(WSVN) - The FIFA World Cup is a few weeks away, and at a time when budgets are tight, soccer fans are expressing shock at how deep they have to dig into their pockets to score tickets.
Erick Solms, an Ecuadorian fan from Florida, said something is very clear: he cannot let this opportunity of a lifetime to watch soccer’s biggest stage in his backyard slip away.
“Just looking for the right moment, the right time, and look at the supply and demand,” he said.
He said the tickets he’s searched for are in the hundreds of dollars.
“One game, $400. The second game was going to be around $800. And the third game, which is against Germany, which has the most demand, it’s going to be about $1,200,” said Solms.
And he said that doesn’t include things like airfare, food, and hotels.
Solms is just one of many fans across South Florida who are seeing ticket prices rise to watch their team play for a shot at the coveted trophy.
The demand for some tickets is so high that it has left fans searching for seats elsewhere.
“I applied for the lottery. I did not get them, so I had to go through third-party reseller tickets,” said Solms.
The process for getting tickets usually relies on a lottery system, but not everyone has been lucky enough to get tickets to the big game.
As fans prep their budgets and scour the internet for tickets, Miami is preparing to welcome the millions who will tour Wynwood and the surrounding areas while in town for the matches at Hard Rock Stadium.
Those behind Wynwood’s famous streets, murals, and urban art, this event is an opportunity to reflect the love of the game in their artwork.
“We are ready to host some. We have a variety of different activations. We have a lot of our members from the Wynwood Chamber of Commerce hosting fan zones here locally,” said Soraya Roberts with the Wynwood Chamber of Commerce.
Small businesses across the city anticipate a significant increase in customer traffic and sales.
“Even on any given day nowadays, we could already see something like 350 people walk into a store on a random Tuesday, so imagine with all the supporters from, for example, the Netherlands, Scotland, all these people that come in extreme waves,” said Sebastian Gallegos, Marketing Manager at Classic Football Shirts.
As for fans, many wonder whether the experience, built for them, is even worth the high cost of the event.
“Would love to…” said fan Kimberly McDanagh.
“…But it costs an arm and a leg,” said Liam McDanagh.
“Is it financially worth it? Mm, I don’t know, but is it worth it? Is it like a personal goal of mine? Take it off my bucket list? Absolutely,” said Solms.
Tickets are still available for matches at Hard Rock Stadium. Those tickets range from $500 to $1,500. The match between Portugal and Colombia is sold out.
Some resale tickets for that popular matchup are going for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Thankfully, fans can catch that game, along with dozens of others, on WSVN-7 when it all kicks off in June.
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