Jun
6
World Cup stadiums still not full
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A bit of an unexpected problem FIFA has come up against in their World Cup preparations is the amount of tickets left unsold. By the 4th of June, or exactly one week before the opening game between South Africa and Mexico, there were around 150,000 tickets for all 64 games left unsold.
The problem has certainly not been lack of interest, as football fever is running high in South Africa right now. But a number of mistakes by FIFA have led to this situation, starting with failing to do the proper research before organizing the ticketing system. At first the tickets were only available online, and many South Africans struggled to get access to the internet to pay for them. When this problem was recognized, FIFA released the tickets around the country, and most were snapped up pretty quickly. Those that remain unsold are largely from the A category that can range up to $900, which is an absurd amount of money for the average citizen.
The global recession has also hit away travelers a bit, and the expenses of flying to the African country, staying at hotels and paying for all your team’s games has been too much for a lot of people. In a perfect world it would be easy to suggest that pricing should have been greatly lowered at all levels, but the reality is often less than perfect.
Still, will not-entirely full stadiums dampen the spirit of the World Cup? Not at the slightest I would say. The hosts know how to create a tremendous atmosphere, as the whole world will see on June 11th.