US World Cup Ticket Info: Ready, Set.........and

[Bigdog]

Ticket Information for 2006 FIFA World Cup

U.S. Soccer has outlined the purchase and distribution process for 2006 FIFA World Cup tickets allotted by FIFA. Fans registered at ussoccerfan.com will have an advanced opportunity to purchase tickets to the U.S. Men's National Team matches at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany this June. This exclusive ussoccerfan.com pre-sale will begin Monday, December 12 at noon CT.

Below we have listed more information to provide some insight to this much anticipated event.

Ticket Order Process

* FIFA will allocate eight percent of their ticket allotment for each U.S. match to U.S. Soccer.

* Please note that U.S. Soccer will only be allocated, and make available for sale, tickets for matches in which the U.S. will compete. Information on how to purchase tickets for non-U.S. matches can be found on the FIFA website at www.fifaworldcup.com.

* On Monday, December 12, 2005 at noon CT, a PDF version of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Ticket Order Form will be sent directly to the e-mail addresses of registered ussoccerfan.com members. That e-mail will include an exclusive one-time-only password to be used on the order form confirming the buyer's status as an ussoccerfan.com member. Only one order will be processed per password. The password you provide on the order form must match the corresponding e-mail address on record with U.S. Soccer to be processed.

* Properly completed order forms with appropriate methods of payment, a valid U.S. Passport number to correspond with each ticket, and a U.S. mailing address will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis. U.S. Soccer recommends submitting your order via a method with delivery confirmation (i.e. fax, DHL, Certified Mail, FedEx, etc.). Due to the anticipated amount of orders, U.S. Soccer will not be able to give immediate confirmation of receipt, however, confirmation will be sent via e-mail within two (2) business days of receipt at U.S. Soccer.

* The pre-sale will end on Wednesday, January 4, 2006, at 5 p.m. CT. Any tickets still available after the private pre-sale will be made available to the general public on Friday, January 6, 2006, at 9 a.m. CT. All ticket orders are subject to U.S. Soccer and FIFA’s Terms and Conditions and members with order forms that cannot be filled (i.e. insufficient information, payment issues, etc.) will be notified before tickets are released to the public. Orders received after the U.S. Soccer allotment is sold will be placed on a waiting list with U.S. Soccer until all preceding orders are confirmed.

Ticket Prices
FIFA, in conjunction with the German Organizing Committee, has set the following ticket prices. Each ticket price is displayed in Euros and includes an additional 10 percent handling charge.

PRICING (In Euros)
Cat. I Cat. II Cat. III Cat. IV Wheelchair
Opening Match 330 198 127 72 72
Group Matches 110 66 50 39 39
Round of 16 132 83 66 50 50
Quarterfinal 198 121 94 61 61
Semifinal 440 264 165 99 99
Third Place Match 132 83 66 50 50
Final 660 396 242 132 132

Ticket Availability
The following ticket guidelines have been set and will be enforced by FIFA and U.S. Soccer:

* Fixed (for the U.S. Group Matches) and Conditional (for U.S. competition in the Round of 16 and beyond) tickets will be made available for sale.

* Tickets can only be purchased in price category I, II, or III OR price category IV. Orders for price category IV cannot be combined with orders in price category I, II, or III within the same household.

* The maximum order quantity per household for tickets in price categories I, II or III is four (4) tickets for up to seven (7) U.S. matches.

* The maximum order quantity per household for tickets in price category IV is two (2) tickets for up to three (3) U.S. matches.


Ticket Order Payment
Mastercard and Visa credit or debit cards with expiration dates after January 2006 will be the only accepted methods of payment. Payments will be processed in Euros and are subject to applicable fees. Billing and delivery addresses must be identical in order for payment to be processed. If the U.S. does not advance to a match requiring Conditional tickets, refunds will be applied to the same credit or debit card, less a handling fee of five (5) Euros.

Ticket Delivery
U.S. Soccer anticipates tickets to arrive in May of 2006. Once tickets are received by U.S. Soccer, tickets will be delivered to the billing address provided on the official order form via DHL.

Important to Note

* In accordance with FIFA’s regulations, the following information is required for each ticket ordered. This information is subject to verification upon arrival at the stadium:

1. Ticket holder’s full name
2. Gender
3. Address (Street, City, State, and Zip Code)
4. Daytime Telephone Number
5. Passport Number
6. Nationality
7. Date of Birth

* Tickets are non-transferable. Resale or use of tickets in competitions, promotions, and sweepstakes are prohibited by FIFA, the German Organizing Committee, and U.S. Soccer.

