FIFA Releases Additional World Cup Final Tickets Amid Market Shifts
FIFA had nearly 1,200 category two tickets on sale for the World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, priced at USD 7,380 each. This comes as quarter-final resale prices dropped sharply following the elimination of co-hosts United States and Mexico.
The governing body's last-minute ticket sales site, which at times had listed the game as sold out, offered 1,178 seats across five sections of the top deck along the sidelines: 282 in section 344, 299 in section 343, 139 in section 335, 443 in section 334, and 15 in section 333.
Quarter-Final Resale Prices Plummet
According to the site TickPick, the lowest price for the Spain-Belgium quarter-final on Friday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, fell to USD 1,381, down from USD 3,261 before the US lost to Belgium in the round of 16.
For the England-Norway match on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the lowest resale price dropped to USD 2,049 from USD 3,866 before England defeated Mexico to reach the quarterfinals. The Argentina-Switzerland game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, saw the lowest price fall to USD 1,142 from USD 2,381 before the round of 16.
Fan Reactions to Ticket Prices
Jake van Baarsel, 65, from Riverside, California, bought tickets two days before the Spain-Belgium match. He said he hadn't planned to attend because prices were too high, but his son found lower-priced seats at USD 1,000 each for him and his 13-year-old grandson. "It's one of those things - it's a memory maker for my grandson and me," van Baarsel said. "So how much money do you put on a memory? So yeah, it's steep for a game, but we enjoy."
Others who bought tickets earlier paid significantly more. Lisandro Pineda, 70, of East Los Angeles, paid about USD 2,200 a month ago for a quarter-final ticket. "The price was too high, I think, but it's a resale, remember," he said. "I didn't want to be left out. I've never been to a World Cup. I didn't go to the one we had before. So I figured, I have the money, I have the time, what the heck, buy the ticket, so here we are."
Kourosh Modarress, 68, of Los Angeles, said his family bought hospitality tickets at USD 7,000 each after failing to obtain other tickets in a FIFA sales round. "I think it's highway robbery," he said.
Final Ticket Inventory and Pricing
In addition to the category two tickets, FIFA was also selling 68 front category one tickets in the lower deck at prices ranging from USD 19,995 to USD 32,970. Remaining hospitality tickets in the Trophy Lounge and Trophy Lounge+ sections were priced at USD 34,500 and USD 32,500, including food and drinks.
Resale tickets for the final were available on FIFA's marketplace at prices from USD 7,440.50 to USD 11,499,998.85. Soccer's governing body did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why the additional tickets had become available.
