From nearly $900 for the opening game to more than $8,000 for the final, tickets to the World Cup, which kicks off in North America in 100 days, aren’t cheap.
AFP Sport assessed the cost of attending a tournament match:
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– How many tickets are there and how much demand is there? –
In total, nearly seven million tickets have been distributed, according to world soccer’s governing body FIFA. Each person can purchase up to 4 tickets for each game, and a total of 40 tickets for the entire game.
In the first draw in October, approximately 2 million tickets were sold. The second sales phase in December and January, which was also a draw, attracted a record 508 million requests, according to FIFA.
While it was not disclosed how many tickets will be available, the games with the highest demand are the Group K final between Colombia and Portugal on June 27 in Miami, Mexico vs. South Korea in co-host Guadalajara on June 18 and the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
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– Prices are soaring… –
There will be a total of 104 matches in this expanded World Cup, with 48 teams participating for the first time, and ticket prices for the most popular matches have also increased significantly. Football Supporters Europe, a fan group, said the North American bid initially promised ticket prices as low as $21, but the cheapest tickets on sale were $60, for example for the Group J opener between Austria and Jordan at Levi’s Stadium in California.
For games involving major nations, most tickets cost at least $200, with the cheapest tickets for the finals priced at $2,000 and the best seats at $8,680 — and that’s before taking into account FIFA’s official resale website, where Tier 3 seats for the July 19 game at MetLife Stadium were advertised for $143,750, more than 41 times their original face value of $3,450.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists ticket prices are simply a result of huge demand. “Especially in the United States, there’s something called dynamic pricing, which means the price will go up or down” depending on the competition in question, he said.
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After facing continued criticism over the price, FIFA announced a cheaper ticket category, but these $60 seats are reserved for fans of eligible teams and only account for 10% of each national federation’s allocation.
FIFA has also launched sales packages that include match tickets and VIP lounge access. The packages will cost between $2,900 and $4,500 ahead of France’s June 16 game against Senegal in New Jersey.
– …and keep rising –
FIFA has reserved an undisclosed number of tickets, which will be available from April until the end of the tournament on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Then there are the resale platforms, including FIFA’s own official website. But this controversial fan market allows dealers to set their own prices, so tickets end up being advertised at a high price.
The resale market in the United States and Canada is unregulated. In Mexico, it is prohibited to resell tickets for more than face value, but only when the tickets were purchased in Mexico using local currency.
For the June 11 opener between Mexico and South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, “Level III” seats (the highest part of the stands) were recently listed at $5,324, down from the original price of $895. Other sites like SeatGeek and StubHub sell tickets at slightly lower prices.
– Additional charges –
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Travel proponents need to consider more than just ticket prices. Parking costs are also prohibitively high at many World Cup stadiums, which are often far from the host city’s city centre. A parking lot for a team game in Atlanta costs $100, while a parking spot in Los Angeles costs $300.
Another option for fans without game tickets is to attend fan festivals in and around the 16 host cities. FanFest in Kansas City will welcome as many as 25,000 people. In New York, the US Open tennis venue at Flushing Meadows will be transformed into a fan zone for up to 10,000 paying visitors, albeit only from June 17 to 28.
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