Club World Cup ticket prices are SLASHED by FIFA amid concerns over empty seats - with 'tens of thousands still available' ahead of opening game

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

FIFA have slashed ticket prices for the Club World Cup ahead of the launch of the competition next week.
The new tournament will kick off in the United States on Sunday June 15, with Al Ahly taking on Inter Miami in the tournament's opening match.
In total, 32 teams will take part from all over the globe, including Manchester City and Chelsea from England as well as the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus and Bayern Munich.
There have been growing concerns, however, that the first game, which features Lionel Messi 's Inter Miami of the MLS, will be met by thousands of empty seats as FIFA struggle to shift tickets.
Tens of thousands of tickets have been left unsold for the game, which will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium - a ground that have a capacity of 65,326, according to The Athletic.
It is reported that sales for the match are as low as 20,000, but FIFA have said the number is 'much higher' and the estimate is false.
Tickets for the tournament have been sold under a dynamic pricing model, which sees prices determined by demand, and lowering costs indicate FIFA is struggling to sell them.
They are being flung for as little as £17 ($24), with the lowest-priced match appearing to be between Argentine side River Plate and Japanese team Urawa Red Diamonds in Seattle.
While fans can watch Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain for as little as £24 ($33) at Pasadena's 90,000 seat Rose Bowl.
Tickets costs between just £19 ($26) and £29 ($40) for Palmeiras vs. Al-Ahly, Benfica vs Auckland, Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Fluminense and Ulsan vs. Mamelodi.
Meanwhile, matches featuring Real Madrid currently cost the most, with prices starting at £228 ($310) for their clash against Saudi side Al-Hilal in Miami, while the lowest ticket costs £186 ($253) for their meeting with Austria's RB Salzburg in Philadelphia.
The lowest priced ticket currently available to see the Spanish giants is £97 ($132) and sees them come up against Mexican side Pachuca in Charlotte.
The prices appear to have risen after Los Blancos confirmed Xabi Alonso as their new boss and that Trent Alexander-Arnold would compete.
Arne Slot's side pocketed a £10million fee from Madrid for the defender to join them early and therefore play in the tournament.
Tickets for latter games in the group stage are currently more expensive the earlier ones, with FIFA appearing to be holding out that interest will increase in the tournament.
While Inter Miami's second group game against Porto is selling for as low as £42 ($58), the final group game against Palmeiras starts at £83 ($113).
In April, FIFA President Gianni Infantino claimed he was not worried about attendances because American stadiums have been packed during pre-season tours in recent years.
'I'm not worried at all to fill a stadium when teams are coming to play a World Cup, to play for something real, not just an exhibition game where sometimes the second or third squads are fielded and so on,' he said. 'This is a real game. This is a real competition.
'This is a real World Cup. It's the best players. It's the best teams coming.'
Previous iterations of the competition have included just seven teams, with Manchester City winning the tournament in 2023.
But the competition has a prize fund of £777m ($1bn), to be split among the 32 teams.
In a statement, FIFA said they 'anticipate great attendances throughout the competition for this first-ever edition - a tournament that we believe will grow edition-on-edition.'
They added: 'The strong international appeal has seen supporters from more than 130 countries book their ticket to the competition. The top 10 countries per ticket sales are the United States, followed by club fans from Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Saudi Arabia, France, Japan and Spain.'
Earlier this year FIFA already drastically slashed the prices of tickets amid concern over a lack of interest.
The cost of the cheapest seats for matches at the last-16 stage and beyond were dropped by as much as £310 ($385) 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 £423 ($526). However, they later became available for £113 ($140).
And the cheapest tickets for the final – which were an eye-watering £717 ($892) – were later offered for a slightly more palatable £241 ($300).