The invention relates to a method and a device for igniting a gas-fuel mixture, in particular in internal combustion engines, wherein at least one gas discharge gap bounded by two electrodes is ignited by means of a high voltage, which is produced by an ignition circuit and applied to the gas discharge gap. After the breakdown of the gas discharge gap, the current through the gas discharge gap is controlled by a control circuit in such a way that the gas discharge lies in the abnormal glow range, in which the voltage across the gas discharge gap rises for currents greater than 0.1 A having a positive slope. The current through the gas discharge gap is controlled in such a way that said current lies between 0.1 A and 10 A, preferably is greater than 0.1 A and less than or equal to 3 A, more preferably lies between 0.5 A and 1 A, wherein the voltage lies between 250 V and 3000 V, preferably between 500 V and 2000 V. The duration of the current flow through the gas discharge gap or the period of the current flow through the gas discharge gap is controlled in such a way that said duration or period lies between 0.01 μs and 50 μs, preferably between 0.1 μs and 10 μs.