World Cup Ticketing

When I filled in my application for 2006, I went through the federation (actually, I did it through FIFA earlier, didn't get tix, and don't remember it being all that involved).

For the federation, they required all of the personal info, including passport #s. One of the guys in my group didn't have a passport, and didn't want to get one until we had tix (he was a grad student, with no other immediate plans for int'l travel, so the money was an issue). So, I put down all of the correct information for the three of us who had our passports, and for the fourth, I put down my mom's information. So technically, I had valid information for all four tickets I was requesting.

Once we got the confirmation of the tickets, my friend set about applying for his passport. When he didn't get it back after two months (this was still before they'd begun requiring it for travel to Mex & Canada, so eight weeks was definitely on the long end), he called. Found out, his application had been sidetracked because he filled out something he wasn't supposed to. He had to fill out a new application and have it expedited. He ended up getting it back about a week before we left. Plenty of time for the trip itself, but definitely too late to have the name changed on the ticket (since I now held a ticket with my mom's name and info on it).

We were staying in Dusseldorf, so we were not in a match city. We thought about going down to Cologne a few days before the match, but were told in advance that their ticket center would only be handling ticket issues for that venue. So, on the day of the game, we took a 6am train up to Gelsenkirchen, and were one of the first people into the ticket center to try and get his tickets changed. We explained the situation (well, we explained that the other person, my mother, had gotten sick last minute, and that this person was filling in. we also told them we'd been given some erroneous information that this would be OK (it was explicitly said that it was not, when we had received the tickets in the mail)), and it took some going back and forth. In the end, since I was the buyer of the tickets, and since I shared a last name with the person whose ticket we were trying to change, and since the person we were trying to get the ticket changed to was standing right there, with his passport, we were able to get it done, but it did take about 45 minutes to get to that point.

Once the agent got permission to change that ticket, she was also nice enough to change the ticket to the next two games into his name as well. We said thanks, but we didn't actually have those tickets on us at the moment. She checked with her supervisor, came back, and said "OK, we can go ahead and print replacement tickets for you. However, if you or anyone else tries to use the deactivated tickets, it will not be approved, and the person trying to use it will be arrested. And since the tickets were ordered in your name, a warrant will also be issued in your name. This would severely complicate your travel plans to return to the United States."

I know this doesn't directly relate to your situation, since you're going through FIFA, but it may be helpful; try to get someone's information, even if they're not the people you intend to take (make this clear to them, otherwise they'd be pissed once you renege). If/when you have tickets, and you've paid for them, you can try to negotiate. They may give you a hard time, but at the end of the day, FIFA wants you in the stadium, because they want to make any additional revenue off of you that they can, and they want the stadium to look as full as possible. Most of the security measures they've got are to prevent scammers, and they're not as worried about Joe Fan.

 

Hey Rusty,

I also went to WC 2006. Here's my ticket changing experience.

I got my tickets through the FIFA website. A little back story that will bear fruit later in this response, I was lucky enough to get a 2 tickets for a TST 5 series to follow the USA (3 group & 2 tournament matches). Someone had given them up during the FIFA approved release program & I was extremely fortunate to get them.

Via FIFA's website you could log-on to access your order, track your account & see pertinent information such as when your tickets were to be mailed etc.

I was planning to travel with my niece, but she didn't have a passport yet. So initially I entered my brother's name (her dad) with his passport #. Once my niece got her passport I was able to change the information in my order & put her name along with her passport #.

I should mention that I share the same last name with my niece & because she was a family member it was not a problem to edit my order. I think I remember that the FIFA website had some detailed instructions about what was allowed & not allowed as far as ticket transfers. Family member transfers were allowed. I also remember that FIFA had to approve this transfer. I think it took about 1 week for FIFA to email me that they had approved the transfer to my niece's name. The reason for all this is to head-off potential soccer hooligans. Also every ticket is printed with names provided via the order & is not transferable.

Our plans were for 2 weeks only which meant that we would see only the 3 group-stage matches. I knew I wouldn't be able to use the 2 tournament tickets. I really wanted these tickets to go to a USA fan.

But you are not given tickets for the tournament stage, you are given vouchers. This is because the tournament tix are dependent upon the results of the group stage 2 weeks into the tournament. I mailed the voucher, along with a copy of my passport page & a post-dated letter in English & German to my buyer. This letter was for the FIFA authorities. In my letter I explained that I had to return to the USA (I think I put a family emergency as a reason) & that I was giving my buyer the authorization to pick-up these tickets.

After WC 2006 I received an email from my buyer & he thanked me for providing the letters as that had really persuaded the FIFA ticketing authorities. He said he was questioned initially but when he provided the copy of my passport page & the letters, it really helped to smooth things over & he got the tickets promptly.

I will also say that before WC 2006 there was a hysteria whether FIFA would ID everyone going into the matches, causing long delays & frustration. The BigSoccer Board postings were absolutely full of this panic. This was not the case. They did not check IDs to compare them to the names on the tickets.

So moral of the story? Get all the pertinent information you can about your potential travel mates so you can enter it on the order. If you don't know who now, get some names & passport#s lined up & try to change it later when you do know. I think one big advantage you'll have is that tickets for WC 2010 won't be so hard to get as WC 2006, so you may have a bit of leeway.

So there you go! My FIFA WC2006 ticketing experience in a nutshell. Hope this helps & the best of luck if you go to South Africa 2010.

Christine S.

 

having been to a couple of world cups as "primary ticket getter" my advice (which i've posted all over the place) is to keep paying attention to published "ticket policies", but don't get too hung up on any info you hear until we get closer, much closer, to wc2010. there is a good chance there will be very little accurate info on "the process" right now, and "the process" will likely change if there is huge outcry or if there are noticeable empty seats in the stadia.

if you think about it, this event happens every 4 years, and up until this cycle, fifa didn't directly handled tickets, preferring to let the host nations fed take care of it. this means the whole ticketing process is significantly re-invented every cycle, including this one. and since there are 4 years between cycles, technology and policies change significantly. internet sales were practically non-existent in 2002, but were monstrous in 2006.

we acquired and sold extra tickets before and during the 2002 and 2006 world cups, both through the huge PITA official channels with all it's forms and passport info requirements, and on the street. there is a very good chance the passport info will not be something that keeps you from getting into your games (or selling your tix if you want to). heck, in germany, several paragraphs of rules were essentially scrapped in favor of "if your ticket is valid and opens the automatic turnstile, you can go in."

 

In 2006 supposedly only the person registered on the ticket could actually use the ticket. But as many folks mentioned here at the time how in the world could they verify that? And that indeed was the case. No verification was done. As ironduke says, if it was a valid ticket, they let you in.

I got the Czech and Ghana games through US Soccer, but ended up buying the Italy game via broker. It listed something like the Ghanan Football Association on the ticket. And even randomly went to Kaiserslautern to see if I could make it into the Italy vs. Australia game. Got a ticket a bout an hour before the game for only about 20 Euros above face.

All that being said, the security situation in SA is quite different than Germany so I guess YMMV.

 

Well, I've been shutout so far of both phases and am getting a bit worried (that's my nature). I expect that there will be tickets to be "scalped" for at least the first round matches. But what has me concerned is that this time around FIFA is segregating SA resident ticketing from the rest of the world (I don't think they did that at any of the previous WC's). Will the SA tickets look different? Will there be different levels of checking at entry? Am I going to have a problem using a SA resident ticket?

I'd sure like to know!!

 

You can apply again in the phase 2 draw, its open again... And in 2006 I exchanged tickets with others and we were all able to get into our games. As long as they dont check the names then you are ok.