World Cup tickets are selling for as low as $9
Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images
It may actually be cheaper to attend a World Cup game than to buy an actual soccer ball. With the games less than two weeks away, ticket prices have essentially collapsed as stadiums in northern Brazil have trouble filling seats. Marketwatch found tickets for early round games to cost between $9 and, at the "pricey" end, $15.
For example, tickets to the Nigeria vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina game on June 21 are being sold at an 80 percent discount, hovering around $15.99 a ticket on reseller Viagogo.com. And that's not even the lowest price — tickets for the Russia vs. South Korea match are selling for $9.26. Oliver Wheeler, a spokesperson for the reseller, is blaming the low prices on the country's lack of preparations and the overall wariness of fans in Brazil.
"You'll find that 4-5 stadiums won't be completed on time, the infrastructure won't be in place and those stories impact the prices of tickets," he said. "If those things don't bother you, you'll get a bargain." So far, though, it looks like many Brazilians have opted to just invest in a nice TV.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
- 
7 mountain hotels perfect for a tranquil autumn or winter escapeThe Week Recommends Get (altitude) high and unwind
 - 
‘Deskilling’: a dangerous side effect of AI useThe explainer Workers are increasingly reliant on the new technology
 - 
The biggest sports betting scandals in historyIn Depth The recent indictments of professional athletes were the latest in a long line of scandals
 
- 
FBI nabs dozens in alleged NBA gambling ringSpeed Read Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are among 34 people indicted in connection with federal gambling investigations
 - 
Trump orders NFL team to change name, or elseSpeed Read The president wants the Washington Commanders to change its name back to the 'Redskins'
 - 
Thunder beat Pacers to clinch NBA FinalsSpeed Read Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals
 - 
MLB lifts ban on Pete Rose, other dead playersspeed read 16 deceased players banned for gambling and other scandals can now be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
 - 
Canada beats US in charged 4 Nations hockey finalSpeed Read 'You can't take our country — and you can't take our game,' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted after the game
 - 
Eagles trounce Chiefs in Super Bowl LIXspeed read The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22
 - 
Indian teen is youngest world chess championSpeed Read Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, unseated China's Ding Liren
 - 
Europe roiled by attacks on Israeli soccer fansSpeed Read Israeli fans supporting the Maccabi Tel Aviv team clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters in 'antisemitic attacks,' Dutch authorities said