FIFA added new, even more expensive tiers of tickets for this year’s World Cup, asking up to NZD$7019.92 for a front category 1 seat at the US opener against Paraguay in Inglewood, California, on June 13.
Last week, FIFA had asked for a top price of $4677.10 for category 1 tickets for the match but added new “front category” pricing.
FIFA also added a front category 2 tier to its ticket sales website without public announcement, asking $3317.57 to $3984.51 for those tickets for the US opener. The new categories were first reported by The Athletic.
The World Cup will be held from June 12 to July 20 in 16 cities in the US, Mexico and Canada.
Football's governing body had in its September 9 “ticket products and categories” information called category 1 “the highest-priced seats, located primarily in the lower tier” but appears to have withheld some seats from that category. It had labeled category 2 as “positioned outside of category 1 areas, available in both lower and upper tiers”.
FIFA did not respond to an email sent to its media office seeking comment.
FIFA added seats at up to $5745.90 in front category 1 for Canada’s opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto.
For round of 16 games, it added $1547.63 seats in Philadelphia.
FIFA last week raised its top ticket price for the World Cup final to $18,793.89 during the glitch-hampered reopening of sales. The price had been $14,843.58 when FIFA sold tickets after the tournament draw in December.
FIFA’s category 2 tickets for the July 19 game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, were $12,620.46, up from $9533.75, and category 3 cost $9892.87, an increase from $7156.73.
No tickets appeared to be available for the final on Thursday on FIFA's ticket site.
Watch the All Whites' FIFA World Cup and warmup matches live and free on TVNZ+
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