How to get last-minute tickets to FIFA Men’s World Cup
Grab your laptop, coffee and get ready to be patient. That is, if you want to try and secure some men’s World Cup tickets Wednesday morning.
FIFA announced Tuesday that tickets for all 104 matches, including the six in Seattle, will be available to the public online at FIFA.com/tickets starting at 8 a.m. PT Wednesday on a first-come, first-served basis. The drop is a part of the “Last-Minute Sales Phase” which will continue releasing tickets through the end of the tournament. The April 22 drop is notable for marking the 50-day countdown to the World Cup, which begins June 11.
Anyone serious about getting tickets will probably want to log on before 8 a.m.
“Given the nature of first-come, first-served sales and as in previous periods of high traffic, fans can expect digital queues, which allow FIFA to improve the user experience once fans are admitted,” the news release from FIFA read in part.
The first drop of the Last-Minute Sales Phase on April 1 featured technical difficulties, leaving fans frustrated as they dealt with glitches and extended waits.
Tickets in Categories 1 to 3, and in the front-row seat categories will be on sale, depending on each match’s availability according to the news release. It included no mention of Category 4 tickets, which are the cheapest, upper-tier option available to fans.
Tickets to each of Seattle’s matches are available on the resale market but it’s a limited, and pricey, selection. The cheapest ticket to the June 15 Belgium vs. Egypt match listed on Ticketmaster is currently $721.05 in Section 303. The cheapest ticket for the United States vs. Australia game later than week on June 19 is priced at $1,898.05 in Section 319.
For those hoping to sit closer to the action during the June 19 match, a handful of tickets in the 100s remain, priced between $2,900 to upward of $5,000 on Ticketmaster.
Seattle is hosting six matches between June 15 and July 6. Here’s a full schedule of matches:
Mon, June 15: Noon, Group G, Belgium vs. Egypt
Fri, June 19: Noon, Group D, United States vs. Australia
Wed, June 24: Noon, Group B, Qatar vs. TBD
Fri, June 26: 8 p.m., Group G, Egypt vs. Iran
Wed, July 1: 1 p.m., Round of 32, TBD
Mon, July 6: 5 p.m., Round of 16, TBD