The World Cup is again upon us and this time it’s in the beautiful country of Brazil. However, getting a ticket may not be as easy as you might have hoped. If you’re still having flashbacks and recurring dreams about buying London 2012 Olympic tickets, then this may be the guide for you. We at Latin Routes have spent many an hour puzzling over the system so we can provide you with all the information you need to make sure you don’t miss out on the experience of a lifetime. So, let’s begin…
The first complication is that fixtures for the group stages will not be decided until the qualifiers have been played in September and October this year.
Ticket Options
Specific Match Tickets: You can choose to buy tickets for a specific match, for example the Final, Semi-Finals or Group Stage matches. However, you will not know which teams you will be seeing until October. Prices for a single match start from USD 90.00 per person, on the FIFA website.
Specific Venue Tickets: Alternatively, you can buy tickets to a particular venue – so, if you’re in Rio during the world cup period, for example, you can buy tickets to the Maracana Stadium and be sure of seeing matches there. However, you will not know which games and which teams you will be seeing until October. Prices for a Specific Venue start from USD360.00 per person for 4 matches, on the FIFA website.
Specific Team Tickets: If watching your team is your main priority then you can buy tickets to a see a particular team for a particular number of games, but you will have to follow them to whichever cities your tickets are allocated to. Prices for a Specific team Ticket start from USD 297.00 per person for 3 matches, on the FIFA website.
Please note Latin Routes cannot secure general admission tickets, all purchases must be through FIFA authorised websites.
Ticket Releases
Tickets will be released in a system similar to the one employed during the London 2012 Olympics. There will be three ‘phases’ of tickets being released, with each phase including a ‘Random Selection Period’ followed by a ‘General Release’ period. The ‘Random Selection Period’ involves allocating tickets, at random, to whomever has entered the ballot. To enter the ballot, you must register your details on the FIFA website. So, if you enter the ballot for a Quarter Finals ticket, for example, you have the same chance of getting a ticket as every else who has entered the ballot.
This is followed by a ‘General Release’, where you will be able to purchase tickets on a ‘first come first served’ basis. If you missed out on being randomly allocated a ticket, now is your chance – any tickets not allocated in the ‘Random Selection Period’ will be available to buy as normal. The ‘Random Selection Period’ followed by the ‘General Release’ period is one ‘phase’ of tickets.
So, between the 20th August and the 10th October 2014, the first ‘phase’ will begin with the ‘Random Selection Period’. Fingers crossed, you’ll manage to secure some tickets but if not, the ‘General Release’ period will begin on the 5th of November and ends on the 28th November. By this time we will all know who is playing who and where so it is likely to be a frenzy of ticket buying.
The second ‘phase’ begins with another ‘Random Selection Period’ between the 8th December and the 30th January. The ‘General Release Period’ is between 26th February and 1st April.
The final ‘phase’ is a last-minute release of tickets that haven’t been sold. There will be no ‘Random Selection Period’, just a General Release period where you will be able to buy tickets as normal on a first-come-first-served basis.
Booking Your Trip
Once the fixtures for the group stages are released in October, we are expecting a huge influx of bookings for flights and hotels in the host cities, so we would advise contacting Latin Routes as soon as you know where you want to stay. Please be aware that most hotels in the host cities will require a minimum stay of at least 5 nights at a premium rate. It is also likely that many of the hotels will not confirm bookings until all the FIFA and sponsors have declared what they are doing. For the average fan this could mean you have to buy your football tickets, then your flights and leave your accommodation to nearer the time.
One way around this process is that Latin Routes have access to a limited number of VIP packages for the group games. VIP packages include the best seating in the stadium, catering, drinks and a lounge area inside or adjacent to the stadium to relax in before and after the game. As part of a VIP package there is exclusive allocation to certain hotels and this means you can book your complete package straight away with the peace of mind that everything is take care of. Please contact Latin Routes if this is of interest and we can begin putting it together for you. VIP match tickets start from around £899 per person per game. There is a possibility that you will not require the same minimum stay as detailed above.
Please note all information about the World Cup is provided without any obligation.
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