At the moment, all fans can do is register with FIFA for information:
Once the tickets have been sold or released, if you have not secured tickets via FIFA or your FA, then it’s off to the resale market and their sites:
The Main Ticketing Sites
First, with all US Stadia being mobile-entry, StubHub International, Ticketmaster, and Vivid Seats have apps that can be downloaded to your UK phone to keep your tickets in. Seat Geek does not yet have an app that can be downloaded onto a UK phone.
Previous tournaments have used a dedicated ticketing app, and I have not heard anything to the contrary about this World Cup.
There are some differences between buying from the tournament’s official app and the other ticket resale sites. The ticket was initially offered for sale on the official app, which means that they will only put up for sale and resale tickets that have physically been added by the seller and will be transferred to you fairly quickly, if not instantly.
The other sites are reseller sites, where the seller adds the details of the tickets they have for sale. If you purchase a ticket, you must wait for the seller to transfer it, which happens as it should in most cases.
When it doesn’t work, the seller may have the ticket for sale on various reseller sites, and it’s sold already, but they haven’t taken the listing down on the other sites yet. The seller may also be engaged in short selling, which is putting a ticket for sale that they do not have. If they get a sale, they search for a cheaper ticket and then pass it on to you, pocketing the difference.
In all these cases, the ticket site will automatically refund your money with an apology, but that doesn’t help when you can’t get into the venue to see the game.
This happened to me once in Boston, during the Bruins’ game-seven deciders. I purchased a ticket at quite an expense, but it didn’t materialise, so I ended up in a Sports Bar just over the road from the TD Bank Arena, watching the game on TV. My refund and apology email arrived a few hours later.
It will be your preferred choice who you use to purchase tickets through and when to buy them, whether through familiarity or price, so here are my observations.
The leading ticket resale sites are:
As previously mentioned, SeatGeek does not have an App that UK fans can download. Also, when you purchase a ticket via the SeatGeek website, the drop-down list of countries for your billing information only shows the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Fear not; there is a workaround. Enter your card details and the first parts of your address, but select a random US State and enter 00000 in the Zipcode box. It should then progress to completion. I have successfully tried this workaround.
Prices and Fees
Prices differ between the various sites, but the cheapest ticket on one site may not be a good deal, as the sites have different fee structures and are percentage-based. It’s worth comparing different sites when looking for tickets.
Some Sites now show a price for the ticket, including fees, but some require you to specify this.
Vivid Seats has a loyalty programme that offers discounts, ticket upgrades, and perks. It is something to consider if you buy tickets regularly or for a group.
Vivid Seats Reward Programme Details
When to Buy
When World Cup tickets first become available, they are usually quite expensive on resale sites, mainly because they are listed by professional and opportunist resellers.
I let it die down for a while, let the market stabilise, and then I’ll decide whether the price is right for me.
I find that prices do come down nearer to game day, especially for group games. Many of the stadia used are pretty big, so unless there is a marque team or player, ticket prices will not be too bad.
Once we reach the business end of the tournament, the resell prices will become ridiculous, especially considering the face value of the ticket set by FIFA.