Dynamic Pricing

[Craig Fae Hamilton]

I am trully infuruated with FIFA's ticket pricing. This is my take on what's happening.

Everybody assumes that 'Dynamic Pricing' means the tickets are going to go up in Price as demand grows. I don't think this is the case for most Group games in the Group Stage. In fact, I think the exact opposite is true for most games. And this has been done to MAXIMISE Profit from members of Supporters Clubs across the Globe. Prior to them having to reduce prices to fill the Stadia.

100% I think FIFA are trying to sell tickets for as much as they possibly can to the people most likely to pay it, the Fans who are members of National Supporters Clubs like the SSC. And then fully intend to slowly reduce the prices until they are low enough for Americans to fill the Stadia. Just like they had to do during the Club World Cup where tickets were reduced to as low as $15.

The easiest example of this is Scotland v Haiti. And I would say Morocco and Brazil will be similair, all be it to a much lesser degree. VERY FEW Group Games will conform to the normal concept of prices rising.

SSC Tickets are on Sale for $180, $400 and $500. Roughly £135, £300 and £375. Most of the SSC Members who qualify for tickets will have to pay £300 and above. That is most of the tickets available from the SSC. We are all agreed that these tickets are an absolute DISGRACE! But this is what FIFA thinks it can make Supporters Clubs fans pay to get their ticket. It is not how much they think they can sell out the Stadiums for!

If I had to use my SSC Points for all 3 tickets, I would have to pay $1800........£1350 for 3 Games!

But, the price of the Tickets is 'Dynamic' so can fall as well as rise thankfully. And the true price of the Tickets will not be set by how many Supporters Club Fans apply. Because that makes up only a fraction of every Stadium, another ABSOLUTE DISGRACE! Nope, the final prices will be set by Americans. Americans who are largely dis-interested in Football. So, back to the case in point. Prices for Americans to buy tickets are EXACTLY the same as how much they are on offer to Suporters Club Members for.

Ask yourself, are Americans going to buy 50,000 Tickets for Scotland v Haiti at say an average price of say £270 a Ticket? When we saw Club World Cup Prices fall to £12 a Ticket for some games? A snowball has a better chance in HELL than FIFA does to sell out this game for £270 a Skull! So immediately we know tickets are going to be left.

And that means any SSC Members paying for Standard or Premier Tier pricing are being totally shafted! Because there is no way that prices will be maintained at anywhere near a price point of £300. How far they will drop to get Amerticans to buy tickets in a quantity of around 50,000 to fill the Stadium is anybodies guess. $100, £75?

But this is where it gets really bad. FIFA can only adopt this sickeining sales strategy with help from National Associations. They could not force SSC Members to be paying this for Scotland tickets without the SSC's help. Over 50% of our tickets will be above £300 for HAITI! Prices that we know will fall by some way! What push back has there been from the SFA? How many Tickets have they held back? I would say at an estimate 20% MINIMUM. Have they held back 20% of each of the ticket Prices? Because what they could have done is only held back the PREMIUM TIER Pricing Tickets and left all of the Cat 2 and 3 Tickets for the Fans. They could have publically called out FIFA on these prices. They could also have subsidised the purchase of all Tickets above the 'Value' Tier so that every SSC Member who qualified for a ticket all paid the same price. BUT, they have done NOTHING! Not even told us how many tickets they removed or in which categories they removed them from. They have done NOTHING! Other than obediently facilitating SSC Members, most of whom will not qulify for 'Value' Tickets and will have to purchase Cat 1 or 2's. That puts the Group Game at some where between $1330 - $1800 for most SSC Members. It is trully DISGUSTING!

I am delighted for the high pointers to get 'Value' Tickets for $665 for the Group Games. They deserve it. But for the other 92% of SSC Members who will not qualify for 3 of the cheapest tickets. FIFA are using us as a CASH COW before they need to reduce prices! Or Americans could pay £275 each for 50,000 Tickets. What do I know???

 

 

 

 

[sultan_of_arabia]

The thing is more than half the tickets are already sold or accounted for through the gravy train. Professional scalpers will control their ticket prices like a cartel. They are better selling few at a high price rather than giving away volume for next to nothing. That leaves the speculative scalpers who are more at risk and will want to minimise losses even if they are significant, possible they will offload very cheaply.

The reality is there will be 10-20000 Scotland fans in the host cities either from travelling over or the dispora. Everyone of them is capable of dropping 2-300 USD on a ticket otherwise they wouldn't be travelling and for the locals that normal pricing for major events.

Do I think there could be tickets for a few hundred less than the standard pricing, possibly. Do I think there will be many cheap tickets for Scotland games, you will be very lucky.

