There is a massive demand for World Cup tickets and savvy resellers could be big winners ...Middle East

By JAMES ROBSON

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — World Cup ticket prices are at exorbitant levels yet fans are still queueing up in their millions to attend soccer’s biggest tournament.

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There is a such an over-demand for the event being staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico this year that FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the governing body would need to hold a draw to allocate tickets to fans and acknowledged that prices would likely be even higher on resale platforms.

“In 100, almost 100, years of World Cup history, FIFA sold around 50 million tickets in total,” Infantino said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week. “Now for this World Cup in four weeks (on sale), we have the request for 1,000 years of World Cups at once. This is unique. It’s incredible.”

It could also lead to a lot of disappointed fans being driven to resale sites where tickets are being listed for multiples of their face value.

On FIFA’s own resale marketplace, a ticket for the final was being listed for as much as $230,000 this week. FIFA does not resell tickets or set prices on the platform, but can cash in for a second time by taking a 30% cut from any sale.

Addressing the issue in Davos, Infantino said that in the U.S. it was “perfectly legal to resell tickets on resale platforms. … So we have to of course allow that.”

He said all 104 matches at the World Cup would be sold out, meaning “tickets will probably be resold at even higher prices.”

Soccer fans have reacted with outrage to the pricing strategy for this year’s tournament. FIFA is asking for up to $8,680 per ticket, but after criticism said it would offer a selection of $60 tickets for every game to the 48 national federations participating.

Costs can be even more exorbitant through sellers trying to make a massive profit on the secondary market.

Resale sites are commonplace in the U.S. and tickets can go for well in excess of their original price. NBATickets.com hosts the official resale marketplace for the NBA where sellers determine whatever prices they want, with fees applicable.

Sellers also set their own prices on FIFA’s marketplace and enormously inflated listings further highlight the spiraling costs of the tournament for fans, while the governing body stands to make even more money, having already sold tickets at face value.

The list price for a category one ticket for the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19 is $8,680, but that is subject to change as dynamic pricing will be utilized at a World Cup for the first time.

The lowest list price for an equivalent ticket on FIFA’s marketplace this week was $16,000 – almost twice as much.

If sold at that price it would be worth $4,800 to the non-profit organization, based on it taking a 30% cut.

A fan group, Football Supporters Europe, already has accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal” over its pricing and is also critical of its resale platform.

Ronan Evain, executive director of FSE, told The Associated Press he believed “a significant proportion of tickets that are sold and put on the resale platform are there just for profit.”

Other resale sites are also listing World Cup tickets.

FIFA says its platform provides a safe and secure way for fans to resell tickets.

At the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, the governing body took a lower cut from resales, charging both the buyer and seller the greater of a 5% fee or 2 Qatari Riyals ($0.50). It was also in control of setting resale prices, which could be higher or lower than face value.

That policy has changed this time around.

In a statement to the AP, FIFA said it was a “reflection of the treatment of the secondary market for tickets (in the U.S. and Canada), 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. FIFA resale fees are aligned with North American industry trends across various sports and entertainment sectors.”

There was outcry last month when FIFA announced its latest general release of tickets priced from $140 to $8,680.

FIFA defends its pricing model, saying it “reflects the existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events within our hosts on a daily basis, soccer included.”

Speaking at Davos, Infantino went further.

“We were hammered. I was hammered, I should say, because of the ticket prices because they are so expensive,” he said. “The main critics were from Germany and and England of course.

“Now number one in ticket requests is U.S., number two Germany and number three England because everyone wants to come and to participate.”

James Robson is at x.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: apnews.com/hub/soccer

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