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FIFA faces World Cup ticket trouble as high prices and weak demand leave 180000 seats unsold, sparking fan backlash.
A tunnel leads to the pitch at Arrowhead Stadium as it is transformed to Kansas City Stadium ahead of the FIFA World Cup (Picture credit: AP)
FIFA find themselves in massive trouble regarding on-field viewership at the upcoming World Cup, with almost 180000 tickets still available on official resale platforms just days before the marquee event kicks off.
The median ticket price on the official resale platform has fallen by 20% over the past month. As per a report in The Financial Timesonce the platform’s 26% resale fee is factored in, most sellers might incur a loss on their transactions.
FIFA’s resale platform has around 176,000 tickets available for the group stage, during which each team plays three games. As per the report, ticket prices and availability highlight a significant disparity in fan interest across teams.
Games involving Iran account for almost 16,000 unsold tickets, with the cheapest standard seat listed at $138 (Rs 13146).
Even the host country, the United States, has struggled to generate demand, with around 4,400 tickets still available on the resale platform for its opening game against Paraguay.
Despite significant discounts, the median resale price remains above $800 (Rs 76209), while the cheapest tickets still available from FIFA are priced at $1,120 (over Rs 1 lakh).
In addition to tickets listed on the resale market, FIFA still has around 15,000 group-stage tickets available for direct purchase. Large numbers of empty seats would be an embarrassment for FIFA, which has faced criticism for setting ticket prices higher than in previous World Cups, arguing that the rates reflect local market conditions.
The five-week tournament, which starts on Thursday, will be held across the United States, Mexico and Canada. High ticket prices at launch, coupled with a dynamic pricing model that adjusts costs based on demand, have sparked strong criticism from fan groups and local politicians.
The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey have opened investigations into what they described as ‘impossibly high’ ticket prices. Fan groups have estimated that following a team at this summer’s FIFA World Cup could cost up to five times more than it did four years ago.
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