Fifa adds new, even more expensive World Cup ticket categories

Fifa added new, even more expensive tiers of tickets for this year's World Cup, asking up to US$4,105 (S$5229) for a front category one seat at the US opener against Paraguay in Inglewood, California, on June 12.

Last week, Fifa had asked for a top price of US$2,735 for category one tickets for the match but added new front category pricing.

Fifa also added a front category two tier to its ticket sales website without public announcement, asking US$1,940 to US$2,330 for those tickets for the US opener. 

The new categories were first reported Thursday (April 9) by The Athletic.

The World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19 in 16 cities in the US, Mexico and Canada.

Football's governing body had in its Sept 9 ticket products and categories information called category one "the highest-priced seats, located primarily in the lower tier" but appears to have withheld some seats from that category. 

It had labelled category two as "positioned outside of category one 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 US$3,360 in front category one for Canada's opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto.

For round of 16 games, it added US$905 seats in Philadelphia.

Fifa last week raised its top ticket price for the World Cup final to US$10,990 during the glitch-hampered reopening of sales. 

The price had been US$8,680 when Fifa sold tickets after the tournament draw in December.

Fifa's category two tickets for the July 19 game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, were US$7,380, up from US$5,575, and category three cost US$5,785, an increase from US$4,185.

No tickets appeared to be available for the final on Thursday on Fifa's ticket site.

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