WASHINGTON.- The FIFA will go on sale this Wednesday, 50 days before the start of the North America World Cupa new batch of tickets for the 104 matches of the competition, which begins on June 11, as announced on Tuesday.
“Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis and purchases will be made in real time, based on availability,” explained the world football governing body in a statement, specifying that sales will begin at 3:00 p.m. GMT on the official website FIFA.com/tickets.
“In addition to this series of tickets, other tickets will continue to be put on sale regularly until the final on July 19,” also depending on availability, FIFA added.
When consulted by AFP, a FIFA spokesperson specified that this sales phase referred to tickets from categories 1 to 3 and seats in the first rows, depending on the match.
“Ticket sales continue to be strong, with great interest in all games,” he said.
More than five million tickets have already been sold, according to the FIFA president, Gianni Infantinoof the approximately seven million put on sale for the competition, taking into account the capacity of the 16 World Cup stadiums.
The tournament co-organized this year by USA, Mexico and Canada It will host 48 teams and 104 matches, of which 78 will be played on American soil.
Controversy over prices
The issue of ticket sales has sparked controversy, with FIFA accused of offering tickets at exorbitant prices despite promises made when the tournament was awarded to the three organizing countries.
The European Fans Federation (ESF) and Euroconsumersan organization that represents consumers on the continent, announced on March 24 that they had sued FIFA before the European Commission for abuse of a dominant position and to renounce its “opaque and unfair” purchasing procedures.
FIFA defended the price of these tickets, determined by a “huge” demand and variable pricing depending on the attractiveness of the match, according to Infantino.
