FIFA World Cup ticket sales have been declining in host cities, though experts expect them to improve as the deadline approaches.
Ticket sales have dropped 23 percent over the past 30 days. In the Dallas host city, for instance, ticket sales for the Netherlands vs. Japan dropped 12 percent; England vs. Croatia dropped 23 percent, per NBC Dallas.
“During Tuesday’s Arlington City Council meeting, Arlington Deputy City Manager Jennifer Wichmann told council members that only about half, or possibly less, of the 700,000 available tickets for Arlington’s FIFA World Cup matches have been sold,” noted the outlet.
“We’re thinking between about 35 and 50% of those have been sold. My 35% number comes from some tickets, numbers I got a few weeks ago,” said Wichmann.
Robert Lodes with DFW ticket brokerage house Metro Tickets attributed the decline to international unrest and a stagnant economy, with some buyers likely waiting until the last minute for lower prices.