February 9 – The World Cup remains the hottest ticket in town. Football fans from across the globe applied for 17 million tickets in the first sales period of the World Cup in Qatar, with the final proving to be the most in-demand match with 1.8 million ticket requests.
Notwithstanding all the controversy surrounding the global finals in Qatar, the tournament has lost little of its popularity if ticket applications are to be a measure.
On February 8, the first sales phase concluded with applications from every corner of the world requested. The 17 million ticket requests far outstrip the 3,496,204 tickets requested by the end of the first sales period for the Russia World Cup in October 2017, when the final proved to be the most sought after match with requests totalling 450,000 tickets.
During the 20-day sales period, most applications came from Qatari residents. FIFA noted Argentina, Brazil, England, France, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the USA as the other main markets with interest. Russia’s first sales phase had seen top-ten interest from Germany, Colombia, Poland, Egypt and China.
Individual tickets prices range from $69 to $1,607 for the showpiece event in Qatar. Local residents will benefit from the cheapest tickets with category 4 costing as little as $11, the cheapest World Cup ticket since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico which sold seats for $3. In Russia, locals could snap up a ticket for $20.
Qatar’s most expensive individual ticket outstrips Russia’s prices. A ticket for the final in category 1 at the Lusail Stadium on 18 December costing $1,617, easily eclipses the $1,100 for the same ticket in Russia. Supporters also had the option to apply for team-specific and venue-specific matches.
Fans will be notified of the outcome of their applications as of Tuesday March 8. FIFA allocated a total of 742,760 tickets following the first sales phase in Russia.
The world federation has not released timings yet for the second sales phase. Doha will stage the World Cup draw in early April. So far the World Cup has 13 confirmed finalists, including the hosts and powerhouses Brazil and Germany.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1736413593labto1736413593ofdlr1736413593owedi1736413593sni@i1736413593tnuk.1736413593ardni1736413593mas1736413593