Stephen Kenny and Matt Doherty can’t wait for fans return as final World Cup tickets go on release

Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny and defender Matt Doherty can’t wait to see fans back at the Aviva Stadium for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Serbia as spectators return to senior international football for the first time since November 2019.

They spoke to media today as the FAI released the final batch of tickets for the games on Saturday, September 4th and Tuesday, September 7th, when Irish supporters can attend under Government COVID-19 guidelines.

“It will be a proud moment for the players with the fans back,” said Stephen Kenny. “We have handed many young players their debuts recently but in empty stadia and it is not comparable. They will have their families and their friends there tomorrow night and those who have been on their football journey with them. They will be very proud.”

Matt Doherty stated: “I am a player who needs the crowd back. It is a game changer for me when there are fans there and it helps bring us to a different level. The home fans will make a big difference for us against Azerbaijan and Serbia and will be a real positive for us.”

The Azerbaijan game is part of the Government Pilot Event programme for the return of fans with capacity limited to ensure the safety and comfort of all ticket holders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Current Government recommendations, as also used by other major sporting bodies, restrict spectators to pods of two for these upcoming fixtures – customers can purchase pods of two tickets close to each other subject to availability. Up to six tickets can be purchased in any one online transaction at Ticketmaster.

As new Government guidelines on attendances at sporting events come into effect, the FAI plans to increase the size of spectator pods at all fixtures.

A limited number of tickets for the Azerbaijan and Serbia games are available here: https://news.fai.ie/WCQTickets