Edited December 15, 2025 by sultan_of_arabia

[lau03143]

FIFA have in effect implemeted dynamic pricing, but trying to appear as if they haven't by fixing the prices. 

There is no reason a CAT1, 2 or 3 ticket should vary across location or teams for the same round of the games. They know some games will be more popular than others, higher visibility and have set those prices to be higher.

[GaryWood34]

I think Scotland matches will all sell out at face value for all categories. We have been starved for so long. 

Other nations wont and some might but Scotland wont see any cheap seats come up IMO. 

If you have 14 points you’ll get a ticket. If you have between 10-14 you’ll probably get one.

Under that maybe cat 1 at a very big push. 
 

[bdgsct]

We have to remember the capacity for the stadium in Boston is 65k. There will be 40,000 genuine neutrals at the game after we've all bought tickets during this farce. The neutrals will set the market rate as NONE of them will be entering a ballot at $400-$500 when they have a choice of many games in the vicinity with genuine superstars on show. If it was USA v Haiti in Glasgow, even if you were a millionaire, would you take your kid to the game and pay $1000? No, and neither will they. They'll wait and see what's available nearer the time as we all would. Even diehard Haitian fans will be giving this a wide berth until nearer the time.

[GaryWood34]

If they felt we (SSC) are more likely to pay more than anyone else they’d have given the option of more than 3800 out of 65000

[bdgsct]

3 minutes ago, GaryWood34 said:

I think Scotland matches will all sell out at face value for all categories. We have been starved for so long. 

Other nations wont and some might but Scotland wont see any cheap seats come up IMO. 

If you have 14 points you’ll get a ticket. If you have between 10-14 you’ll probably get one.

Under that maybe cat 1 at a very big push. 
 

How many Scottish fans, including Yankee Scots, do you think will be at the first game?

[GaryWood34]

2 minutes ago, bdgsct said:

How many Scottish fans, including Yankee Scots, do you think will be at the first game?

No idea mate but the population is massive. I do believe it’ll sell out comfortably. 

[bdgsct]

2 minutes ago, GaryWood34 said:

If they felt we (SSC) are more likely to pay more than anyone else they’d have given the option of more than 3800 out of 65000

It's to create this frenzy. All they've done is sell the worst seats in the stadium for the highest price. Before they attempt to sell the better tickets for as much as they can get. If it goes down to single pointers, they've pretty much nailed it. If they had given us 6000, the SSC would be sending some back as some people can see through this.

[Haggis_trap]

I am with you on the dynamic pricing scam.
FIFA have basically done an Oasis and become the touts.

The big problem is that once folk have booked flights to USA then they are going to be desperate to secure a ticket.
Though I am pretty sure there is a high chance of cheaper tickets in the run up to the match.  Problem is that you would need to hold nerve and also be in the US to take advantage.... £500 for a game of football is just greed.

As you say - Americans have zero interest in seeing Scotland vs Haiti.
 

[Ally Bongo]

10 minutes ago, Haggis_trap said:

.  Problem is that you would need to hold nerve and also be in the US to take advantage.... 
 

And have a laptop or very good smart phone at hand ?

I presume there isn't going to be any public sale ?

[thesaint]

2 hours ago, GaryWood34 said:

No idea mate but the population is massive. I do believe it’ll sell out comfortably. 

Hard to put a number on it but can't see more than 10000 Scotland fans in total being there including Scotland supporters from the USA and Canada.If you were including how many that would love to be there but unfortunately can't afford it then that would be a different story altogether.

[Squirrelhumper]

7 minutes ago, thesaint said:

Hard to put a number on it but can't see more than 10000 Scotland fans in total being there including Scotland supporters from the USA and Canada.If you were including how many that would love to be there but unfortunately can't afford it then that would be a different story altogether.

I thought that before the draw but it being east coast has seen folk i thought were defo not going to go, now having booked up for at least one game. I was initially doing 10 days max and doing first two games but east coast swung it for me (as did fact it was Brazil) so now staying for the .3. 

Out of our group there are 15 of us going. Ranging from 32 pointers to 10 pointers. I think we'll have well over 10,000 travelling then whoever lives over there. 

Also know quite a few folk who are going to Orlando for a family holiday now and doing Brazil game. Think that will be pretty common. 

[bdgsct]

16 minutes ago, Squirrelhumper said:

I thought that before the draw but it being east coast has seen folk i thought were defo not going to go, now having booked up for at least one game. I was initially doing 10 days max and doing first two games but east coast swung it for me (as did fact it was Brazil) so now staying for the .3. 

