The 2014 World Cup kicks off on June 12 in Brazil and a few tickets remain available and affordable. Venues, particularly northern stadiums, sell tickets for less than face value.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Nigeria vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina game on June 21 goes for $15.99 on website Viagogo.com, which works as a steep discount of the $90 face value. Russia vs. South Korea on June 17 went for $9.26. Viagogo.com’s head of ommunications Oliver Wheeler told the publication the lack of demand is because of the problems at a few of the stadiums.
“We got a really interesting piece of insight earlier this week. We could directly match the prices coming down to the news stories about the lack of confidence in the stadiums,” said Wheeler. “You’ll find that 4-5 stadiums won’t be completed on time, the infrastructure won’t be in place and those stories impact the prices of tickets. If those things don’t bother you, you’ll get a bargain.”
Manaus declared a state of emergency because of the Amazon flood. Tickets for the Honduras vs. Switzerland match there on June 25 go for only $20 online.
Brazil hoped the World Cup would propel Natal, a city on the Atlantic coast, to a top tourist destination, but instead it caused more problems. Usually a host country picks eight cities to host games, but Brazil decided to pick 12. This meant the country had to reach out to second-tier cities ill-equipped to handle the world’s most popular tournament.
Brazil’s top cities Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo face many problems. In November, a crane collapsed in São Paulo and killed two workers. A bullet train between the two cities never left the station and a rail line in Cuiabá will not be completed in time even though it was specifically built for the World Cup.
The cities also face threats from anarchy group Black Bloc, which promised to disrupt at least one game. The group, along with other residents, is not thrilled with the amount of money spent on the World Cup instead of education, health care, and safety.
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