Scotland fans suffer Euro 2024 ticket sales delay as SFA apologise for huge access code blunder

Scotland fans are facing a delay to get their hands on tickets for Euro 2024 group matches after the Scottish FA confessed to a technical blunder.

Thousands of Tartan Army supporters have already booked flights and accommodation for next summer's tournament and there has been a huge demand for tickets to see Steve Clarke's heroes face hosts Germany in the opening match before games against Switzerland and Hungary.

Only 10,000 tickets are being allocated to each national team association per game, prompting the SFA to adopt a system that prioritises early access for the most loyal Scotland supporters. Tickets were due to go on sale at lunchtime today but access codes were sent out to ineligible Supporters' Club members.

Points are handed out to SSC members for attending matches, but the last-minute admin error has led the SFA to cancel existing codes. It's understood fans who have accumulated 11 loyalty points were issued codes on Wednesday morning despite the criteria requiring at least 12 points to be permitted the chance to buy tickets directly when UEFA's purchasing platform opened at noon.

Those with fewer points were to be offered a chance to buy tickets at later dates, leading to widespread anger among fans, with a Tartan Army spokesman branding the situation "a fiasco" and "a shambles". The issue could be resolved before the end of the day, according to the governing body with new emails expected to be sent out.

A message to fans read: "Due to a technical error, UEFA EURO 2024 codes have been sent out to Scotland Supporters Club members who are not eligible to buy tickets at this stage. As a result of this error, the sale scheduled for 12 noon will be delayed until further notice while we liaise with UEFA to resolve the issue.

"The Scottish FA would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to supporters at this time. We will communicate further information on the sales schedule as soon it is available."

The national team learned their three group stage opponents during the draw ceremony in Hamburg on Saturday night. The Scots will begin their Group A campaign against Germany in the opening game at Munich's Allianz Arena on June 14, before facing the Swiss in Cologne five days later. The campaign will conclude against Hungary at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart on June 23.