The British Open 2026 ticket ballot: everything you need to know

The ticket ballot for The British Open at Royal Birkdale in 2026 is open, but the deadline is fast approaching. Fans can sign up until July 25 at 10 am EST. 

But … should you enter the ballot? Is it your best option for getting tickets? Are there more effective and/or cost-efficient ways to go?

TSI evaluated The British Open lottery process, looked at past ballots, and spoke to a previous ballot winner about the ins and outs of the experience to bring you the most comprehensive guide to navigating The Open’s ticketing process. Here’s what we found.

This is how most attendees will acquire tickets: by registering for and being selected through the public ballot and purchasing tickets directly from The Open Championship. 

To apply for the ballot, fans must first create a One Club account. From there, they can enter the ballot after filling out their account information. Mastercard holders are eligible for a free upgrade to the One Club Advantage, which is supposed to give fans a greater chance of winning tickets for their requested days (we don’t know if that’s true or how it works, but if you have a Mastercard, you might as well give it a try).

Another thing that “may” give you a better chance of success is adding at least one practice day to your ticket request. How much does this improve your odds? We have absolutely no idea, but here’s what it says on the FAQ section of the Open’s website:

“A high level of demand is anticipated for Championship Days and so fans can increase their chances of being selected in the ballot by also including non-Championship days in their application.”

Fans who are selected will be notified at the end of September and will be given a time slot to make their purchase. Fans can request a maximum of four tickets per day, starting with the practice round on Sunday, July 12, and can request tickets for as many days as they want. The prices for the 2026 tournament are: 

Practice rounds*:

• Sunday: £30 (≈$40)
• Monday: £40 (≈$54)
• Tuesday: £50 (≈$67)
• Wednesday: £60 (≈$80)

Tournament rounds*:

• Thursday: £120 (≈$160)
• Friday: £120 (≈$160)
• Saturday: £130 (≈$174)
• Sunday: £140 (≈$188)

*These are adult prices. Discounts are available for youths (16-24), and juniors under 16 are free.

As part of the ballot process, you must opt in for every day that you might want tickets, and there’s no limit to the number of days you can request tickets for, nor is there a limit to the number of days you can win. 

However, while that might sound like a good thing, it actually presents a significant problem. While you can apply for as many days as you want, you must then purchase all of the tickets that you are awarded. Which could be one day, or could be eight days, depending on what you opted in for. There’s no order of preference option, and you can’t pick and choose what days you want to keep if you’ve won them. It’s all or nothing. 

For example, let’s say you wanted to attend just one day of the tournament, and you knew that was the third day (Saturday). You would register for Saturday tickets, and if you won, you’d have the opportunity to purchase them, and if you didn’t win, you wouldn’t be able to purchase tickets through the ballot at all. Easy enough.

But let’s say you wanted to attend just one day of the tournament, but didn’t care which day it was. So, in this case, let’s assume you wanted to attend any of the tournament days from Thursday through Sunday. To give yourself the best chance of winning tickets to any of those days, you opted in for all of them.

The problem is that you could end up winning tickets for one, two, three, or all four days. And if you did end up with tickets for more than one day, there’s no guarantee that the days you were awarded would be consecutive, which could potentially create travel logistics and cost issues. 

So if you do win more than one day, you’ll then face a difficult decision: you either have to purchase all the tickets you have been assigned, or pass on purchasing tickets altogether. Like we said above, you can’t pick and choose from the tickets you’ve been awarded. It’s an all-or-nothing proposition.

Ethan Betterton of Richmond, Virginia, who won the lottery in 2022 at St. Andrews, entered the ballot seeking tickets for Wednesday-Friday, and won all three days. 

“I figured, because of the [low] cost, everyone is going to want tickets to Saturday and Sunday. I also thought lots of people would enter for all four rounds of the tournament and wouldn’t consider the practice rounds. So I wanted the best of both worlds and entered for some of both options to maximize our odds.”

His experience, while it sounds straightforward, isn’t necessarily indicative of what every fan will go through with the ballot process. Mr. Betterton got lucky in that he won all three days he requested, and intended to go to all three days. But what if he had been awarded Wednesday and Friday, but not Thursday? Would he have gone sightseeing in Liverpool or Southport on that off day (despite expensive hotel prices for that week)? Or what if he had just been awarded Wednesday’s practice round? Would that have been compelling enough for him to make the trip? 

