How to give football tickets as a present
Most match tickets now arrive in an app or by email, which makes them a brilliant present with nothing to unwrap. Here are seven ways to give them something to open, from the simplest to the most elaborate.
1. A souvenir ticket in an envelope
The classic. Print a souvenir ticket with their name, the fixture, the date and their seat, put it in an envelope and write “Do not open until Christmas morning” across the front. It takes ten minutes and it is the version people keep.
2. Inside something football-shaped
Roll the ticket up inside a football sock, tuck it into a shin pad, or tape it under the lid of a boot box. They think they are getting socks.
3. The last door of the advent calendar
Fold the ticket small and hide it behind door 24. This works best when they have been asking about the match for weeks.
4. A treasure hunt
Write four or five clues that lead around the house and end at the ticket. For younger children make each clue a football question, with the answer telling them where to look next.
5. A shirt with their name on it
Give them a print of a shirt with their own name and number, with the ticket taped to the back of the frame. Ask them to turn it over.
6. A signing-day contract
Present an official-looking contract that says they have been “selected to attend” the match, with a line for them to sign. Children take the signing very seriously.
7. At the breakfast table on the day
If you can keep the secret until match day itself, put the ticket under their cereal bowl and tell them to get their coat.
Three practical points
- Kick-off times move. Fixtures are often rescheduled for television after tickets go on sale. If the time is not confirmed, put the date on the souvenir ticket and leave the time off.
- Keep the real tickets safe. The souvenir is for unwrapping. The real ones stay in your app or your inbox until the day.
- Do not post photos of real tickets online. A barcode in a photo can be copied. A souvenir ticket is safe to share.
Make one now
The football ticket gift reveal on Touchline Prints costs £3.99. You type the details, see it change as you go, and download a PDF and a PNG as soon as you have paid. Designing and previewing is free.
Published by Touchline Prints. Last updated 13 November 2026.