World Cup final tickets are being advertised for more than $40,000 on the secondary market by holders ignoring a threat from world soccer governing body FIFA to void those not resold via the tournament organizer.
The cheapest ticket to the July 13 final at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium on Geneva-based Viagogo -- which describes itself as the world’s largest ticket exchange -- is $5,240 for a seat with a face value of $440. Games such as the final and the tournament opener on June 12 are sold out.
FIFA is the only authorized reseller and doesn’t allow ticket holders to charge a premium, and officials have said they will scrap tickets if they can identify sellers on other platforms. Viagogo said it’s providing a needed service and doesn’t offer World Cup tickets in countries such as the U.K., where resale is illegal.
“We abide by local law and, in the vast majority of territories, it’s legal to sell tickets and that might be for more or less than you originally paid,” Oliver Wheeler, a spokesman for Viagogo, said in a telephone interview.
Resellers, who also include EBay Inc.’s StubHub, are being used by fans who missed out on FIFA’s ticket sales. Soccer’s governing body sold almost 2.6 million tickets for the 64-game tournament before the final tranche was offered on April 15, when 126,837 tickets were snapped up within four hours.
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