Getting World Cup Tickets? [Archive]

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deadman

14/10/2005, 2:18 PM

The Irish team may not be travelling to Germany but I'm still interested in making the journey - switching my allegiance to Togo or Angola.

1) As a member of FIFA, do the FAI get an allocation of tickets for any of the world cup games?
2) and how would you go about getting your hands on these?

thanks

gspain

14/10/2005, 3:17 PM

They do.

I'm not being flippant but send in an application. i imagine they'll only sell to block bookers though.

No point really if you're looking for England or Brazil but if you want to watch Togo or Angola as you say v Ecuador or Saudi Arabia then you might get them.

www.fifaworldcup.com will have tickets for sale after the draw and it's a fair bet that Togo etc will be the ones available.

As it could well be 20 years before we have a world cup in Europe again it's worth popping over for a couple of games however it certainly won't be anything like those we were in.

I'm hoping to go and support Iran and the Ivory Coast

HarpoJoyce

15/10/2005, 12:08 PM

I'm hoping to go and support Iran and the Ivory Coast

gspain, are you just going to reverse your Ireland flags for the Ivory Coast matches or get fresh ones?

Bluebeard

18/10/2005, 11:34 AM

Fair Play Deadman, I'm planning to do the same, follow one of the newbies who will probably not be able to being a full support - Angola currently winning my vote, based on their classy kit, and memories of Zaire in the 70s, though I might turn Australian, depending.

fbtn

18/10/2005, 1:21 PM

gspain

18/10/2005, 3:08 PM

Looking to go myself as it could be a long time before I get another chance. Thinking of taking my young son - be great memories for him to get to a World Cup.

I get block-bookings through Harps so would it be them that I would look for the tickets off?

Best bet is straight after the draw keep watching www.fifaworldcup.com and get your name into the ticket ballot or whatever they do for the last sales phase. You could try friends/neighbours as well to give you extra chances in the ballot.

Also worth applying to your local Harps F.A.I. rep. Be realistic with what you look for - eg not England v Holland and Brazil v Japan. Pick teams with poor support and obviously games near each other as you don't want to be travelling up and down the country. The f.A.i. will get a handful of tickets per game so you'll need to be lucky but most of the sponsors requests etc will be for Brazil, England, Holland and the later rounds etc etc.

NY Hoop

18/10/2005, 4:02 PM

Pick teams with poor support.

Exactly but if Togo are playing the Saudis in a 60,000 stadium on a tuesday afternoon I think its safe to say that tickets will not be a worry. Bunch of us going over ticketless just to take in whatever games we can.

Been to 3 World Cups and this whole ticket thing is over hyped! You always get sorted.........

Wonder will lucifer be selling tickets again at a World Cup?:rolleyes:

KOH

gspain

18/10/2005, 7:34 PM

Wonder will lucifer be selling tickets again at a World Cup?:rolleyes:

KOH

Maybe I'll get him arrested again. :D :D :D

Think a few Rovers fans owe me pints for that.

Colm

18/10/2005, 10:18 PM

Maybe I'll get him arrested again. :D :D :D

Think a few Rovers fans owe me pints for that.

Please elaborate. You got him arrested? Seriously?

gspain

19/10/2005, 9:49 AM

Please elaborate. You got him arrested? Seriously?

Kind of

Posted this a few times before

2 of us arrived at Brazil v Argentina at Italia 90 looking for tickets. Touts were talking £200 a pop and the European Brazilians were paying. We were a bit despondent walking around the stadium and who did we see but Louis and Mary Hunt. "have you any tickets?" "Yes I have 400 but I'm trying to do a deal with the Argentinians for tickets for our game v Romania tomorrow". I asked him to keep 2 , my father knows you blah blah blah. They disappeared into the VIP entrance and we waited outside.

Twenty minutes later Louis comes back out and said the Argentinians didn't want them and he had 400 tickets to sell - Cat 1 and 2s at £50 a pop (think this was the price anyway) I got the first 2 and was writing a eurocheque for him. Quite a crowd had now gathered too looking for tickets. The mafia ran the touting for Italia90. Meanwhile the main touts went to the police and expressed concerns re this guy touting at £50 a pop when they were charging £200. The cops immediately lifted Louis and apparently held him for 2 hours until after the game with his 398 tickets.

My biggest regret was handing my eurocheque to a visibly distraught Mary Hunt "they've taken Louis" "they've taken Louis" We got great seats too.

