Sawt Falasteen - World Cup ticket prices skyrocket on FIFA re-sale site

Weeks after FIFA President Gianni Infantino warned that tickets made available on resale sites were likely to come with an exorbitant price tag, those fears have come to pass on world football's own platform.

As of Wednesday, a "category three" seat -- the highest section of the stands -- for the tournament's opening game between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on June 11 was listed at $5,324, compared to an original price of $895.

One category three seat for the World Cup final on July 19 at East Rutherford, New Jersey, meanwhile, was being advertised for an eye-watering $143,750 -- more than 41 times its original face value of $3,450.

The cheapest available ticket for the final on the resale site was listed at $9,775.

In a few rare cases, though, some ticket prices have actually decreased. One ticket for Austria's group game with Jordan at the Levi's Stadium in California -- which hosted Sunday's Super Bowl -- is being offered at $552 despite costing its original buyer $620.

For football fans around the world, some of the prices on FIFA's resale site are confirmation of what they have railed against since the tournament draw in December.

"These exorbitant prices unfortunately don't surprise me. It reflects what we know and what we fight against: many people buy to resell," Guillaume Aupretre, spokesperson for the France national team supporters group "Irresistibles Francais", which has nearly 2,500 members.

"In the end, who pays the price? The passionate fans who end up with outrageous offers. We would prefer that this benefit real fans who come to support their team, but unfortunately, that's not the case."

Yet despite the steep price tag, sales remain brisk, reflecting a global clamor that has seen some 500 million requests for tickets according to FIFA.

- 'Monumental betrayal' -

While its resale platform benefits from FIFA's endorsement, the football body specifies in its terms of sale that it acts only as a facilitator -- for a 15% fee -- in this fan-to-fan market, and that resellers are the ones who determine ticket prices.

"Generally speaking, the pricing model adopted for FIFA World Cup 26 reflects the existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events within our hosts on a daily basis, soccer included," FIFA said in a statement.

"This is also a reflection of the treatment of the secondary market for tickets, which has a distinct legal treatment than in many other parts of the world. We are focused on ensuring fair access to our game for existing but also prospective fans."

The resale market is unregulated in the United States and Canada. In Mexico, reselling a ticket above face value is prohibited, but only when the ticket is purchased in Mexico using the local currency.

Ticketing has become one of the most controversial issues surrounding the World Cup, with fan groups around the world such as Football Supporters Europe accusing FIFA of a "monumental betrayal" over pricing.

That in turn prompted FIFA to introduce a tiny sliver of tickets priced at $60 for official supporters groups. Critics maintain the cut-price category does not go far enough in addressing the problem.

FIFA meanwhile has been notifying applicants since February 5 whether they have obtained tickets during the second sales phase, which ended in January.

A final "last-minute" sales phase, from April until the end of the competition, will be organized on a "first-come, first-served" basis.

During these sales phases, FIFA states that it applies "variable pricing" whereby prices fluctuate "according to demand and availability" for each match.

However, it emphasizes that it does not apply "a dynamic pricing model (...) given that prices are not automatically adjusted."

N.Shalabi--SF-PST