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By Hugh Cameron
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Resale ticket prices for the FIFA World Cup have plummeted in recent days, as the tournament’s group-stage period comes to a close and the more critical knockouts begin.
According to figures from TicketData.com, median get-in prices for the remaining 31 games have dropped by 39 percent over the past week, with prices for nearly every fixture dropping by double digits and only the July 18 third-place playoff seeing an increase (of 5 percent) over this period.
Prices have declined for some of the most heavily anticipated games, including the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium. The average resale cost for the cheapest seats has dropped from $11,621 to $10,329 over the past week, and from its recent peak of $12,483 on June 22.
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Costs for certain home-nation games are likewise plunging, with fans now able to purchase resale tickets for the U.S. team’s (USMNT) July 2 knockout game against Bosnia and Herzegovina for $1,650 per ticket, down from $2,705 on June 22.
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Why Are Prices Falling?
Many games have seen declines exceed 60 percent, with prices for the Netherlands vs. Morocco and Germany vs. Paraguay fixtures (both on Monday), falling 67 percent over the past week.
Prices—especially those on the secondary marketplace—typically fall in the leadup to a listed event, as resellers are incentivized to lower them and attract last-minute buyers rather than take a loss.
FIFA has also released more tickets through its primary portal, boosting the overall supply, according to TicketData.com. The number available directly from the organization jumped from 1,774 to 10,547 on Sunday, though this total has now dropped to 5,470 as of Monday morning.
How Prices Have Shifted During the World Cup
Supply and demand have been key focuses during this year’s World Cup, with ticket availability fluctuating and prices—on resale platforms and FIFA’s website—undergoing steady increases as well as several sharp drops.
According to TicketData, prices for knockout games climbed significantly prior to the recent slide. As a result, seats for the nearly every upcoming fixture are still higher than a month ago, with USMNT vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina up 126 percent and Mexico’s Tuesday fixture against Ecuador having tripled in price.
And despite recent declines, prices across the resale marketplace and FIFA’s own website remain far higher than during past competitions—a product of the demand-based “dynamic pricing” model employed by the organization this year.
“Prices were initially inflated due to dynamic pricing and ticket brokers buying tickets for resale,” Stephen Shapiro, chair of South Carolina’s Department of Sport and Entertainment Management, told Newsweek. “This led to a general perception that attending the World Cup is not affordable for many people.
“Although secondary market prices have come down for many matches, they are still significant and I believe that has led to lower demand.”
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