It does seem that way this time....I can't ever recall a major football tournament being 'ticketed' this way. Oh well.
The women's world cup 2015 was ticketed this way. Just a way to ensure the most people in the stands and revenue. I'm probably stating the obvious, but if you are the person who must have good seats... you have to pay the cost of the opportunity by buying more tickets than u need. Then the people who want single game tickets will be allowed to get those at a higher price and later time. So you also have the benefit of knowing where you will be before those people and book your flights and accomodations for cheaper. The single game tickets for the WWC were double sometimes quadruple the cost from the direct ticket portal right before the game as compared to the venue pass prices.
Even though I'm often amazed at how high prices for stuff are getting, I seriously doubt individual ticket prices are going to be notably higher than the venue passes (per match). The semis and one or two appealing group games might be exceptions, but there's just no-way Jamaica v Venezuela sells for any more than $300/ticket once people are able to buy individual match tickets. I think the organizers for the tournament have gotten a bit cocky. They think US-based fans are soccer starved and will pay anything to watch a live match. Some truth to that I guess, but that logic has its limits. I mean if I was Jamaican and super desperate to see my country, I could still fly to Jamaica to watch them pretty much any time I want. Once the price of these 2 choices becomes similar, its pretty obvious that this Copa no longer provides a unique opportunity.
Venue pass sales must be s-l-o-w...just received an email blast from organizers: "Top 3 Reasons to get your Pasadena venue pass". They're touting Neymar, James, and Chicharito as the reasons to buy passes...three players whose participation is in doubt due to Olympics etc. I've included a screenshot. Also, I know people are pining for individual matches to go onsale, but I think organizers will hold out as long as possible, to ensure that less popular matches (Jamaica/Venezuela etc) are at least paid for (probably not attended) by those who've purchased a venue pass.
I've been plugging in a couple of price points for Santa Clara venue passes into Ticketmaster for over a week now. It repeatedly offers me the same "best available" seats in each category. I guess it doesn't "prove" sales are slow but it certainly makes me wonder that. Personally, I think the ticket prices are ludicrous as well, especially given we don't know what kind of teams will actually show up. I will be going the secondary market route and pick up what I think is reasonably priced.
Yeah sounds like a smart move. My friends and I overestimated what demand would be like, so we grabbed Pasadena venue passes. Though it'd been our intention from the start to attend the first few matches (w/Brazil & Colombia) and then sell off the Mexico match. But some of the matches in the other packages are laughable for the prices being asked..
Meanwhile, the cheap seats at Euro 16 are €25 for group stage and round of 16, and €45 for QFs, €65 for SFs, and €85 for the final.
Just read on Facebook that March 15th is the last day to buy venue passes. Then individual matches go onsale March 22nd.
That may be, but the ticket prices are mainly a result of the competition being staged in the U.S.. Notice the prices for that Int'l Champions Cup preseason stuff are also very high. Do you think if the tournament was staged in, say, Colombia that the prices would be anywhere near this high (even if it was a 100th Anniversary and even if it involved both confederations)??
Well, another poster just provided us the ticket prices of Euro 2016 further up on this page. The Copa prices are in the neighbourhood of being 5 times greater! I mean, if I walk into a bar in France and the price of a pint of beer is 5 times more than in New York, I'll just walk straight back out. At that point, I stop caring what the reason is. Hence, my earlier remark about not wanting the sport to become big here....
This cracks me up: right now the cheapest Jamaica/Venezuela ticket on Ticketmaster is $110 or $9 on Stubhub.
Apples and oranges in my book. A Copa America never happens in the USA. This is a once in a life time thing more than likely. A Euro happens every 4 years in Europe.
The Euros are held in different countries every 4 years. Okay, maybe its a twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity for France residents. We both know if MLS was the world's best soccer league, the prices would be insane! At least compared to what they are in Spain, Germany and even England now.
buy LEVI's venue pass. break up pass. free ticket to Uruguay Jamaica ($15 value =P for 100 level... cheaper than a tour of LEVI's lols)
I'm selling United States vs Costa Rica - Chicago - Sec 143 row 3 x 4 tickets ($225 per ticket). Awesome seats! Let me know. pryu_2000@yahoo.ca
I am selling one ticket each at face value for the following games: Uruguay vs Jamaica Quarterfinal (1C vs 2D) Most likely Uruguay/Mexico vs Argentina/Chile
I hate how many new/old users don't f*** care, there is a Ticket Exchange thread, but they keep posting on every active thread. Does anybody got their tickets yet? I bought a bunch of Venue tickets in the first phase, but not tickets yet.
I think it is not fair to compare things to the World Cup only because the World Cup has relative stability. This tournament was in doubt for many, many months so things should be on a different time table.