Fans can start this Wednesday, January 19, to register in order to participate in the lottery that allows them to purchase tickets for the matches of the Qatar World Cup, with prices starting at about $70 for foreign visitors, according to information obtained by The Associated Press.
That price is a third lower than what has been seen for tickets to Russia 2018 matches.
Third category tickets on sale in the international market will cost 250 Qatari riyals, about $69, two people familiar with the prices said Tuesday. The amount compares to $105 for an equivalent ticket four years ago.
The sources requested to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to reveal the process of marketing the tickets.
The fourth category corresponds to the cheapest tickets, but this is reserved for residents of Qatar. These tickets will cost 40 riyals ($11), people briefed on the matter said.
These prices would be the cheapest since Mexico 1986, when there were entries of about US$3 —based on the exchange rate of that year. In Russia, tickets available to local fans cost about $22, twice as much as in Qatar.
The low prices of these tickets in Qatar would open a door, albeit a small one, for the population of migrant workers, who earn low incomes, to see any of the matches of the tournament, which will take place from November 21 to November 18. December.
The cheapest tickets for the 2019 World Championships in Athletics, also in Qatar, were 60 riyals ($17). Eventually, free tickets were given out to fill the empty seats.
The tickets of the FIFA they will be distributed through a drawing and not in an open sale. Fans applying to attend the matches of the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East will only find out if they have won tickets after the draw, when the first application phase concludes on February 8.
The ticket sales process will begin at a time when only 13 of the 32 teams participating in the contest have been defined. The qualifiers will not conclude until June, when the intercontinental playoffs take place.
FIFA is seeking $500 million from sales of tickets and packages that include accommodation and other services for the World Cup, according to the latest financial report from soccer’s governing body.
Unlike previous editions of the World Cup, there will be little need to travel within Qatar to get from one stadium to another.
All sub-sites are within a radius of about 50 kilometers (30 miles).
They would be the shortest tours within a World Cup host country since Switzerland 1954. In contrast, there would be little availability of hotels.
Local organizers have booked most of the accommodation in Qatar, so there was no chance to make online reservations for the tournament days on Tuesday.
The availability of rooms in other hotels, apartments and even cruise ships will be opened through a website. Only about 90,000 rooms will be available to the public. 40,000 will be reserved for the teams, managers, sponsors and journalists.
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