January 17 – FIFA, on Thursday, launched ticket sales for the knockout round of its revamped 32-team Club World Cup with final tickets starting at an eye-catching $633.
On Friday, the second day of ticket sales for the knockout phase, tickets for the final in the third tier of the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey were available at $633. Tickets in the final can cost up to $2,230, but in the lower tier tickets were priced $4,165 via official resale platforms.
“Fans should become part of this tournament, because after well over a century of club football, or club soccer, we are set for the first, the first, truly global and merit-based FIFA Club World Cup, and those who buy a ticket, well they will be part of football history, part of soccer history, if you want,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino in a statement.
Zurich has introduced ‘dynamic pricing’ for the tournament, a principle that evaluates supply and demand and sets the ticket price accordingly. FIFA is keen to cash in on the lucrative American market. So far, however, the global governing body has failed to release any sales figures, suggesting tickets might not be in high demand.
The final was not yet a sell-out on Friday and all other 62 matches, including both semi-finals at MetLife Stadium, had good availability.
In the first round, Ulsan – Mamelodi Sundowns in Orlando is the cheapest ticket available from $33. With the introduction of verified resale platforms, some ticket prices are astonishing, with PSG – Atletico Madrid commanding up to $1,805 a ticket and the last group game between Salzburg and Real Madrid going for as high as $738.
The tournament kicks off on June 14 with Inter Miami taking on Egyptian giants Al Ahly. FIFA has struggled to market the tournament with sponsors and broadcasters.
Streaming platform DAZN will pay around $1 billion for the rights to the 2025 and 2029 editions of the finals, well below what Infantino and his administration had hoped for. Owned by billionaire Len Blavatnik, DAZN has bled money for years, but they are reportedly close to a $1 billion injection by SURJ, a unit of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
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