World Cup ticket resale prices for quarterfinal matches have dropped significantly following the elimination of co-hosts United States and Mexico. FIFA has also released nearly 1,200 seats for the final at a price of $7,380 each.
Quarterfinal Price Drops
The site TickPick reported the lowest price for the Spain-Belgium quarterfinal at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Friday was $1,381, down from $3,261 before the US lost to Belgium in the round of 16. For the England-Norway match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, the lowest price was $2,049, down from $3,866 before England defeated Mexico. The Argentina-Switzerland game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, saw the lowest price at $1,142, down from $2,381.
Fan Experiences
Jake van Baarsel, a 65-year-old from Riverside, California, bought tickets two days before the Spain-Belgium match after his son found lower prices. He paid $1,000 each for two tickets to share the experience 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 yeah, it's steep for a game, but we enjoy."
Others paid much more. Lisandro Pineda, 70, of East Los Angeles, paid about $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, bought hospitality tickets at $7,000 each after failing to obtain other tickets. "I think it's highway robbery," he said.
Final Tickets Available
FIFA had nearly 1,200 category two tickets priced at $7,380 on sale Friday for the World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The last-minute sales site, which had listed the game as sold out, offered 1,178 seats across five sections of the top deck 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 also sold 68 front category one tickets in the lower deck at prices ranging from $19,995 to $32,970 and had hospitality tickets in its Trophy Lounge and Trophy Lounge+ sections priced at $34,500 and $32,500, including food and drinks. The governing body did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why the additional tickets became available.
Resale tickets for the final on FIFA's marketplace ranged from $7,440.50 to $11,499,998.85.
