The qualifying process is still in its early stages, but it's not too soon to start planning for World Cup 2018 in Russia.
Last week FIFA and the local organizing committee released ticket prices for the tournament, which is scheduled to kick off on June 14, 2018, as well as those for the 2017 Confederations Cup, the event dubbed the “Tournament of Champions” which takes place as a dry run of sorts one year before every World Cup.
The price tags may come with some sticker shock, even for those who laid down a big chunk of their savings on a World Cup adventure in Brazil two years ago. The least expensive ticket for foreign fans costs US$105 (that's for a group-stage match), an increase of some 16 percent over the price of the same level at Brazil 2014. Meanwhile, the priciest “category one” ticket for the World Cup final runs a cool $1,100.
There is a substantial exception. For the third straight World Cup, local fans will have access to at least 350,000 steeply-discounted “category four” tickets, which are priced in Russian rubles at prices equivalent to $20 and up.
“We wanted to make sure that we priced tickets fairly to make the events accessible to as many people as possible. We therefore conducted thorough market research and have priced the tickets accordingly,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura in a statement.
Confederations Cup tickets start at $70 for global consumers and range up to $245 for the tournament final. Prices for local buyers start at the equivalent of $15. That event runs from June 17 to July 2 of next year; Russia, Germany, Australia, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand and Portugal have already qualified, and will be joined by winner of the 2017 African Cup of Nations in January.
World Cup tickets go on sale following the Confederations Cup. Confederations Cup tickets are available via a pre-sale in November and go on sale to the general public on Dec. 1, a few days after the tournament draw. As with previous editions, fans wishing to follow their favorite national team at the World Cup will be able to apply for team-specific ticket packages, as well as venue-specific ticket packages or individual match tickets. Learn more about the ticketing process at FIFA.com.
