The cheapest FIFA World Cup tickets since Mexico ’86 are now available for Qatar residents, whilst the showcase opening and final matches are going at an increased price. 

This November will see Qatar hosting the football world’s biggest event – the FIFA World Cup. The first phase of ticket sales started on 19th January at 13:00 Doha time, and will end at the same time on 8th February.

Those who apply for tickets during this period will not be impacted by what time or day they complete their application so long as its before the 8th of February deadline as the draw will be made following the closure of phase one.

“All successful, partially successful and unsuccessful applicants will be duly notified of the outcome of their applications by Tuesday, 8 March 2022, along with the steps to follow and the deadline by which to pay for allocated tickets,” said FIFA in a press release.

The first phase of general ticket sales comes after Qatar Airways rolled out its all-inclusive packages for the World Cup, a few weeks ago.

FIFA aims to generate $500 million from hospitality rights and ticket sales across the eight stadiums in Qatar which are within a 30-mile radius of Doha.

Travel during the tournament is expected to be the shortest since the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, but hotel availability could be tight.

Read also: Will Qatar have enough hotel rooms to host World Cup fans?

There are four types of tickets available: individual match tickets, team-specific tickets, four stadium tickets, and accessibility tickets. Other options that will be introduced later as the event approaches are supporter tickets and conditional supporter tickets.

For each of these there are four price categories, as shown below:

* Category 4 is for Qatari residents only.

Affordable prices 

There is a relatively low starting point to ticket prices that will help cater for migrant workers, who have worked hard to build the stadiums that will host the tournament this November. Some of the cheapest available seats in World Cup history are currently available at 40 QAR for Qatar residents, which is equivalent to 11 dollars.

According to the Business Standard, these category four tickets are the cheapest to be seen at a World Cup since 10 QAR (3 dollar) seats were available in Mexico, based on 1986 exchange rates. They also stand at half the price of the equivalent category in the 2018 event that was hosted by Russia.

For international fans within category three, group stage tickets are the cheapest since the 2006 World Cup in Germany, currently priced at 250 QAR ($69).

On the other hand, category one group stage tickets have marginally risen from $210 to $220 (800 Qatari riyals), whilst category two tickets remain similar to previous years at 600 QAR ($165).

Price hike for showcase matches 

The Washington Post has noted that showcase matches have seen an increase in cost. The most expensive match on sale is for the 18th December final, at Lusail Stadium.

Tickets for international fans start at 5,850 QAR, which are up 46% from the 2018 final won by France, which was priced at 4005 QAR.

Compared to the last World Cup, category two prices are up 41% from 2585 QAR to 3650 QAR, whilst category three is up 33% from 1656 to 2200 QAR, and category four is up from 400 QAR to 750 QAR.

The price hike is similar for the opening game, where there is a 37% hike for category three, 13% for category two and a 21% increase for category one.

Meanwhile, a second ticket sale will be available later in the year. The second sales period will start prior to the final draw for the World Cup, on 1st April 2022.

So far, only 13 out of the possible 32 countries have qualified for the competition. Qualification matches will continue this year until the intercontinental playoffs.

How to apply for a ticket?

Visa payment card is the exclusive method accepted for residents of Qatar, whilst Visa payment cards alongside other cards are accepted for international fans.

Fan IDs (Hay’ya Card) are going to be required in order to enter the country and to access stadiums.

You can visit FIFA.com/tickets to apply for tickets.

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