Out of our group there are 15 of us going. Ranging from 32 pointers to 10 pointers. I think we'll have well over 10,000 travelling then whoever lives over there. 

Also know quite a few folk who are going to Orlando for a family holiday now and doing Brazil game. Think that will be pretty common. 

That's a good, straw poll, of the same group, how many went to Germany? 

[bdgsct]

2 hours ago, Ally Bongo said:

And have a laptop or very good smart phone at hand ?

I presume there isn't going to be any public sale ?

There is a public sale for every game based on dynamic pricing. Either there will be a few thousand left and be very expensive or tens of thousands left and be dirt cheap. The resale market will also influence the public sale.

We have to remember that Cat 1 and Cat 2 tickets make up about 80% of each stadium. Haiti v Morrocco is in a 75,000 stadium. Now, fans of both teams and neutrals will be confident  this won't sell out. I would predict that literally no one will apply for $400 tickets in the ballot for this one. If anyone can give me any justification for doing so, I'm all ears. 

Now, whilst this is the biggest game in 28 years for us. Average Americans will feel the same about Scotland v Haiti as the above game. If they want to commit $400 and have no leanings to any country then Id suggest the locals might pick a more exciting team to watch or pick a knock out tie, or even pay a little more to watch their own team. Even if they fancy this game it will be Cat 3 at most. Yes, there will be some who have Scots ancestry but it's reasonable to suggest that there will be at least 30,000 tickets in total going to the resale market via sponsors or to public sale after all Scots appetite for tickets have been met. This tells you two things - 1. Everyone who enters the ballot for Cat 1 and Cat 2 will get one, so be careful how many you buy. AND 2. If enough locals werent willing to enter the ballot at the $400 price point, then ticket prices will fall.

Scotland games might sell out but not at anything like face values. As our fans can't fill the stadium, market prices are dictated by local appetite for tickets rather than what we are willing to pay.

 

[Ally Bongo]

This guy is excellent on showing how everyone is being ripped off 

There is dynamic pricing and FIFA's dynamic pricing - which isn't dynamic pricing 

No ticket will be sold for less than it's face value - unless you meet someone with a spare at the last minute

 

[dezmondo]

1 hour ago, Ally Bongo said:

This guy is excellent on showing how everyone is being ripped off 

There is dynamic pricing and FIFA's dynamic pricing - which isn't dynamic pricing 

No ticket will be sold for less than it's face value - unless you meet someone with a spare at the last minute

 

Thanks for that. Very good video. Although my blood pressure is even higher after watching it 😡😅

[Squirrelhumper]

6 hours ago, bdgsct said:

That's a good, straw poll, of the same group, how many went to Germany? 

Probably double that roughly.

[allan84]

I have been watching a few tout sites.

Prices are DROPPING already.

Still a rip-off but a small step in the right direction.

Ive changed my tune, I reckon a cat 3 will be available for around £200ish by game time.

[Ally Bongo]

 

[Toepoke]

7 hours ago, allan84 said:

I have been watching a few tout sites.

Prices are DROPPING already.

Still a rip-off but a small step in the right direction.

Ive changed my tune, I reckon a cat 3 will be available for around £200ish by game time.

This is a good price tracker site if you're not already using it...

https://www.ticketdata.com/?f=Scotland

 

[Craig Fae Hamilton]

The Fifa Re-Sell Site opened yesterday. It was jumping. Tickets been put in peoples baskets but nobody every buying any. Today, it is totally dead.

If this is a sign of what's to come. Americans will not be paying crazy prices for World Cup tickets.

[bdgsct]

3 hours ago, Toepoke said:

This is a good price tracker site if you're not already using it...

https://www.ticketdata.com/?f=Scotland

 

The resale/third party market isn't really going to get going until all the ballots are completed and the remaining tickets are available. No one is paying above the face value as they could simply enter the general ballot. Anyone buying Cat 1 or 2 at $400 and above will be 'successful'. Americans aren't paying that much for this game at this stage.

[Toepoke]

3 hours ago, Craig Fae Hamilton said:

The Fifa Re-Sell Site opened yesterday. It was jumping. Tickets been put in peoples baskets but nobody every buying any. Today, it is totally dead.

If this is a sign of what's to come. Americans will not be paying crazy prices for World Cup tickets.

Logged into it for a laugh, good lord, Cat 2 tickets for Morocco at $16,000 🤣

[fringo]

1 minute ago, Toepoke said:

Logged into it for a laugh, good lord, Cat 2 tickets for Morocco at $16,000 🤣

😂😂😂 mental