Ticket prices for Fifa’s Club World Cup have been drastically slashed – triggering concerns of a lack of interest in this summer’s US-based tournament.
Mail Sport understands that the cost of the cheapest seats for matches at the last-16 stage and beyond have dropped by as much as 375 PER CENT following the introduction of a new ‘value tier’.
The lowest-priced tickets available for the semi-final for those who declare they are fans of a participating club had been priced at a staggering $526 (£423). However, fans can now buy them for $140 (£113).
And the cheapest tickets for the final – which were an eye-watering $892 (£717) – are now being offered for a slightly more palatable $300 (£241).
FIFA insist that the move is not a price drop but is instead the creation of a new category aimed at rewarding the loyalty of fans who will travel to the US.
Those who have already bought tickets can exchange them for those in the new band. However, the move comes with sales appearing at-best sluggish with the prospect of banks of empty seats looming large.
The price of Club World Cup tickets have been slashed, causing concerns of a lack of interest
The tournament will be held in the United States next summer with 32 teams taking part
Several games have thousands of tickets still available including the tournament opener on June 14 between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Egyptian giants Al-Ahly
For the opening match, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami against Egyptian side Al-Ahly at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on June 14, there are no fewer than 17 sections with more than 100 seats left on sale.
For Chelsea’s opener against Mexico’s Club Leon in Atlanta it is a similar story, with almost the entire upper tier showing high availability, while there are tickets free in most sections of the stadium when City take on Morocco’s Wyad in Philadelphia.
For the final, at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, there are 27 sections with more than 100 seats available, and there are similar levels of availability for both semi-finals, which are being held at the same venue.
The month-long tournament has undergone a controversial expansion some view as a FIFA land grab.
Instead of seven teams, it will feature 32 clubs from across the world including 12 from Europe, instead of traditionally only the Champions League winner.
Aside from City and Chelsea, heavyweights Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain will also cross the Atlantic.
The tournament has faced criticism given the increased workload on players, while a frustrated Premier League has said they cannot allow City and Chelsea to start their next domestic seasons later because of time constraints.
FIFA’s expanded tournament has already sparked disgruntlement over fixture congestion
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A vast prize pot appears to have helped assuage concerns of those involved.
As Mail Sport revealed in December, both English clubs could net up to £60m after Fifa signed a $1bn (£804m) television deal with DAZN, amid talk that Saudi Arabia could prop up the streaming platform with a similar investment.
City are in the competition as the reigning Premier League champions while Chelsea were the last English club before that to win the Champions League.
Games will be played across the US, including Charlotte, Cincinnati and Los Angeles.
