No notice on WC Tickets any time soon.

[Shibb]

LOL!! I keep telling myself that when I read my travel "bible"... Rick Steve's travel guide to German/Austria. All sounds fine and dandy, but has Rick Steve's every been to Europe during a WC? We actually asked him point-blank after a seminar about the WC2006 and his response was "he knows nothing about it". He travels. I watch soccer. I will take his advice on travel, and be glad to offer mine on watching soccer.

He he. We drove from our home in NW Tampa to Lake Wales yesterday to visit family. On the way we had to go on I-275. This was about an hour before the Outback Bowl. There was a heck of a traffic jam on the interstate and on all of the nearby secondary roads because of the Bowl game. This was a combination of a lot of people rushing to the stadium at the last minute and, unlike when the Bucs or Bulls play there, most were not familiar with the local traffic flow. It's also "high season" here, as it will be in Germany next summer, but we ALWAYS have a Bowl Game around the first of January so we should be used to it. Game days there will be a noticeable change to traffic flow. And when Germany is playing I expect that the country will stop. Don't expect your dinner to arrive if you place the order a few minutes before kickoff. The streets will be empty.

The good news is that I truly believe that most people will not drive. But the trains will be crowded. The hotels will be booked, at least on the nights before and after games. Flights will be expensive, as they always are in the summer, particularly with oil around $60+ a barrel. I think we can count on most of that.

[roadkit]

If I don't get tickets through USSF, I'll buy them outside the stadiums on game day.

Haven't you folks ever bought from scalpers before?

Sorry, but I'm not gambling a couple of thousand dollars on getting in on scalped tickets. Instead, I'll tell my wife that since I'm not going, I've decided to buy the 60" plasma TV to watch the games on with the money I woldv'e spent on the WC trip.

[rickinva]

I don't think people are overreacting to the apparent news. USSF said they would notify people by January 6th. If they can't meet the schedule they put out previously, it's a big black eye for them. Add me to the list of unhappy campers.

When/where did the USSF say this? Not doubting you, but with all the rumors/unknowns, I'd like to see the actual statement that says we would know by the 6th.

Thanks.

[roadkit]

Given that USSF has said it's implementing a first-in-time priority for allocating tickets, it should have had a system in place to allow it to allocate tickets as the requests came in.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

[Etienne_72772]

When/where did the USSF say this? Not doubting you, but with all the rumors/unknowns, I'd like to see the actual statement that says we would know by the 6th.

Thanks.

I was told by Amy at USSF that we would know by January 6th. (That's when I spoke to her the week after the applications were due.)

[roadkit]

I was told by Amy at USSF that we would know by January 6th. (That's when I spoke to her the week after the applications were due.)I'm starting to think this whole "you'll here by mid-late January" crap is like the rumor that the fax machine was broken.

Instead of waiting for an email from USSF, I'm periodically checking my credit card account online. If I have a charge for tickets from USSF, I'm pretty sure I'm in. :D

[SCBozeman]

I'm kind of stumped by the scalp thing if you have options.

For a chunk of change you can get guaranteed tickets via Soccertravel. Some don't want to do that, because they're willing to gamble getting scalped tickets. Okay, but would you really fly to Germany and not be willing to pay, say, $500 to see US - Italy? How about $750?

I've been seeing auctions on Ebay with people selling their USSF # to idiots (ie, not the tickets, but the number itself for the USSF drawing as clearly explained) for several hundred dollars PLUS the ticket price. It wouldn't surprise me if a scalped ticket could go for almost a grand for US - Italy.

For that bump up, calm your nerves and go with an agency.

[Stinkey Turner]

I'm kind of stumped by the scalp thing if you have options.

For a chunk of change you can get guaranteed tickets via Soccertravel. Some don't want to do that, because they're willing to gamble getting scalped tickets. Okay, but would you really fly to Germany and not be willing to pay, say, $500 to see US - Italy? How about $750?

I've been seeing auctions on Ebay with people selling their USSF # to idiots (ie, not the tickets, but the number itself for the USSF drawing as clearly explained) for several hundred dollars PLUS the ticket price. It wouldn't surprise me if a scalped ticket could go for almost a grand for US - Italy.

For that bump up, calm your nerves and go with an agency.

SV will likley provide tickets to those buying their air/land pacakges first. whatever, if anything, is left over, they might sell to folks who just need tickets.

[eissman]

I was told by Amy at USSF that we would know by January 6th. (That's when I spoke to her the week after the applications were due.)

Yeah, I mean, as was stated by US Soccer and Mike Lastort earlier... tickets pre-sales end Jan-4 and those left over go on sale Jan-6. That couple with the statement that "you will be notified BEFORE tickets go on sale to the public" pretty much tells me that we will know by Friday who's in and who's out.

Best of luck to ALL posters in there ticket allocations. I want to Drink with ALL OF YOU, mates!! :D

[scurley]

Sorry, but I'm not gambling a couple of thousand dollars on getting in on scalped tickets. Instead, I'll tell my wife that since I'm not going, I've decided to buy the 60" plasma TV to watch the games on with the money I woldv'e spent on the WC trip.

Make sure you have DirecTV, as their HD package has ESPN and ESPN2, and by that time probably local ABC.

[Shibb]

I was in England for the 98 World Cup and there was a buzz in the air there. I cannot even imagine what it was like in France.


