Even without Trump's travel bans, FIFA World Cup is still off limits for millions of supporters
Topics: Donald Trump, Football, Travel, World News, Money
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Hector Vivas - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Football, Travel, World News, Money
While Donald Trump may have banned supporters of some nations from attending the World Cup later this year, the soccer tournament is off limits for millions for a completely different reason.
One of the world's biggest sporting tournaments is heading stateside this summer, as the US hosts the World Cup alongside neighbors Canada and Mexico.
The president has frozen migration visa applications for a number of nations ahead of the tournament, leaving fans from Morocco, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, Cape Verde, Uruguay, Senegal, Algeria, Jordan, Algeria, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Ghana, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Iraq and Brazil concerned they may not get into the US.
While supporters from Haiti and Iran are banned from entering the US altogether, some traveling to watch the football from the other countries may well be granted access to the FIFA Pass. The scheme will give fans access to priority visa interview appointments ahead of the tournament.
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Getting into the US is just one half of the problem though, as extraordinary high ticket prices are pricing millions out of going to the World Cup.
FIFA announced in December that the cheapest ticket for the final of the World Cup in New York would come in at a whopping $4,000. However, some tickets for the game at the Metlife stadium could set supporters back $8,000.
Prices at the World Cup vary dependent on the stage of competition. For example, tickets for group games range from $140 to $2,735.
Rounds of 32 games have tickets as high as $790, which increase to just under a grand come the quarter final stages.
Those hoping to go to the semi finals of the World Cup will have to fork out an eye-watering minimum of $905, with some of the more expensive tickets in the stadium setting fans back a massive $3,295.
And for the final, like we say, the cheapest ticket costs around $4,185 to be exact, and the most expensive match day pass totals $8,680.
Amid the backlash, FIFA introduced a 'small number' of 'more affordable' tickets at $60.
The tickets, which were quickly snapped up, made up 10 percent of the total allocation for each nation competing in the World Cup.
Football Supporters Europe, a fan group, stated FIFA conjured up the ticket prices by 'introducing a variable pricing policy dependent on vague criteria such as the perceived attractiveness of the fixture'.
"Fans of different national teams will therefore have to pay different prices for the same category at the same stage of the tournament," the group added.
After introducing the limited number of $60 tickets in December last year, FIFA said: "We have listened to feedback and this new category is the right thing to do."
As you'd probably expect, fans have voiced their opposition at the high ticket prices introduced by FIFA.
While one person admitted they can afford to go, they will be boycotting the games out of principle.
"Frankly I have the money to buy tickets if I really wanted to, but I just can't bring myself to do so on principle," they penned on Reddit.
Meanwhile, a second added: "England expat here living in the DC area and always dreamed of following England in a World Cup. I have zero desire to do this given ticket/hotel costs."
Despite the backlash, tickets for the World Cup are selling, and it's hard to imagine a scenario where stadiums are empty at the tournament.