By Abigail David
Resale ticket prices for Friday’s FIFA World Cup quarter-final in Los Angeles have fallen sharply following the elimination of tournament co-hosts the United States and Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, according to a report by Forbes.
The report said the cheapest resale tickets for the match dropped by nearly 60 per cent, falling from about $2,950 to around $1,200 on the secondary marketplace TickPick after the Round of 16 concluded on Monday.
The decline followed the United States’ 4-1 defeat to Belgium in Seattle and Portugal’s 1-0 loss to Spain in Arlington, Texas. Forbes said the absence of both the host nation and Ronaldo, one of football’s biggest global stars, significantly reduced demand for the Los Angeles fixture.
Data cited from ticket marketplace SeatPick showed average resale prices for all World Cup quarter-final matches declined by 31.5 per cent over the past day and by 50.4 per cent over the previous three days. The number of tickets listed on secondary markets also increased from 28,285 at the start of the tournament to 49,415.
Despite the drop in quarter-final prices, demand for the World Cup final remains strong. According to Forbes, the cheapest resale ticket for the final in New Jersey on July 19 was listed at $9,346 as of Tuesday, although prices are expected to change depending on the teams that qualify.
