. The walk in from the city centre across Trent Bridge also takes longer than the map suggests on a busy matchday.
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Step1
Open the fixture page
Start on the listing page for this specific date rather than a general search. Confirm the header shows 5 September 2026 at the City Ground before you go any further.
Step2
Set up your account
You can browse without signing in, but you will need to create an account to complete a purchase. Use an email address you check regularly, because delivery instructions arrive there.
Step3
Filter by quantity first
Set the number of seats before anything else. Listings that cannot be split will drop out of view, which saves you finding a seat you like then discovering it only sells in pairs.
Step4
Match the block to the stand
Cross-reference the block code on the listing against the stand you actually want. Blocks J to M sit in the Brian Clough lower tier; W, X1 and X2 are the visiting section.
Step5
Read the listing notes
This is where restricted view, seats-together status and any age restrictions are declared. On a ground with structural pillars in one stand, that line is worth more than the photograph.
Step6
Check the delivery method
Confirm whether the seats arrive by mobile transfer, e-ticket or courier, then check the stated delivery window against your travel plans. Overseas buyers should prioritise digital methods.
Step7
Complete checkout
Review the total including fees before confirming. Keep the confirmation email, since the reference number on it is what every later query will be tied to.
Step8
Follow your order through
Use the track order tool to watch the status change from confirmed to delivered. If anything looks wrong, raise it while there is still time to fix it rather than on the morning of the game.
Overseas buyers should filter for digital delivery from the outset. Mobile transfer and e-ticket listings remove the courier risk entirely, which matters when a fixture falls on a Saturday and postal services in the UK do not run on Sunday. If a listing is courier-only, check the dispatch date against your arrival rather than against the match date, since a package sent to a home address you have already left is no use to anyone.
If you are travelling as a group, use the seats-together filter rather than assuming consecutive seat numbers. Some listings release adjacent seats across two rows, which is fine for a pair but frustrating for four. Build flexibility into travel plans too: Premier League kick-off times can move for broadcast selection with several weeks of notice, so a Saturday afternoon slot in early September is the current schedule rather than a guarantee. Nottingham is well served by East Midlands Airport and by direct rail from London, so a shifted kick-off is usually manageable if you have not locked in non-refundable connections.
These two clubs have almost no shared Premier League history. That is precisely what makes the current run interesting. Forest have spent only nine seasons in the competition, split across two eras separated by a 23-year absence. Tottenham, by contrast, have been present in every Premier League season since 1992. For most of that period the two simply did not meet in the league.
The 1990s meetings were a snapshot of a club in flux. Forest hosted Spurs in April 1993 during the season that ended in relegation, winning 2-1 in a campaign already lost. They returned and finished third in 1994/95, drawing 2-2 with Tottenham at the City Ground in a season good enough for European qualification. Two more home wins followed in 1996 and 1997 before the 1998/99 visit, a 1-0 defeat in another relegation season that closed the book on Forest's top-flight football for more than two decades.
What gives the tie its current edge is the reversal. Tottenham won their three Premier League visits to Nottingham between 1999 and 2023 without conceding a goal, then lost the next two without scoring one. Put that run inside a 30,400-seat ground where the crowd sits close to the pitch, on a Saturday afternoon with no cameras dictating the mood. The result is a fixture that has quietly become one of the more uncomfortable away trips in the division.
The figures below cover Premier League meetings only, played at the City Ground with Nottingham Forest as hosts. Cup ties, matches at Tottenham and the pre-1992 First Division are excluded.
| Metric | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 9 |
| Nottingham Forest wins | 5 |
| Tottenham Hotspur wins | 3 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Nottingham Forest goals | 12 |
| Tottenham Hotspur goals | 10 |
| Biggest Nottingham Forest win | 3-0 |
| Biggest Tottenham Hotspur win | 0-2 |
| First Premier League meeting in scope | 12 April 1993 |
| Most recent meeting in scope | 14 December 2025 |
Figures compiled from 11v11, worldfootball.net and ESPN match records, cross-checked against Nottingham Forest season archives.
All nine Premier League matches between the clubs at the City Ground, newest first, with Nottingham Forest listed first in each score.
| Date | Score |
|---|---|
| 14 Dec 2025 | 3-0 |
| 26 Dec 2024 | 1-0 |
| 15 Dec 2023 | 0-2 |
| 28 Aug 2022 | 0-2 |
| 17 Apr 1999 | 0-1 |
| 19 Jan 1997 | 2-1 |
| 06 Apr 1996 | 2-1 |
| 04 Mar 1995 | 2-2 |
| 12 Apr 1993 | 2-1 |
Every result verified against two or more independent match archives.
Not on the resale market. Buying through a verified marketplace requires no membership tier, no loyalty points and no purchase history with either club.
Early listings appear as soon as the schedule is confirmed, with the widest choice of blocks. The final week can bring repricing on unsold stock, though the trade-off is a much thinner selection.
In the Bridgford Stand, entering through turnstiles numbered 41 to 53. Visiting colours belong in that section only.
By whichever method the seller has specified: mobile transfer, e-ticket, courier or local collection. The method is stated on the listing before checkout.
Yes, provided you apply the seats-together filter and choose a digital delivery listing. Adjacent seating is only guaranteed where the listing states it.
Sources: Nottingham Forest official club channels including the away supporters' guide and matchday information; Premier League fixture listings; 11v11 historical match archive; worldfootball.net; ESPN match reports; Football Ground Guide stadium data; published City Ground hospitality and event listings.