FIFA’s decision to release the latest tranche of World Cup tickets with a 50-day countdown to the tournament has left fans more disappointed than excited ahead of the world’s biggest sporting event.
Football’s global governing body announced another “last-minute ticket phaseout” on Wednesday, with tickets for all 104 matches available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are available in the three categories already open, as well as the new “Front Category” pricing added this month.
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Fans have expressed outrage at the exorbitant prices for matches since the first round of ticket sales in December – the most expensive ticket for the final cost almost $11,000, and the latest round has left them wondering whether FIFA’s “dynamic ticketing” is to blame for the price and availability of seats at the most sought-after sporting event.
Here’s what we know about ticket prices for the World Cup jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States:
Why has FIFA resumed selling World Cup tickets?
Apparently, FIFA has a lot of unsold tickets in the bank despite the last four sales windows, and it wants those tickets sold between now and match days.
The global body has repeatedly claimed that the “cumulative attendance record of 3.5 million” set by the 1994 edition of the World Cup, which was hosted by the US, is on the verge of being surpassed during this year’s competition, but an unplanned fifth round of ticket sales suggests otherwise.
The unexpected release has raised questions over FIFA’s ticket sales strategy, having previously said the April 1 stage was the “fourth and final” that would remain open until the end of the competition.
However, in a comment to Al Jazeera, a FIFA spokesperson said: “This ticket drop is part of an ongoing last-minute sales phase, which runs until the end of the tournament and allows the general public to purchase tickets via FIFA.com/tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.”
“Along with this set of tickets, additional tickets (subject to availability) will also continue to be released to the public on an ongoing basis until the finals are finalized on Sunday, July 19,” the spokesperson told Al Jazeera.
Why is FIFA struggling to sell tickets?
The most obvious answer would be that fans are not buying tickets, presumably because they are more expensive than promised.
Last month, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) said the North American bid had initially promised that tickets would be available for as little as $21. Instead, the cheapest tickets for sale – $60 – have been capped. These tickets are allocated to a small portion of tournament venues and were introduced in a new pricing tier in December due to immediate feedback on the high pricing.
FIFA has rejected suggestions that low sales could be attributed to a lack of interest and “inflated prices”.
“FIFA World Cup ticket sales remain strong with high levels of interest for all matches,” its spokesperson said.
What is the price range of World Cup tickets?
When tickets first went on sale in December, prices ranged from $140 for Class 3 to $8,680 for Finals.
Its price then rose to $10,990 when sales resumed on April 1, almost seven times more expensive than the maximum price of $1,550 initially set when North America bid for the right to host the tournament.
Why are World Cup tickets so expensive this time?
Experts link the pricing to a number of factors, the biggest of which is the allocation of 78 out of 104 matches to the US.
“One of the main reasons the World Cup is being held in the Americas is because it potentially provides revenue generation opportunities,” Simon Chadwick, professor of Afro-Eurasian sports at Shanghai’s Emlyn Business School, told Al Jazeera.
FIFA has taken advantage of what Chadwick calls a “mature” market, where “consumers have a strong propensity to spend on sport, part of which are the premium value and corporate segments.”
The sports industry expert believes that FIFA has used a “dynamic ticket pricing model”, which has been employed in the US for many years.
“Sports consumers (in the US) are accustomed to real-time adjustments to ticket prices, which can result in both an increase and a decrease in the price of admission,” he said.
Chadwick explained, “When used in combination with a premium pricing strategy, dynamic ticketing is clearly an effort at revenue accumulation, as FIFA seeks to maximize financial returns from this summer’s tournament.”
“The problem is that such an approach may drive some fans out of the market, resulting in a crowd that is a more affluent socio-demographic
features.”
What is dynamic ticketing at the World Cup?
Dynamic ticketing, also known as dynamic pricing, is a sales strategy in which ticket prices are not fixed; Rather, they fluctuate in real time based on demand, supply, and timing.
Ticket prices have come under much criticism, with a group of US lawmakers last month calling on FIFA to reduce costs, saying the use of dynamic pricing had turned the World Cup into an exclusionary enterprise at the expense of fans, according to news agency Reuters.
FIFA also says variable pricing is being used, where ticket prices can be adjusted based on a review of demand and availability, rather than dynamic pricing, which automatically revises ticket prices, Reuters said.
The variable pricing method was used for the initial two stages of the sale – Visa Presale Draw and Early Draw. It was not used for the third phase, random selection draw and PMA ticket sales, but is now being used again for the last minute sales phase.
Will FIFA be able to sell all the World Cup tickets?
Chadwick, who has written several books on the economics and politics of sport, believes selling tickets may not be a problem for FIFA.
He said, “Theoretically, there should not be any unsold tickets, as the logic of real-time dynamic pricing is that market conditions will require a price reduction, resulting in all tickets being sold.”
“However, the reality may actually be somewhat different; the markets do not always work in such a perfect, predictable manner. In fact, some fans may be angered by the initial premium-pricing strategy and withdraw from the market altogether.
“In this regard, FIFA has rolled the dice on the effectiveness of dynamic ticket pricing, a gamble the organization cannot necessarily win.”
How do the prices compare with previous World Cups?
The most expensive seat on tickets for the Qatar World Cup final in 2022 cost about $1,604, 46 percent more than $1,100 for the 2018 final in Russia. Tickets for this year’s final, at nearly $11,000, are a steep increase from both previous iterations.
The cheapest seats on general sale for international fans to watch Qatar open the 2022 World Cup were $302, up from $220 in Russia. In comparison, FIFA’s December ticket sales for the June 12 USA opener against Paraguay were priced at $1,120, $1,940 and $2,735.
Despite being billed as the third-most expensive match of the tournament, The Athletic reported Tuesday that ticket sales for the match in Inglewood, Calif., have been slow.
It said in a document distributed to local organizers on April 10 that 40,934 tickets were purchased for the US-Paraguay game, and 50,661 tickets were purchased for the Iran-New Zealand contest on April 15.
What has FIFA said about ticket prices?
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended high ticket prices for this year’s World Cup, saying the event is the organization’s only source of income every four years.
He also reiterated that FIFA is a non-profit organization consisting of 211 member nations who are supported by FIFA through the revenue earned from such tournaments.
What are fans saying about ticket prices?
Fans have taken to social media to express their frustration with not only the price but also the technical issues with FIFA’s official ticketing platform. Potential buyers said that after queuing for hours, they received an error message or were told that tickets were sold out.
Others have accused FIFA of “ruining the game” by “costing a lot of real fans”.
One user, who presumably lives in the US, compared the price of a World Cup ticket to flying to Europe and watching a Premier League game.
