Fifa president branded ‘a chancer’ over £1,750 Club World Cup tickets
Fifa has been slammed by football fans after the first ticket prices for next year’s Club World Cup were published, with the cheapest seats available for the final costing £700 ($890).
The prices, listed on Bayern Munich’s website, go up to £1,755 ($2,230) for lower-tier seats at the final, which will be played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
In response, the Football Supporters’ Association called Fifa president Gianni Infantino “an absolute chancer” in a post on social media.
The prices published by Bayern, one of 32 clubs set to play in the first edition of the revamped competition, showed that their group stage tickets range from £35 ($45) to £127 ($161).
Prices rise steeply in the knockout stages of the Club World Cup, starting at £220 ($279) for the quarter-finals and £414 ($526) for the semi-finals.
Fifa’s website says that tickets for some group stage matches will be available for £24 ($30) plus taxes and fees, but it has not yet published a full list of prices for all games. It is understood that the cost will be in line with US prices for major events.
The first phase of ticket sales is due to begin on Thursday and run until mid-January. Seats are being sold on a first come, first served basis and Fifa said it expected them to “go fast”.
A presale window opened on Tuesday for the 12 host venues, which also include Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, Audi Field in Washington DC and LA’s Rose Bowl Stadium.
Further sales are set to take place through the clubs participating in the Club World Cup from January. England’s representatives will be Manchester City and Chelsea.
Manchester City face group games against Juventus, Al Ain and Wydad AC, while Chelsea will meet Flamengo, Club Leon and Esperance.
Fifa and Infantino could face a further backlash after it emerged that dynamic pricing will also be used in the sales process for the Club World Cup.
The sales method gained notoriety earlier this year when Oasis used it to maximise returns from ticket sales for their reunion tour in 2025.