As of Sunday afternoon, a single ticket from third-party vendors for Argentina-England at Atlanta Stadium “started at around $3,000 each, including taxes and fees,” according to Rod Beard of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. That is for “a seat in the 300 section,” the highest level in the stadium (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 7/12). In Dallas, Prisbell & Hogue wrote prices for the cheapest tickets to Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal at Dallas Stadium “dropped by 60%” since the USMNT lost in the round of 16. On StubHub, the cheapest ticket on the secondary market “still costs more than $1,600″ to watch France against Spain in the ninth and final World Cup match in Arlington. The price tag is “nearly as expensive as any of the other eight World Cup matches in D-FW” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/12).
PRICEY SEATS: Sports Travel magazine publisher Jason Gewirtz said the elevated costs are not just for one specific group of people. Gewirtz: “At a higher price point, you would expect a more corporate audience. But you also have to factor in just the power of sports and the passion people have for sports. People do crazy things, including sometimes spending (up to) $10,000 a ticket for an event like the World Cup” (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 7/13).
LOSING APPEAL? In N.Y., Tariq Panja noted “big areas of seats were empty” at K.C. Stadium during Argentina’s quarterfinal victory over Switzerland. While the reason for the vacant seats was not immediately clear, it is “possible that high ticket prices kept some fans away.” At this World Cup, FIFA has “sometimes announced capacity crowds, or close to them, even at games where many seats were visibly empty.” The empty seats in K.C. “represent more of a surprise because of the appetite for soccer, and particularly the World Cup in the region” (N.Y. TIMES, 7/12).