My Dad was also there in a hotel "slightly" better than our tent and he met Mary Hunt a few days later and she couldn't remember meeting me she had been so upset and then opened her bag to find the eurocheque. Unfortunately it was subsequently cashed.

NY Hoop

19/10/2005, 10:38 AM

gspain

19/10/2005, 4:27 PM

Christ you wrote him a cheque?? Why didnt you abuse him from a height? The one regret I had from that WC was not seeing that slime.

Delighted that he was held with all the tickets til after the game though. There were rumours going around that Rovers fans had chased him down the street in Genoa:D God I hope they are true. What goes around comes around, he'll get what's coming to him.

Mary Hunt? Wasnt she the one who wrote those stupid books about the big tournaments? " Hughton passes it to Townsend who passes it to........":rolleyes:

KOH

Heard all sorts of rumours what Rovers fans did to him including when he went to an EMFA game with a lady friend (he sure knows how to impress a woman) and was met by a bunch of Tovers fans who by chance were there coz Rovers had no match.

Mary Hunt is the woman who wrote the books. She was F.A.I. interpreter for Euro88 and Italia90 and wrote books afterwards. I enjoyed the German one not because of her footballing insights (she knew nothing about the game) but she did capture the mood well.

If I recall correctly she just glossed over the incident in Turin but she was really traumatised and being stuck on her own outside a football stadium in Turin.

mahermcwilliams

15/11/2005, 4:39 PM

CollegeTillIDie

16/11/2005, 7:06 AM

I'm interested in finding out about that too. A number of people I know would like to see some group games at the Finals, one man' s son said they would even be happy to see Togo play Japan!

dahamsta

16/11/2005, 7:35 AM

mahermcwilliams, please don't post in a thread and then start another on the same subject. We call that spam, and it's against the rules.

adam

gspain

16/11/2005, 1:47 PM

The Fifa site sounds very complicated to get tickets with the conditional tickets etc. is there any outlets in ireland or agencies selling them! Other agencies on the net are very dear! What will i do?

The FIFA website is your best chance of getting them at face value. You can also try the F.A.I. if you are a block booker. It is easy to use particularly if you have a mastercard.

The agencies will charge ripoff prices and don't have tickets. They sell you a ticket for a price and then try and buy one for less than that. Read the stuff on here re Euroteam and Basle. Japanese fans got screwed too in France 98 with hundreds of them buying tickets form agencies that couldn't stump up the tickets.

Failing that pick games with African, Asian or some South American nations and try your luck outside.

mahermcwilliams

16/11/2005, 7:57 PM

thanks for the the help! Hopefully i'll tickets now!!

cullenswood

17/11/2005, 12:51 PM

They do.

I'm not being flippant but send in an application. i imagine they'll only sell to block bookers though.

I contacted the FAI and they said that they "will not receive an allocation of tickets for our supporters"

berni23

02/12/2005, 12:49 PM

of course not, because they are not in it!

gspain

02/12/2005, 1:32 PM

Just noticed the previous reply now.

All national federations will get an allocation - the key thing i nthe cullenswood response is "for our supporters". I got tickets for 2 games in France 98 - Romania v Croatia (bit of a mess in bordeaux and we sat in different seats - loads of empty ones) and Brazil v Denmark. There were approx 16 Irish people sitting together at the gam ein Nantes presumably all F.A.I. tickets.

Having said that those kind of numbers won't go very far due to the demands of sponsors, officials etc. The chances of getting a ticket for any big team or even the big cities are virtually Zero. However if the Ivory Coast were playing Ecuador in Leipzig it would be worth an application as a block booker. You have nothing to lose.

Tickets get very expensive too for the later rounds - face value for a Cat 1 ticket for the semi final is €400. - €600 for the final.

brine3

10/12/2005, 10:50 AM

IsMiseSean

10/12/2005, 10:56 PM

Im plan on making the trip over too, just to experience the whole world cup thing. I was to young for Italia90 and USA94 and Korea/Japan well it was in Korea/Japan enough said!
Whats the best way to go about accomadation?I reckon renting out a car/van would be the best idea and sleeping in it.

Any thoughts on this idea?

Soko

11/12/2005, 12:25 AM

I'm in Holland so matches in the northwest of Germany interest me.

I'm going to see if I can get to Ivory Coast - Argentina in Hamburg. It's on a Saturday, so I don't have to miss any work days. And as somebody said, I already have a flag for the match and all...