As you can see, the ballot process isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. The more defined your plans and interests are, the more effective it will be. But The Open Championship’s process doesn’t make it easy for fans to get what they want/need.

As you may or may not know, ticket resale in Europe is a dicey thing, and it differs significantly from the U.S. It’s highly regulated, and most teams and tournaments have explicit rules prohibiting the reselling of tickets through sites like StubHub. If such sales are discovered, tickets can be invalidated, and fans can be denied entry at the event (without advance notice) and refused refunds. For that reason, much of the continent’s resale ticketing ends up on sketchy/unauthorized websites, on social media chat boards, and other unsafe places (which we strongly recommend against using). So, purchasing tickets through a secure platform like StubHub or Viagogo may not be possible.

However, The British Open does operate its own in-house, closed resale platform where ticket holders can sell their unwanted tickets to other fans who didn’t win the ticket ballot. These sales are limited to face value and have no fees, so whether you’re buying or selling, the prices will be the same as they were on the public ballot.  

Fans can purchase up to four tickets per day through the resale platform, but cannot possess more than four total tickets (so if they purchased any tickets through the public ballot, those count towards the four-ticket-per-day limit). 

But you can only purchase tickets from the resale platform if they’re available. Which you likely won’t know until closer to the event date, so this won’t help you if you’re trying to decide whether to travel to the UK.

So if you did decide to apply for multiple days via the public ballot, and won more days than you wanted, could you just turn around and sell the extra tickets on The British Open resale platform? Maybe.

In technical terms, there shouldn’t be any problem. After all, that is what the resale platform is for. However, we inquired with The British Open about whether ballot winners could do this, and they weren’t particularly enthusiastic about it. 

They pointed out that there is no guarantee (as of yet) that there will even be a ticket resale platform next year. While we are skeptical of the suggestion that they won’t offer one, we need to point out that it’s not a guarantee at this time (we will update this as new information is released). They reiterated that fans can’t pick and choose which tickets they want to purchase. However, in this scenario, you would be purchasing all of your assigned tickets and then selling some of them back.

So … where does that leave you? It’s a little hard to say. If viable, the resale platform is the perfect workaround for those who want to increase their chances of winning the ballot but don’t want to commit to attending multiple tournament dates. But, as of now, we can’t say with 100% certainty that this is something that will work.

However, even if you do win multiple days and resale is viable, keep in mind that if you buy all of your allocated tickets, you could be on the hook for a significant amount of money upfront. 

For example, if you selected four tickets for each of the four days of the tournament, and won them all, you’d have a total tab of nearly $2700 that you’d have to pay for up front. So be sure that this is a viable course of action for you based on your finances. There’s no guarantee when or if you’ll be able to sell those unwanted tickets, so you may have to carry those costs for several months, and may, in the end, be on the hook for more than you wanted if some of your tickets don’t sell.

For fans who want to avoid the ballot process and create certainty in their plans, The Open Championship also offers a range of premium hospitality options. These options – which they’ve labeled as The Open Experiences – include a guaranteed ticket to the tournament on the day(s) of your choice, and each includes one or more viewing areas, amenities, and select activities not accessible by general admission ticketholders. The different options include:

The Select Package includes access to The Links, an outdoor seating area with food trucks and cash bars. Fans who purchase this package can watch the action on the par-3 4th hole from an elevated viewing platform and are provided with a £25 (≈$33) food voucher to redeem at the food trucks. 

The Premium Package includes access to the Dunes House, situated adjacent to the 15th green and 16th tee, offering a selection of premium food items, an open bar, and an air-conditioned lounge. Fans who purchase this package also receive access to The Links on the 4th hole, where they can enjoy complimentary beer, wine, and soft drinks.

Other benefits of this package include skipping the line at The Open Championship’s merchandise stores, access to platforms overlooking the course at the 4th green, 7th green, and 10th fairway, and a parking pass.

The Platinum Package includes all the access and amenities of the Premium and Select options, plus access to The Retreat, situated adjacent to the 7th green. Here, fans can enjoy a complimentary continental breakfast and charcuterie-style lunch, while also having access to an open bar both here, at The Dunes House, and at The Links. 

