World Cup Tickets

candylandriots

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The application process for World Cup tickets has begun if anyone is interested.

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/organisation/ticketing/index.html

I went in 2014, and it was probably the coolest sporting experience I've ever seen and I vowed to go back every time I could. It's like the Super Bowl, March Madness and the Olympics rolled into one (not that I've been to either of those three). We met so many cool people (and @soxfaninyankeeland ). If you're on the fence about it, do it.

We applied for tickets in Brasilia last time -- we were supposed to have a place to stay there (long story), but I think it really upped our chances by picking the most boring city in all of Brazil. We're going with a different tactic this time, as my wife doesn't fancy spending our vacation in Rostov-on-Don or Saransk, and I can't say I totally blame her. I'd like to follow the US team, but that's also pretty impractical in a country as large as Russia. I'll be much more inclined to do that in 2022.

When we applied for 2014, both my wife and I did -- and only one of us got selected.

Good luck for anyone trying to get the tickets, though hopefully Russia's world standing will keep some of the demand away.
 
Last edited:

Schnerres

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Apr 28, 2009
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What does all of this (it´s english...not my 1st language, sorry) means:
Do I set my name on a list of people and when I get picked for any match, I cannot say that I don´t want "these" tickets?

I´m at this stage:
None of the information stated at www.fifa.com/tickets concerning the conditions for the purchase of Tickets may, or will be, regarded as a public offer by FIFA in respect of Tickets. FIFA invites potential purchasers to send a Ticket Application Form, which constitutes an irrevocable and binding offer to FIFA by the Ticket Applicant to purchase the Tickets. Such offer will be considered in due course as described in this Ticket Application Form and in accordance with the rules set out in the Ticket Sales Regulations. The number of Tickets available is limited, and the Tickets will be allocated to a Ticket Applicant subject to availability and to the Ticket Sales Regulations.

This is not my usual english vocabulary. Please, someone help me.
 

Ale Xander

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Oct 31, 2013
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It's not Russia's or Switzerland's first language either.

yes you're correct, you get what they say you get. (binding offer to buy)
 

moly99

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Be aware that getting a visa to visit Russia can be a major pain in the ass. It's not like traveling to Brazil or Germany.
 

candylandriots

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Be aware that getting a visa to visit Russia can be a major pain in the ass. It's not like traveling to Brazil or Germany.
It looks like a visa is not necessary if you're visiting for the World Cup.

http://www.espnfc.com/fifa-world-cup/story/2907438/vladimir-putin-confirms-visa-free-system-for-2018-world-cup-in-russia

I learned after arriving in Brazil (and spending $320 on two visas) that it wasn't necessary there either.

Edit: Here's more about the "Fan ID" visa waiver: https://www.fan-id.ru/
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Just submitted my ticket requests and now we'll see. I'm limited on dates that I can go, and it's mostly round of 16, so they are fairly high demand games. We'll see.

I read about the fan id for the confed cup and it seemed to work really well. The one issue is that you really need to make sure you have at least one ticket purchased through official channels with your information exactly the same as your passport. So, if you have a middle name on your passport, when you use fifa.com to make your purchase, you need to make sure to use that middle name.
 

dirtynine

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I’ve been to the last three Cups. It is the best sporting experience in the world, in my humble opinion. All three times I have gone through the USSF for Team Specific Tickets so as to follow the US. (Been at every US WC match since Italy in ‘06 on.) This seats you with AO (partisan US supporters) which I enjoy but isn’t for everyone. Assuming qualification, I’m planning to go to Russia as well. I would see a non-US game as an impartial, but I haven’t yet.

There are two ways to follow a team - snake along with them or pick a hub city and do spoke trips. Hoping the latter will work with whatever schedule the US gets (again, knock wood) this time around. Setting up shop in St. Pete would be fantastic. Visas are usually set up specially for the Cup and the process is straightforward. Generally things aren’t as scary or as difficult as you hear. The key is to plan loosely, have accommodation and big travel taken care of, but leave a lot flexible.

If anyone wants any pointers or has questions, happy to answer.