That's where I'll be too. I'm looking at Czech Republic - USA in Gelsenkirchen (Schalke). Its a big ground so I'll see what I can do.

I'm very intrigued by Brazil - Australia in Munich on the 18th too.

Dodge

11/12/2005, 12:35 AM

I'm very intrigued by Brazil - Australia in Munich on the 18th too.
You and pretty much every aussie currently living in europe.... Will be etremely difficult to get tickets to that one

superfrank

11/12/2005, 1:03 PM

I could be going to Australia-Japan and /or Australia-Croatia.

teckno

12/12/2005, 9:44 PM

Im going to Argentina V Holland. Should be some game. Looking for tickets for England V Sweden

gspain

13/12/2005, 8:18 AM

I've booked 3 short trips

Germany v Costa Rica
Argentina v Ivory Coast
Holland v Serbia
(lots of travelling here)

England v T&T
Holland v Ivory Coast
Portugal v Iran.

Iran's semi final or more likely their group winner's one.

Ash

13/12/2005, 8:35 AM

I was on to the FAI yesterday and although they have an allocation
they are not in a position to offer tickets to supporters.

I applied for the Australia Brazil game so I'll see what that lottery brings.
I'm gonna apply for the other 2 Aussie games aswell. Lived there for a bit
so gonna support them.

Junior

13/12/2005, 1:25 PM

I could be going to Australia-Croatia.

I'd imagine that would be a high demand game as well. Lots of Aussies with Croat connections - why is that???

Mark Viduka for one!!

deadman

13/12/2005, 4:31 PM

did FIFA also mention something about a fans form dedicated to swapping or trading tickets at face value ... for the later rounds, i think .... not sure though????

deadman

13/12/2005, 5:27 PM

sorry another question.

are people applying for the full seven matches in the hope of picking up just two or three of their selection ... or should you be happy just to get one match?

was just about to submit request for seven games (2 tickets) and i'm suddenly afraid of being hit with a massive bill if i've too successful/lucky in the ballot!

gspain

13/12/2005, 6:55 PM

I think Aussie tickets will be tough full stop. We're trying to get 3 extra Portugal v Iran and 1 extra Argentina v Ivory Coast + 1 Holland v Ivory coast and that is not looking good.

FIFA are setting up a swop shop but you will need stuff to swop. You'll need to be realistic too eg no point in offering 4 Saudi v Tunisia for 4 Sweden v England.

Best to apply for 7 tickets. In fact best to get your mates to apply for 7 too. There will be huge demand. You won't be stuck.

superfrank

15/12/2005, 9:31 AM

I'd imagine that would be a high demand game as well. Lots of Aussies with Croat connections - why is that???

Mark Viduka for one!!
Mark Bosnich too. A lot of Europeans imigrated to Australia in the years after the war. They brought football too and alot of them founded football clubs solely for members of their ethnic community i.e. the Greeks and Croats.

Ash

15/12/2005, 10:46 AM

Mark Bosnich too. A lot of Europeans imigrated to Australia in the years after the war. They brought football too and alot of them founded football clubs solely for members of their ethnic community i.e. the Greeks and Croats.

In the old national league Sydney Unitred weer origionally formed as
Sydney Croatia, and Sydney Sharks were renamed Olympic Sharks and
then re-renamed Sydney Olympic in honour of Olympiokas

Green Tribe

19/12/2005, 6:44 PM

That's where I'll be too. I'm looking at Czech Republic - USA in Gelsenkirchen (Schalke). Its a big ground so I'll see what I can do.

I'm very intrigued by Brazil - Australia in Munich on the 18th too.

will def be in the city for that game, not necessarily looking for tickets as no hope, but want to catch the atmosphere of a great game(potentially) in one of my fav cities - Munich :D

gspain

19/12/2005, 8:12 PM

Just an FYI apparently there is no point in applying for World Cup tickets through the F.A.I. as a BB. They expect to only have enough for sponsors, council members and staff. they are not accepting applications from Block Bookers.

The IFA will apparently accept applications presumably only for those people resident in NI.

Junior

29/12/2005, 10:27 AM

Just putting in a few applications now for WC tix.

Im going for most of the big games (Brazil, Argentina etc.., I know there is a small chance) What other games do you reckon would be a bit different?

Was thinking Angola v Portugal might be an interesting one, Angola got Indepedence from Portugal in recent times, though Im not that familiar with the history - could it be a decent atmosphere?

Any others.....