It's the most stressful day of the year for UK-based NFL fans as tickets for the two Tottenham Stadium-hosted games go on sale via Ticketmaster from 12noon.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will play Buffalo Bills on October 8, while the Baltimore Ravens will face off with the Tennessee Titans on October 15 with both matches being played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. General sale tickets for both the games will go live on Ticketmaster here.
If you're after Atlanta Falcons vs Jacksonville Jaguars tickets for Wembley Stadium, they're already on sale here alongside several other events .
Meanwhile, the official NFL merchandise firm Fanatics has launched a 25% discount for UK fans using the code SHADE at checkout to maximise excitement among fans ahead of the launch.
In normal years demand for single game tickets is high but, after a difficult launch last year, NFL and Ticketmaster have tweaked how tickets will be sold, meaning fans need to have registered their account in advance to be in with a chance of tickets. Read full details here.
We'll be liveblogging the launch below, with all the essential information on ticket availability, pricing and more.
If you want to get in touch, either to celebrate getting your hands on a ticket or with questions or comments on the process, you can email us here or DM or send a mention on Twitter. Otherwise, keep this page open and we'll update throughout the morning with everything you need to know. Good luck!
We're firmly into the fourth quarter now gang...
After an eventful day things are finally slowing down on the NFL London tickets front. I've just joined the back of the queue to see what availability is like and there are still 37,868 fans actively queueing to try and get the seat of their dreams with a 16 minute wait time.
According to Ticketmaster's stats 465,967 people have queued today for tickets to this year's London games. If you want to get access to some of the last available seats for Tottenham you can join here.
But whether you got tickets or not, that level of demand - half a million pre-registered fans! - is even more proof that NFL is flying high in the UK and that has to be a positive thing. NFL is properly mainstream now - and not just for the half time show.
Gone are the days of paying international shipping rates for jerseys, not only does the UK have its own official NFL merchandise arm at Fanatics but there's even a 25% discount for UK fans using the code SHADE for the rest of the day - perfect if you need to buy a shirt to wear to the game.
Thanks to everyone who's joined me in coverage today - the tweets and emails are much appreciated and I'm happy for those of you who got your seats and sending commiserations to those who didn't (especially Barbara who had a whole trip to the UK with a detour to Liverpool she was hoping to take off the back of it).
Thanks also to Jamie on Twitter who did have some advice for fans disappointed at the lack of tickets - Jags fans in particular, this might be one for you:
You want proof London is the Jags' official second home now?
Ticketmaster have confirmed that links for the Bills / Jags game are 'extremely limited,' adding that right now only single seats are left available.
It's looking like if you're trying for the Ravens/Titans you have a bit more hope of still bagging a seat.
Meanwhile Ticketmaster has reiterated its earlier warning about resellers, saying Ticket Exchange for both games will open at 12pm tomorrow but adding somewhat ominously: "Ticketmaster Exchange is the only authorised resale site."
As someone who saw the binfire that was extensive scalping last year for the Packers vs Giants (although in hindsight after that scoreline I was happier watching at home!) I'm hopeful that they're trying to tackle it more proactively this year. What do you think? Let me know here or DM or send a mention on Twitter.
Also, an update. It would appear joining Ticketmaster here now will see you with an estimated wait time of an hour. Buckle up.
How much do you like your friends? (AKA 2pm ticket availability update)
As we reach the two hour mark, we're seeing tickets for both Tottenham games steadily selling.
While the chaos has seemingly been mitigated by this years' NFL/Ticketmaster changes, a look at the Bills/Jags seating plan shows where both games are mostly at now. Most available seats are singles, while if you're looking for a group of more than two at this point I'd consider abandoning hope or going for a premium hospitality option.
You can see the options here.
Tickets... tickets as far as the eye can see
Ok, I'm in. Screenshots and whatnot incoming in a second post, but for now the only thing to reiterate is DON'T PANIC. I'm a veteran of the NFL London games ticket sales and I've never seen it looking so healthy at this point in terms of ticket availability. I hesitate to say it but maybe this client reference number process - as fafftastic as it has been - has slowed down scalpers snapping up masses of tickets.
A word of warning though. When you log in you may get an error message that looks like this:
Deep breath. You can just follow the link back and you'll get to the main page to choose tickets. Choose your game and you should still get straight in.
Massive thanks for the warning Adam Smith - I might have keeled error from nerves otherwise!
If you haven't joined the queue yet, this is the all-important link for Ticketmaster here.