* As part of the ticket purchasing process, ticket buyers must read, understand, and sign the 2006 FIFA World Cup Ticket General Terms and Conditions included in the order form.

* Every person wishing to enter a stadium must have a ticket regardless of age.


More Information
Inquiries regarding the exclusive 2006 FIFA World Cup ticket pre-sale to our ussoccerfan.com members can me made via e-mail at tickets@ussoccer.org

[The Wisdom Cube]

The points I take from this:

First come first serve.

No purchase through the internet.

Conclusion: I am definitely going to fax this or at least send it overnight.

[mandrake]

The points I take from this:

First come first serve.

No purchase through the internet.

Conclusion: I am definitely going to fax this or at least send it overnight.
Yea, I got the impression from this that it will NOT be a lottery. Def. going to test the fax machine a few times before the 12th :-)

[FC Tallavana]

One thing I got from this is that you need a US Passport for each ticket and that really, really upsets me considering my wife is not a US citizen (she has British & Irish passports). She is a USMNT supporter and has lived in this country for 7 years but has never decided to apply for US citizenship. I put an email in to US Soccer to see if something can be worked out but I'm not holding my breath.

Another thing is that they are only mailing the tickets to the billing address on the card at the time of application. Well, what happens if you move? My wife and I are moving between now and May and I certainly wouldn't want my tickets going through the month-long journey that is mail forwarding.

[The Wisdom Cube]

I noticed that these ticket prices are a little more expensive than those listed on the FIFA website.


FIFA:

Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4
Opening Match 300.00 € 180.00 € 115.00 € 65.00 €
Group Games 100.00 € 60.00 € 45.00 € 35.00 €
Final Sixteen 120.00 € 75.00 € 60.00 € 45.00 €
Quarter finals 180.00 € 110.00 € 85.00 € 55.00 €
Semi-finals 400.00 € 240.00 € 150.00 € 90.00 €
3rd place play-off 120.00 € 75.00 € 60.00 € 45.00 €
Final 600.00 € 360.00 € 220.00 € 120.00 €

USSF:

PRICING (In Euros)
Cat. I Cat. II Cat. III Cat. IV Wheelchair
Opening Match 330 198 127 72 72
Group Matches 110 66 50 39 39
Round of 16 132 83 66 50 50
Quarterfinal 198 121 94 61 61
Semifinal 440 264 165 99 99
Third Place Match 132 83 66 50 50
Final 660 396 242 132 132

[mpetrik]

I noticed that these ticket prices are a little more expensive than those listed on the FIFA website.


From the bulletin: "Each ticket price is displayed in Euros and includes an additional 10 percent handling charge."

Opinion: Based on some stories I have read about payment snafus, the 10% may be bearable since you can use your Visa or Debit Card...and deal with Chicago instead of Munich? Germany.

Question: Why can we only purchase 2 tix/household in Cat IV?
Related Q: Can my wife sign up and we can get two sets of Cat IV tix each? We live "in the same household", so I am not sure this will work.

[Bigdog]

Everyone, as Joe Mauceri was so nice to point out,
*CAT 3* Are the Upper Deck seats. See this Map from the FIFA site.
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/tickets/prices.html
So it is pretty safe to say if you purchase CAT 3 or 4 USSF Tickets you will be with/close other US Supporters.
This IS the way to go!!!
Good luck to you all.
Bd

[FC Tallavana]

One thing I got from this is that you need a US Passport for each ticket and that really, really upsets me considering my wife is not a US citizen (she has British & Irish passports). She is a USMNT supporter and has lived in this country for 7 years but has never decided to apply for US citizenship. I put an email in to US Soccer to see if something can be worked out but I'm not holding my breath.

Another thing is that they are only mailing the tickets to the billing address on the card at the time of application. Well, what happens if you move? My wife and I are moving between now and May and I certainly wouldn't want my tickets going through the month-long journey that is mail forwarding.

In case anyone is interested or is facing the same problem as me, this is the response I received from US Soccer today...


Hi Joe,

We're sorry for any confusion and thank you for bringing this matter to our
attention! A valid passport number will need to be provided for each ticket
purchased, however, the passport does not need to from the U.S. as long as
the billing address is within the U.S. Your wife should have no problems
applying to purchase World Cup tickets from our allotment and we have
reworded the information accordingly on our web-site.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at any
time. Thank you for your interest in U.S. Soccer! We hope to see you in
Germany!

