Lions Tour 2021 ticket ballot goes live, but be prepared to queue online

‘The demand for tickets will be greater than the supply in the ticket ballot purchase for the British and Irish Lions eight-match rugby extravaganza in SA in 2021. 

But don’t be worried about not getting your request in on time. You have from Wednesday, September 2 until Wednesday, September 16 at 11.59pm.

Already, 155,000 have visited SA’s official online site and 53,000 have registered for ticket purchase interest.

This is why it’s not a one-day purchasing exercise but a two-week event in preparation for the biggest global rugby show in 2021.

If you register between September 2 and 16, you have an equal chance of a ticket purchase.

Entering the ballot, however, does not entitle you to or guarantee you a ticket.

This is not a first-come, first-served system.

The ticket ballot, as acknowledged for all elite global sporting events, is the fairest allocation of tickets, so don’t be concerned if you haven’t put in your request within the first hour. You have until 11.59pm on September 16.

There are eight matches to apply for and you can request a maximum of eight tickets per match. Again, this does not guarantee you will get what you requested.

You will know by the end of September whether your ticket request has been successful.

If you are a SA resident or a resident outside the UK and Europe, the only place to request tickets to any of the eight tour matches is through the ballet on the official site of www.lionstour2021.co.ca

If you are a SA resident in SA, no tickets purchased outside the official SA online site will be recognised. This also applies to residents in the UK and Europe, who have to apply on the official Lions Tour site www.lionsrugby.com

Applicants in SA will have to use the ballot to apply for tickets to their preferred match, ticket category and quantity.

After the ticket ballot application phase has been completed, the draw will take place by a computerised selection process and applicants will be notified of the outcome of the ballot.

Please be aware that when entering the ballot from September 2 to 16, due to the expected high demand, you may be placed in a queue before entering the ticket platform. This will show up as Queuelt.

Please appreciate that 200 visitors will be accommodated every one minute. You don’t lose out if you are in the Queuelt, as you have until September 16 to apply for tickets.

How the Queuelt system works:

• As soon as it’s your turn you will automatically be allowed in to apply for tickets.
• It is recommended that you enter your e-mail address at the bottom of the page to be notified when it is your turn in the queue.
• Clicking the link in the e-mail will bring you back to your real-time place in the queue.
• You must be logged in within 30 minutes once it’s your turn, otherwise you will have to rejoin the back of the queue.
• Do not close your browser while waiting, as you may lose your place in the queue.

The British and Lions, who tour SA every 12 years, will play their first match against the DHL Stormers at the Cape Town Stadium on July 3 2021. The eighth and final match is the third Test against the Springboks on the August 7 2021 at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg.

The article is was paid for by SA Rugby Event Services.