World Cup ticket prices crash ahead of kickoff
Tickets for matches are selling for as low as $18
You can buy a match ticket for the biggest sporting event in the world for as little as $18.
Ahead of the opening matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, ticket prices are selling on secondary market site Viagogo for less than $20.
Oliver Wheeler, a spokesman for Viagogo, told Bloomberg News that the crash is related to the major infrastructure problems Brazil is having in the leadup to the World Cup.
“Some of the ticket prices have been directly related to the confidence in the infrastructure,” Wheeler told the news outlet.
As of this article’s posting, tickets for the match between Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Cuiaba can be purchased for $17.33 on Viagogo. A match between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran in Salvador has tickets selling for $17.70. The face value of these tickets are around $100.
On the flip side, tickets for the World Cup opener between hosts Brazil and Croatia are selling for at least $1,400 on Viagogo. The cheapest price for the final on June 13 is around $5,400.
Most of the bargains can be found, unsurprisingly, for games set in the northern and northeastern regions of the country, which are known for their searing heat. Teams have been concerned about playing matches in the region, with some kickoff times set for midday, when the heat is at its most intense.
Flooding in the Amazonian city of Manaus this week has also had a major impact on tickets sold for matches in the area.