Teresa


:)

[peledre]

If you're purchasing tickets with your credit card (which I highly recommend just in case there are any issues with delivery, you have a ton more dispute rights by using a credit card rather than a debit card) double check with your bank to see how high their currency conversion fee is. They range from 1-3% and if you're putting tickets for every match on there a difference of 2% will add up quickly.

[peledre]

In case anyone is interested or is facing the same problem as me, this is the response I received from US Soccer today...





:)
That's good news.

[riphamilton]

I don't see any indication that our requests can be faxed - all that was mentioned is regular snail mail. If this is the case and you live in Chicago, your chances of getting tickets are a lot better than the rest of us. Hopefully USSF has realized this; nevertheless, I'm writing an email right about now....

[Chuy]

I don't see any indication that our requests can be faxed - all that was mentioned is regular snail mail.

Uhm...

U.S. Soccer recommends submitting your order via a method with delivery confirmation (i.e. fax, DHL, Certified Mail, FedEx, etc.).

[riphamilton]

Uhm...

haha good lookin noob, i swear i read it a million times but i didn't pick that up even after looking for it based on the discussion here.... anyhow, judging from the experience i've had with redsox phone-in ticket sales, i'm not sure how much faxing will improve our chances.

[ayers]

In case anyone is interested or is facing the same problem as me, this is the response I received from US Soccer today...





:)

Thanks for the info. I was about to send an e-mail myself.

[jorge805]

I find it hard to believe that their fax lines will be able to keep up with demand at peak times. I'm wondering how my boss will feel about me taking my entire lunch break on the 12th at the fax machine...Hmmm...I may just DHL it, the last thing I need is for the fax to come out blurry, smeared, etc.

Speaking of tickets...Do you think the application will be the same as the FIFA one? If it is, I imagine you can have that one all ready to go and then just put the password you get from U.S. Soccer on it...This would definitely save time.

[The Wisdom Cube]

I find it hard to believe that their fax lines will be able to keep up with demand at peak times. I'm wondering how my boss will feel about me taking my entire lunch break on the 12th at the fax machine...Hmmm...I may just DHL it, the last thing I need is for the fax to come out blurry, smeared, etc.

Speaking of tickets...Do you think the application will be the same as the FIFA one? If it is, I imagine you can have that one all ready to go and then just put the password you get from U.S. Soccer on it...This would definitely save time.

I was wondering about the fax line thing myself. What makes me worried is that these stadiums will typically have a capacity of 40,000 maybe 45,000. That leaves an 8% of 3,200 - 3,600 tickets, some of which they may not be selling to us. My point is that there are not that many tickets. So if you mail it in, even if it gets there the next day, Yours may be coming in at the same time as 3,000 others, or after 3,000 faxes. Sorry, but eight months of trying to get these tickets has made me rather paranoid about this whole process.

Regarding the application itself, I would be ready for any of the questions that were on the FIFA application. Mainly you should remember to have the information for each individual for whom you are buying a ticket. From the announcement:

1. Ticket holder’s full name
2. Gender
3. Address (Street, City, State, and Zip Code)
4. Daytime Telephone Number
5. Passport Number
6. Nationality
7. Date of Birth

[socrne1]

The ticket allotment by the USSF, will there be a certain amount of category 1,2,3,4's or will it be set up like the fifa site as if you apply for a certain category but will take anoter category if the one you chose was not available? confusing for sure.

[The Lieutenant]

I might be pretty much ********ed by this. Unless I can get USSF to do an exception to policy, and let me email in scanned forms. We have no fax, and overnight mail to anywhere does not exist.

I emaild USSF asking if they will accept emailed scans of the forms, and no reply as of yet.

[jorge805]

I might be pretty much ********ed by this. Unless I can get USSF to do an exception to policy, and let me email in scanned forms. We have no fax, and overnight mail to anywhere does not exist.

I emaild USSF asking if they will accept emailed scans of the forms, and no reply as of yet.

That's tough! I'd say you should hit Kinko's (which is how I sent my form in for the last WC) but if there's no overnight mail at your location, there's probably no Kinko's. I'd say maybe scan it, e-mail to a friend, have him/her print and fax it. Long procedure, but...

[peledre]

I might be pretty much ********ed by this. Unless I can get USSF to do an exception to policy, and let me email in scanned forms. We have no fax, and overnight mail to anywhere does not exist.

I emaild USSF asking if they will accept emailed scans of the forms, and no reply as of yet.
I bet you'll get it, they've been pretty flexible, and if not, you can email the scanned forms to me, I'll print them out and fax them in.