I will not be going to Qatar under any
circumstances, and with ‘26 probably being stateside (and the end of the perfect 32 team tourney), Russia will be the swan song for this run, one way or another.
 

soxfaninyankeeland

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We met so many cool people (and @soxfaninyankeeland ).
This hurts.

Even though we seem to be in a competition to fashion the shittiest possible 2017, Pete and I are planning to take our talents to Russia next summer, again joined by Pete II and Colonel Dave. Our plan is to apply for round of 16 and quarterfinal tickets at various locations and create our trip out of whatever tickets we get. For Brazil we ended up with tickets to eight group stage matches and one round of 16 match, attended four and sold the rest. Based ourselves in Rio, saw two matches there with side trips to Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre.

If you've never been and can go, do it. I've attended World Series games, an NBA finals game 7, the Super Bowl and an ALCS game 7, and none of those crowds came anywhere near the intensity of World Cup group stage matches. Pretty sure jkempa attended both Chile-Spain and Argentina-Bosnia and can back that up.

Also, look up the jkempas in Russia and party with them.
 

candylandriots

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This hurts.

Even though we seem to be in a competition to fashion the shittiest possible 2017, Pete and I are planning to take our talents to Russia next summer, again joined by Pete II and Colonel Dave. Our plan is to apply for round of 16 and quarterfinal tickets at various locations and create our trip out of whatever tickets we get. For Brazil we ended up with tickets to eight group stage matches and one round of 16 match, attended four and sold the rest. Based ourselves in Rio, saw two matches there with side trips to Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre.

If you've never been and can go, do it. I've attended World Series games, an NBA finals game 7, the Super Bowl and an ALCS game 7, and none of those crowds came anywhere near the intensity of World Cup group stage matches. Pretty sure jkempa attended both Chile-Spain and Argentina-Bosnia and can back that up.

Also, look up the jkempas in Russia and party with them.
Ha! I was hoping that comment would make you surface!

We're planning to stick to Moscow, St. Petersburg and maybe an early game in Kaliningrad, so maybe we'll try for 1/8 finals and 1/4 finals too and try and meet up. My strategy right now is to wait towards the end of the process and see which games have lower demand and pick accordingly. Do you guys have cities in mind?

And Pete and soxfaninyankeeland are a good time too, that's for sure. I'll refrain from posting a picture of Pete after the Mexico-Brazil game on the beach :)
 

soxfaninyankeeland

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Ideally from my perspective we would attend some group's final game, some combination of the 7/1 and 7/3 round of 16 games in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the 7/6 quarterfinal in Nizhny Novgorod (260 miles shortest possible hung over travel distance) and one of our applications will be for semi final tickets (one is in Moscow, one in St Petersburg) because what the heck.

Ken Burns could make a solid documentary of all the pictorial and video evidence of Pete's misdeeds. Or just feature him in Prohibtion.
 

Zososoxfan

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+1 for applying. I was in Brasil in '14 and it was easily a top 3 lifetime trip. Germany in '06 was also pretty sweet. I'll be looking to see 1-2 Argentina group stage matches (provided we qualify). One thing to note is that the March Madness effect of 3 games every day is only true of the group stages. Once you get to the QF, there's more time and days between matches. So, if you want to watch lots of matches and get the most festive atmosphere with people from all over the world, the group stage is for you. If you are looking to combine sightseeing or other travel with your trip, the knockouts may be better, although everything will still be swamped and price-inflated.
 

candylandriots

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Just got a note from my credit card, and based on my math, I have apparently been charged for 5 of the 7 games that I applied for, missing out on a semi-final and the final (shocking, I know).

But that is three group stage games in Moscow and St. Petersburg, along with an 1/8 final in Moscow and and 1/4 final in St. Petersburg, so I'll be pretty happy with that haul once it's confirmed.
 

candylandriots

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How did everyone do with the draw?

Brazil - Costa Rica
Denmark - France
Serbia - Brazil

for knockout games I am guessing
Portugal/Spain - Russia
Germany - Switzerland/Costa Rica