By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): The World Cup final is the hottest ticket in sports, but at these prices, you may need to check your bank account before you check the fixture list. According to the Associated Press, via Al Jazeera, FIFA still has almost 1,200 tickets available for the July 19 showpiece at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, starting at US$7,380 each, about BZ$14,760.
Those 1,178 category two seats sit in the top deck along the sidelines, and remarkably, they are the budget option. The AP reports that 68 lower-deck category one tickets were listed between US$19,995 and US$32,970, while FIFA’s Trophy Lounge hospitality packages, food and drinks included, topped out at US$34,500. In Belize dollars, that is as much as BZ$69,000 for one afternoon of football.
And if you think that is steep, the resale market will make your eyes water. Al Jazeera reports resale final tickets ranged from US$7,440.50 to an astonishing US$11,499,998.85, a figure north of BZ$23 million.
Closer to Belizean hearts, tickets were also still available for Saturday’s quarter-final between Argentina and Switzerland in Kansas City, priced from US$1,600 to US$3,995. For the Jewel’s legion of Albiceleste faithful, that is BZ$3,200 to BZ$8,000 just to get through the gate, never mind the cost of actually getting there.
The sky-high pricing has drawn real pushback. Al Jazeera reports that FIFA weathered fierce criticism across its sales phases, including a lawsuit from a fan group over excessive prices, and that the governing body has been subpoenaed by New York and New Jersey as part of an investigation into pricing and seat location accuracy. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has stood by the strategy, saying the organization was obliged to take advantage of US resale laws, and at one point even joked about resale tickets listed at two million dollars apiece.
It all adds up to a final that most fans around the world, Belizeans included, will experience exactly where they have enjoyed the whole tournament, in front of a screen with friends and family, for free.
So tell us the truth, Belize: money no object, would you be in that stadium on July 19? And what is the most you would ever pay to watch a football match live? Let us know in the comments.
The post Would you pay BZ$14,760 to watch the World Cup final? appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): The World Cup final is the hottest ticket in sports, but at these prices, you may need to check your bank account before you check the fixture list. According to the Associated Press, via Al Jazeera, FIFA still has almost 1,200 tickets available for the July 19 showpiece at
The post Would you pay BZ$14,760 to watch the World Cup final? appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
