MANCHESTER, England (AP) — world cup Despite ticket prices being exorbitant, millions of fans still queue up to attend soccer’s biggest tournament.
There is something like that Excessive demand for events This year it will be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the governing body would need a lottery to allocate tickets to fans and acknowledged that prices would likely be higher on resale platforms.
“In the 100-year, almost 100-year history of the World Cup, FIFA has sold a total of about 50 million tickets,” Infantino said this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “With the World Cup (launch) coming up in four weeks, we’ve had requests for 1,000 years of World Cups at once. This is unique. It’s incredible.”
It is also possible that many disappointed fans will be directed to resale sites where tickets are listed for many times their face value.
FIFA’s own resale market this week saw tickets for the finals listed for up to $230,000. FIFA does not resell tickets or set prices on its platform, but it does take a 30% cut from sales, allowing for a second cashout.
Infantino addressed the issue in Davos, saying that in the United States, “it’s perfectly legal to resell tickets on resale platforms…so of course we have to allow it.”
He said all 104 World Cup matches would be sold out, meaning “tickets will probably be resold at even higher prices”.
Soccer fans reacted with indignation to the pricing strategy of this year’s tournament. FIFA demands up to $8,680 per ticketHowever, in response to criticism, the 48 participating national federations will be offered a selection of $60 tickets for all games.
Costs can become even more prohibitive if sellers seek to make huge profits on the secondary market.
Resale sites are common in the United States, and tickets can sell for far more than their original price. NBATickets.com hosts the NBA’s official resale marketplace, and sellers decide their desired price, subject to fees.
Sellers also set their own prices on FIFA’s Marketplace, and the hugely inflated listings further highlight the rising cost of the tournament for fans, while governing bodies already sell tickets at face value and stand to make even more money.
List price of Category 1 ticket The final, to be played at MetLife Stadium on July 19th, will cost $8,680, but that is subject to change as dynamic pricing will be used for the first time at the World Cup.
The lowest list price for a comparable ticket on FIFA’s Marketplace this week was $16,000, nearly double that price.
If sold at that price, the nonprofit’s 30% reduction would make it worth $4,800.
Fan group Football Supporters Europe has already condemned FIFA. “Monumental Betrayal” It is also critical of pricing and resale platforms.
FSE executive director Ronan Evine told The Associated Press that he believes “a significant portion of the tickets that are sold and listed on resale platforms exist solely for the purpose of making a profit.”
Other resale sites also sell World Cup tickets.
FIFA says its platform provides a secure way for fans to resell tickets.
For the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar, the governing body reduced its share from resales and imposed a fee of 5% or 2 Qatari riyals ($0.50), whichever is greater, on both buyers and sellers. The company also controls the setting of resale prices, which can be higher or lower than the face value.
This time, the policy has changed.
FIFA said in a statement to The Associated Press that this “reflects the treatment of the secondary ticket markets (in the United States and Canada), which have different legal treatment than in many other parts of the world.”
“We are focused on ensuring fair access to the game for existing fans as well as future fans. FIFA’s resale fees are set in line with industry trends in North America across a variety of sports and entertainment sectors.”
There was a backlash last month when FIFA announced its latest general sale with ticket prices ranging from $140 to $8,680.
FIFA defended its pricing model, saying it “routinely reflects existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events within a venue, including football”.
In his Davos speech, Infantino went even further.
“We got slammed. I should say we got slammed because of the ticket prices, because tickets are so expensive,” he said. “The main critics were of course from Germany and England.
“Currently, America is number one in terms of ticket requests, Germany is number two, and England is number three, because everyone wants to come and participate.”
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James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
