At the most expensive World Cup, wealthier fans find ways to pay

BOSTON, June 27 : In 1978, a pair of Scotland fans with little money hitched a lift on a ship across the Atlantic to Argentina, repainting it as they went to pay their way, in the ultimate World Cup budget journey featured in a BBC television documentary.

For decades, low-income supporters have taken buses and trains or hitchhiked to see their heroes.

Thousands of people from across South America found a way to make the Brazil World Cup in 2014 affordable by travelling and sleeping in camper vans.

This year, spiralling prices for tickets and accommodation alike have pushed the tournament further than ever into the hands of those with higher incomes.

“You’ve got to pay to play,” said Mike Gill, a British real estate developer based in Canada who was supporting England against Ghana near Boston on Tuesday. “It’s extortionate but people are paying the prices, so what are you going to do?”

Greg Connor, owner of an automotive repair business in Oklahoma, said he spent $9,600 for four tickets for his family to see France play Norway on Friday. 

"It's insane," Connor said. "We were considering going to five or six games, but we're just going to the one."

DYNAMIC PRICING, HIGH-INCOME FANS

Official prices for group-stage games this year were initially set at up to $575 a ticket. At the 2022 World Cup the most expensive group match ticket was $220.

But the dynamic pricing system adopted by tournament organiser FIFA this year, which lets prices move with demand, has pushed first-round resale tickets above $1,000, with later rounds higher still.

On Friday, the average lowest ticket price for upcoming matches was $1,600 on secondary resale websites, according to Ticketdata, a price-tracking website.

Renato Perez, who lives in the Galapagos