FIFA World Cup quarterfinal ticket prices fall after co-hosts exit

Resale prices for FIFA World Cup quarterfinal tickets have fallen following the elimination of the United States and Mexico. Meanwhile, FIFA has released nearly 1,200 additional tickets for the World Cup final, with prices starting at USD 7,380.

New York: Resale prices for FIFA World Cup quarterfinal tickets have dropped following the elimination of co-hosts the United States and Mexico, while FIFA has put nearly 1,200 more tickets for the final on sale at a starting price of USD 7,380.

According to ticket marketplace TickPick, the lowest resale price for Friday’s Spain-Belgium quarterfinal in Inglewood, California, was USD 1,381, down from USD 3,261 before the United States lost to Belgium in the Round of 16.

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The lowest resale price for Saturday’s England-Norway match in Miami Gardens, Florida, was USD 2,049, compared with USD 3,866 before England defeated Mexico to qualify for the quarterfinals. The platform also listed the lowest price for the Argentina-Switzerland match in Kansas City, Missouri, at USD 1,142, down from USD 2,381 before the Round of 16.

Standing outside SoFi Stadium on Friday, Jake van Baarsel said he had bought tickets two days earlier. The 65-year-old from Riverside, California, said he had not planned to attend because ticket prices had been too high. However, after his son informed him that he had secured tickets at a lower price, he decided to buy two tickets for USD 1,000 each so he could attend with his 13-year-old grandson.

“It’s one of those things – it’s a memory maker for my grandson and me,” he said. “So how much money do you put on a memory? So, yes, it’s expensive for a game, but we enjoy it.”

Others who bought tickets well in advance of Friday’s quarterfinal paid much more.

Lisandro Pineda, 70, of East Los Angeles, said he paid about USD 2,200 a month ago.

“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 for USD 7,000 each after they failed to secure tickets during one of FIFA’s ticket sales phases.

“I think it’s highway robbery,” he said.

FIFA had nearly 1,200 Category 2 tickets, priced at USD 7,380 each, on sale on Friday for the World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The governing body’s last-minute ticket sales portal, which had at times listed the match as sold out, showed 1,178 seats available across five upper-tier sections along the sidelines: 282 in Section 344, 299 in Section 343, 139 in Section 335, 443 in Section 334 and 15 in Section 333.

FIFA was also selling 68 front-row Category 1 tickets in the lower tier at prices ranging from USD 19,995 to USD 32,970. Hospitality tickets in the Trophy Lounge+ were also available for USD 32,500 and USD 34,500, including food and beverages.

Football’s world governing body did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why the additional tickets had become available.

Resale tickets for the final were available on FIFA’s marketplace at prices ranging from USD 7,440.50 to USD 11,499,998.85.