Less than 60 days before the start of the World Cup, I am already panicking: All my attempts to get tickets to see Argentina and Lionel Messi at football’s greatest tournament have failed miserably.I struck out in last year’s presale draw. I had no luck in February’s 'random selection” window either. And when the last-minute sales phase opened earlier this month, I couldn’t even get into the ticket portal of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) despite logging in an hour early on three different devices (I blame its recurring tech disasters for that one).Now I’m left with the consumer torture chamber known as the resale market: You don’t really know how prices are set or what exactly you’re paying for, but you’re guaranteed the pain of inflated fees. The cheapest ticket I found on FIFA’s official marketplace for one of Argentina’s three group-stage matches was about $2,200 — basically hospitality-level pricing. You can find cheaper options on third-party platforms like StubHub or Viagogo, but with the accompanying risk that the tickets never materialize.
Don’t give up on getting World Cup tickets (yet)
Less than 60 days before the start of the World Cup, I am already panicking: All my attempts to get tickets to see Argentina and Lionel Messi at football’s greatest tournament have failed miserably.I struck out in last year’s presale draw. I had no luck in February’s 'random selection” window either
This article is aggregated from Japan Times. DayOff News presents the headline and excerpt to help you discover global news. Click below to read the complete article on the original publisher's website.
Read Full Article at → Japan Times