YOU probably have a better chance of winning the Lotto than getting a ticket for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
But you will need your lucky numbers to come up anyway as prices are sky high — with a top-price ticket for the final costing £628.
And, if you follow England all the way from the group stages to the final, a special package of top seats will cost an eye-watering £1,890.
Tickets went ‘on sale’ yesterday but hang on to your credit card as you will not find out until April whether you are one of the lucky few who will actually get one.
All you could do yesterday was register your name and detail which tickets you want to buy.
After that, you, plus millions of other hopefuls, go into a massive worldwide draw on April 15 to determine who gets what.
Why? Well FIFA insist they have come up with the fairest system yet — meaning tickets are not sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
Instead, your name gets pulled out of a hat.
So you could be ultra lucky and get a ticket for one of England’s matches but your best footie buddy who sits beside you in the stands every week could miss out.
And be prepared to take out a second mortgage to fund your World Cup jaunt.
Top seats for the opening match come in at a whopping £513 — £312 for a match ticket plus a ‘supplement’ of £201 for the privilege of being there for the opening ceremony. Cheapest is £222.
Cheapest price for group matches is £56, with the best views commanding double that.
A last-16 match ranges from £70 to £140, a quarter-final costs £105 to £209, semis £174 to £419 and the final a massive £279 to £628.
If you want to follow your country and are convinced they will go all the way, it will cost you even more to see them.
Best-seat team-specific packages for all matches to the final cost £1,890. The cheapest is £870.
To part with your hard-earned readies, you have to log on to FIFA’s official site and then register your request for tickets.
Then you have a two-month wait for an email confirming the outcome of the draw. If you are one of the lucky ones you then have to pay for your ticket and finally you can collect your ticket in April 2010.
But of course, it would not be World Cup ticket sales time without a sting in the tail and later on this year they WILL be sold on a first come, first served basis.
FIFA explained: “The second sales period will be from May 4 until November 16. Ticket sales will be based on the order in which the application was received.” |