The Signature Package gives fans access to all the perks of the previous options, along with a few notable additions. These ticket holders gain access to Clarets, a restaurant situated above the 17th green, which serves higher-end cuisine. Also, this package includes a Q&A session with a past or present player and a photoshoot with The Open Championship’s iconic trophy, the Claret Jug. 

So, instead of taking your chances through the public ballot, you can simply purchase one of these hospitality options and take the guesswork out of everything. Of course, you’re paying more than a little upcharge for that benefit, and some of these packages are outrageously expensive. Having said that, the entry-level Select Package is pretty affordable, and given that it includes some basic food and other benefits, it’s something that may be worth looking into as an alternative to the public ballot. 

The Open Championship also offers several lodging options that include tickets to specific days of the tournament and transportation to and from Royal Birkdale. 

Fans can opt to go rustic for their British Open experience by choosing from any of the tournament’s camping or glamping options. Each package includes guaranteed tickets to one or more days of of the tournament, accommodations in a ready-to-use tent, a 15% discount at merchandise stores on the grounds, and access to The Open Camping Village, which offers a clubhouse with food trucks and events like live music, panel discussions with former players, and big screens with coverage of the tournament.

Tents are available in 2-person, 4-person, and 6-person sizes (odd numbers can be accommodated at higher price points). Inside are cots with mattresses, lighting, and chargers with USB ports (powered by solar). Bed sheets, pillows, towels, and linens are provided, along with private bathrooms and shower facilities for guest use. And the village is private, as only camping guests with a wristband are permitted on the grounds.

Betterton, who chose to stay in one of the glamping tents, described The Open Camping Village as a community of sorts, which he really enjoyed.

“Everybody is there because they love and appreciate golf. You’ll run into people from all over the world there. The overall vibe was great, and that was one thing I wasn’t entirely sure of going into. But it’s a good mixture of families, father and son pairs, and groups of friends enjoying the atmosphere.”

These camping/glamping options offer fans an alternative to hotels, if they’re amenable to it. Stays range from £62 (≈$83) to £105 (≈$140) per person, per night, based on double occupancy. Depending on the price of local hotels, this could be a cost-effective option for visiting the tournament, as lodging in the area is limited. Plus, we’d imagine that there would be some good stories to be told from the experience.

Another benefit of the camping option is that you can select your specific tournament dates, and your tickets are included in the package price. That’s an advantage over entering the public ballot, since you won’t have to wonder which day(s) you might win and can avoid the hassle of having to purchase more days than you want. 

Finally, in terms of geographic convenience, these camping options are the closest you can stay to the tournament, which means you can avoid the daily commute from Southport or Liverpool to the grounds. The former requires either a rideshare, bus, or train, while the latter involves a 40-minute train ride and takes about an hour from door to door.

Betterton mentioned the convenience of the camping option as one of the highlights of his 2022 trip and encouraged other fans to do the same.

“If you’re at all open to the idea, you should do it.”

Fans who purchase hotel packages through The British Open receive guaranteed tickets to the tournament on their preferred days and a 2-8-night stay in a Liverpool hotel, depending on the duration they choose. Train tickets are included in these packages, and from Liverpool’s station, Birkdale is about an hour away (a 40-minute train ride and 15-20 minutes of total walking time). 

Liverpool is the largest city in proximity to Royal Birkdale and is definitely worth visiting for a day or two. Attractions include the Beatles Museum, a waterfront promenade, Anfield Stadium (home of Liverpool FC), Goodison Park (the former home of Everton), and Hill Dickinson Stadium (the new home of Everton).

Many of the hotel packages include experiential perks, such as access to The Open Social held on July 17 (a private social event that includes food and drink) and the opportunity to play one or more rounds of golf at a selection of courses. Hotel and experience packages range anywhere from £845 (≈$1,100) to £15,145 (≈$20,000) per person.

As you can see, there are multiple ways to get tickets to The British Open, and several of them do not require participating in the public ballot. The good news is that there’s no huge rush to make a final decision. We recommend that you determine your plans as best as possible and sign up for the ballot based on your preferred tournament dates. If you win (and get the exact tickets you were hoping for), then you’ll have the chance to decide whether to purchase the tickets you were assigned.

While you’re waiting to hear about the ticket ballot, you can also investigate the other ticket options, including the resale platform, hospitality ticket options, and lodging plus ticket options. If you decide that any of those work for you, then you won’t need to bother with the ballot at all, regardless of whether you win or lose.