Uefa confirm Ireland will kick off their Euro 2020 qualifiers against Gibraltar at the Victoria Stadium

IRELAND will kick off their Euro 2020 qualifiers against Gibraltar at the Victoria Stadium, Uefa has confirmed.

The venue for the game had been in doubt as Uefa sought assurances from the Gibraltar FA over the suitability of the 2,000 capacity stadium.

McCarthy’s men will face off against Gibraltar at the Victoria Stadium

Gibraltar did play all their recent Uefa Nations League games at their home stadium, which has an artificial surface, though they had been forced to play in Faro in Portugal in their previous Euro and World Cup qualifying campaigns since being admitted to Uefa in 2013.

But, after a site visits on Monday and reviews this week, Uefa gave the green light this morning for the game to be played at the Victoria Stadium.

And despite the small capacity, Ireland fans have been boosted by confirmation from the FAI that it has secured 800 tickets for the game as revealed by the Irish Sun in December.

Visiting associations are only entitled to five percent of capacity – 100 tickets – but the FAI have secured 40 percent of capacity to cater for the anticipated extra demand given that it is Mick McCarthy’s first game in charge.

FAI chief Delaney, right, says he’s bagged 800 tickets for fans for Mick McCarthy’s first match back as boss

The Association has also confirmed a new ticket allocation system that will ensure more loyal fans do get tickets for away games.

The thorny issue has been a gripe with fans for a number of years with issues in 2014 when many supporters struggled to get tickets for Ireland’s Euro 2016 clash with Scotland in Celtic Park.

But, after consultation with supporters, 65 percent of tickets will now go to fan clubs and members of Fan Direct with 20 percent going to affiliates and the final 15 percent to the FAI’s official travel partner Abbey Travel.

The YBIG Independent Supporters Mandate Committee issued a statement welcoming the move.

The Euro 2020 qualifiers kick off in March

It read: “The YBIG Independent Supporters Mandate Committee welcomes the FAI decision and consider the increase to 65% a very positive step forward.

“This follows constructive meetings between the Committee and the FAI, in addition to the FAI’s meetings with the Confederation of Republic of Ireland Supporters Clubs (CRISC).

“We believe that this decision is a reflection of the work that ourselves and the Association have undertaken to rebuild a working relationship with independent fans.

“As per our mandate, we look forward to continued engagement with the FAI and CRISC on any matters that affect independent supporters.

“May we also take this opportunity to wish our members, all Ireland fans and the new management, team and staff a very happy and successful 2019.”