NFL UK launches reseller warning
NFL UK fans on Twitter are already - understandably - expressing frustration that scalpers are advertising resale tickets at inflated prices before most people have even had a chance to buy a legit ticket.
NFL UK has Tweeted a warning to fans tempted by those resold tickets, stating: "Ticketmaster Exchange is the only authorised resale site. Purchasing from another source is not recommended."
While the sentiment is good it's fair to say some fans are unimpressed with the attempted crackdown.
I'm two minutes away from finally getting in so watch this space for live updates on ticket availability.
If you're after NFL London tickets and haven't joined the queue yet, this is the all-important link for Ticketmaster here.
An hour into the general sale...
...I'm currently 24,370th in the queue, with an estimated arrival time into the booking system of about another 12 minutes.
I've had emails and tweets from lots of people at various points of the queue - including fans from Tennessee, Jacksonville and elsewhere in the US but I don't actually know anyone who's got their tickets yet.
There is some comfort for people still waiting patiently, courtesy of @GColyer on Twitter (I'm not direct linking a screenshot as he has a sweary (and totally understandable) verdict on the behaviour of scalpers around the London games.
Jags vs Bills tickets secured, I was 41,700 in the queue and took me 10 mins to sort account and purchase tickets, just checked again and there are still a fair few thousands tickets left in the upper stands, be patient fans.
The general sale queue is still live on Ticketmaster here.
Definitely time for a sandwich...
Is being given a timescale more or less depressing? As I inch closer to the front of the queue I'm not sure.
Join the general sale queue on Ticketmaster here. But be ready to settle back with a brew at this rate...
Half an hour into the general sale and...
...things are slow. Really slow. I wonder if it's all those people panicking at the point they get to the front of the queue and have to input their client reference number from the NFL email and scrambling to find it.
But whatever is keeping it slow, this year at least Ticketmaster keeled over under the weight of fans, seemingly everyone is in and things are steady. Slow but steady.
Although this is a depressing thought courtesy of Twitter:
The NFL London games 2023 general sale for the Tottenham games is live now here.
Further to my previous update...
...and following chats on Twitter with several friends it would turn out that I'm doing pretty well with my slot in the queue! (Although it's not moving fast - I'm at 81,718 now)
366,817 is the highest queue position I've heard of so far. Any more for any more? Let me know how you're doing on email here or DM or send a mention on Twitter.
Want to join the 'fun'? Join the queue here - and let me know what number you get!
And the queue is now open...
Well I'm in at around the 85,000 person mark in the queue. I won't be buying a lottery ticket tonight on the basis of how lucky I was with my random allocation, that's for sure.
Remember if you're in the queue now when you get to the front you're going to need the code from the email reminders sent yesterday. Make sure you have it to hand now - and see you on the other side!
Not joined yet? This is the link you need.
T Minus 5 Minutes...
The most nerve-wracking twenty minutes of UK NFL fans' year are happening soon.
On the plus side, if you haven't joined the waiting room yet you're not at a disadvantage as all fans will be added in at random once the clock strikes 12. Here's the all-important link you need. Good luck.
How much will tickets be?
Assuming that you've already registered your account with Ticketmaster and will be able to proceed when you get in through the virtual waiting room, it's always nice to know roughly what you're going to need to stump up to see the game.
This year's pricing is as follows for single games, depending on where you want to sit:
Category 1 - £155
Category 2 -£144
Category 3 - £119
Category 4 - £107
Category 5 - £93
Category 6 -£82
Category 7 - £82
Category 5 (Under 16s) - £46.50
Category 7 (Under 16s) - £32
Not joined the virtual queue yet? Here's the all-important link you need.
The waiting room is open!
So much for things starting slow with a coffee before we got closer to on-sale time.
The waiting room for today's sale is already open. But, in a seeming change from last year's snafu when people who joined the queue long before the onsale time had bought all the tickets before people who joined even 15 minutes before had been admitted to the Ticketmaster site, when you do get in now your spot will be allocated at random.
Is that better or worse? I'm not entirely sure but it really does even the playing feel a bit between those in the know and more casual fans who might take the noon on-sale time at face value.
Full wording is:
Everyone in the waiting room will be allocated a place in the queue at random when the sale starts at 12pm.
Only those who registered in advance will be given access to the sale.
There's also a warning for people who didn't heed yesterday's emails saying to activate their Ticketmaster account:
If you have not yet activated your account, you will need to do so prior to selecting tickets. If you have not yet activated your account, please do not leave the queue.
Once you reach the site, you will be able to activate, clicking the link underneath the login window, when you select the game you wish to purchase for.
This could end up slowing people down even further in the rush.