I can tell you it was damned annoying when the French won, and I lived over the border in Switzerland (although Geneva was once a French province IIRC). Geneva is a UN kind of town, with inhabitants from just about everywhere in the world. There was a tent city set up in the largest "town square" with tents for the major participating country enclaves where they would gather to watch and cheer for their team. After the games the winners would drive around, honking and waving their flags. It can get very noisy.

So just imagine how quiet Europe will get when WE WIN the World Cup. Priceless.

[chrisrun]

At the second checkpoint your ticket will be scanned to prove that it isn't a forgery. At that point they will check your ID if you arouse their suspicion. This is the rather obtuse part, because they don't indicate what could arouse their suspicion (but I agree that drunken louts will get a hard look).

How about have your passport out with your ticket. American passport, ticket bought in America - don't check ID. American passport, ticket not bought in America - check ID. No passport - check ID. MR with ticket for MS - check ID.

[Qamle]

Sorry, but I'm not gambling a couple of thousand dollars on getting in on scalped tickets. Instead, I'll tell my wife that since I'm not going, I've decided to buy the 60" plasma TV to watch the games on with the money I woldv'e spent on the WC trip.

yeah it's gonna be tough to justify that one. Taking over a week off of work, spending a grand just to get out there, all while not having tickets. Then you have to deal with the ridiculous price of the Italy and Czech games, which those euro fans will gobble up the tickets. Also, I thought you had to have an ID number for each ticket. How will scalping even work then?

[MikeLastort2]

I also am not losing sleep over it anymore. What is in my control is done with already. I and my wife made the decision to go enjoy Germany as our first priority, so we wouldn't be so bent out of shape if we did not get tickets allocated to us. The tickets would be the icing on a very good Xmas as far as I am concerned.

Agreed. I really want to get tix from USSF, but if not, c'est la vie. Actually,I guess I should say "so ist das Leben."

:)

Cheeky bastard! SMart thinking... I wish I had that confidence. I am not the experienced traveller, so airline tickets were the first thing I booked. I have kept an eye on them since just out of curiousity and nothing has dropped at all in price for that time of year (so far).

I've been watching them too, and so far they haven't really dropped. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but so far it looks doubtful. :(

Whatever the case, I figure I'll buy airline tickets NLT the middle of next month, regardless of the price.

Hope we can meet up for a beer!

Bank on it.

[Jimbo]

I was in France in '98 and saw the US play Yugoslavia and Mexico v. Germany in the round of 16. There was a buzz, but in Nantes it was relatively low key. In Montpelier, the place was crawling with Germans and Mexicans soaking in the sun and beer. I bought tickets from some Mexican guys we met in a drug store on the day of the game. It took multiple trips to the ATM to come up with the cash for those tickets. If you think you're going to get a bargain from a scalper, dream on -- the best chance of getting tickets would be the US v. Ghana game because Ghana won't have the local following and one or both of the teams could be elimintated by that time, but for the Italy or CR games, or in an elimination game, the demand will outstrip the supply and tickets will come at a high premium. Don't expect any bargains in the secondary market.

The French aren't as rabid about soccer as the Germans are and it wasn't until France got deep into the tournament that people really started getting into it. But when they did, they were far from the too-cool Parisians. I remember waiters with their faces painted in Paris and high fiving it with strangers on the left bank after France won to go to the final. In Germany I would expect the locals to be more into the tournament.

Frankly, the best shot to get tickets is to pick one of the games that is likely to have the lowest local interest, for example, Korea v. Togo in Leipzig, or Angola v. Iran in Frankfurt, via the FIFA lottery. At least that would get you a chance to see a WC game. If the USSF doesn't come through with timely notification of ticket applicants and you aren't willing to risk duplicate applications, this would get you in the door in Germany. Alternatively, you can apply in the lottery for tickets that are in higher demand (e.g., anything with England, Germany, Holland, Brazil) and, if you get lucky with FIFA, trade for a US ticket. I think there will be a liquid market, but if you haven't got something to trade, you're going to have to put up a lot of cash for US tickets.

[nowherenova]

Ok. If they are saying that the public sale is still up in the air, than they must be close to filling the allotment. If they were out of tickets why would the public sale still be in question? I would therefore guess that those who got apps in on the first couple of days would be in good shape.

Just a guess, but based on the content we've been given from the purported statement from Amy I cannot see reason to be too concerned.

Now the notification situation is an entirely different matter...

[JBigjake]

I have booked my plane tickets, so one way or another I am going...
That's the spirit!

[JBigjake]

If I don't get tickets through USSF, I'll buy them outside the stadiums on game day. Haven't you folks ever bought from scalpers before?
I'll be offering one Euro more than Mike per ticket!

[JBigjake]

Best of luck to ALL posters in their ticket allocations. I want to Drink with ALL OF YOU, mates!! :D
I echo these sentiments! Perhaps we're all living in a bubble, thinking that the whole USA is trying to get WC tix, when in reality it's just us BSers who were falling over each other trying to be the first ones through on the fax line!

[eissman]

I echo these sentiments! Perhaps we're all living in a bubble, thinking that the whole USA is trying to get WC tix, when in reality it's just us BSers who were falling over each other trying to be the first ones through on the fax line!

Let's hope... we will all soon fiind out!! :D