A ticket for England's World Cup quarter-final against Norway is being advertised for over $8 million (£5.99m) on FIFA's official resale platform. The listing appears amid huge expected demand for the last-eight match on Saturday evening in Miami.
Resale Prices Soar
After England won their last-16 tie with Mexico, the match in Miami sold out. However, a small number of tickets are being advertised on the official resale market as touts attempt to cash in on interest. At least one category one ticket has been made available for the exorbitant price of $8m, according to the platform.
Category one tickets range in price between $3,214 (£2,409) and $8.05m. Category two tickets are available for up to $103,500 (£77,599), while category three tickets range between $2,875 (£2,155) and $57,500 (£43,116).
Controversy Over Pricing
The price of tickets at this World Cup has been highly controversial, with many fans priced out of watching their team during the tournament co-hosted in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. England supporters who purchased tickets when they first went on sale paid between £510 and £1,080. Those trying to buy through resale face even higher prices. The seller must also pay FIFA a 15% fee when selling through the platform.
The Football Supporters' Association has previously criticised the ticketing for the World Cup. A statement said: "Fifa has deliberately designed an online exchange which allows tickets to be sold at vastly inflated prices with world football's governing body grabbing 15% of the money from both the buyer and the seller. In Fifa's world, greed is good, and they'll reap the rewards."
FIFA President Defends Prices
FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the World Cup ticket prices ahead of the tournament, saying: "If we do something wrong, then probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong." He added: "If you sell it at a lower price point, in this particular market it would have gone — which is perfectly legal in this country ... in secondary markets at much, much, much higher prices and where would the money go then? Well, to those who organize secondary markets or black market activities and not to football."
