Sawt Falasteen - World Cup tickets: Huge demand and sky-high prices

AFP Sport assesses the cost of attending games at the tournament:

- How many tickets, how much demand? -

According to world football's governing body FIFA, almost seven million tickets have been made available in total. Each person can buy a maximum of four tickets per match and a total of 40 for the whole competition.

Around two million tickets were sold during an initial lottery in October. A second sales phase in December and January was also a lottery and attracted a record 508 million requests, according to FIFA.

It has not said how many tickets have been attributed but the matches in highest demand were the Group K finale between Colombia and Portugal in Miami on June 27, co-hosts Mexico against South Korea in Guadalajara on June 18, and the final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.

- Prices skyrocket... -

There will be a total of 104 matches played at this expanded World Cup, the first ever to feature 48 teams, and ticket prices have soared for the most in-demand games. Fan group Football Supporters Europe said the North American bid had initially promised tickets would be available from as little as $21, but instead the cheapest tickets to go on sale have been for $60, for example for the Group J opener between Austria and Jordan at the Levi's Stadium in California.

Most tickets cost at least $200 for matches involving leading nations, while the cheapest tickets for the final cost $2,000 and the best seats $8,680 -- that is before taking into account FIFA's official resale site, where one category three seat for the game at the MetLife Stadium on July 19 was being advertised for an eye-watering $143,750, over 41 times its original face value of $3,450.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists ticket prices are simply a consequence of the huge demand. "In the US in particular there is this thing called dynamic pricing, meaning the prices will go up or down", depending on the match in question, he said.

Having faced sustained criticism over prices, FIFA announced a cheaper category of tickets, but those seats available for $60 were reserved for fans of qualified teams and would make up just 10 percent of each national federation's allotment.

FIFA has also put on sale packages combining match tickets with access to VIP lounges. For France against Senegal in New Jersey on June 16, those packages cost between $2,900 and $4,500.

- ...And keep rising -

FIFA is keeping aside an unspecified number of tickets which it will make available from April until the end of the tournament "on a first come, first served basis".

Then there are the resale platforms, including FIFA's own official site. But this controversial fan-to-fan market allows resellers to determine prices themselves, hence the huge price advertised for a final ticket.

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.

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 recently listed at $5,324, compared to an original price of $895. Other sites such as SeatGeek and StubHub were selling tickets at slightly lower prices.

- Extra costs -

It is not just the ticket prices that travelling supporters need to consider. The price of parking is also through the roof at many World Cup stadiums, which are often situated well away from the downtown areas of host cities. A space in a parking lot for a group game in Atlanta costs $100, while the price is $300 in Los Angeles.

An alternative for visiting fans who do not have match tickets is to go to one of the Fan Festivals in and around the 16 host cities. The Fan Fest in Kansas City will be able to welcome up to 25,000 people. In New York, the US Open tennis venue at Flushing Meadows will be transformed into a fan zone holding up to 10,000 paying visitors, albeit only from June 17 to 28.

A.AlHaj--SF-PST