No, its not the host Brazil in the 2014 World Cup final. Instead, their neighbors Argentina will launch an invasion of Rio on Sunday hoping to start their own party in its arch rival’s back yard, though it will cost the fans a pretty penny if they want to attend the game.
The tickets have been long sold out from Fifa for the final between Argentina and Germany at the Maracana Stadium, but fans are still bidding huge bucks in the secondary market. The prices of any ticket, regardless of the category, has skyrocketed on the different web portals where only few are available.
A seller was seen asking 35 times greater the price than its original value. On the website “Free Market” in Argentina, the seller had a category 3 ticket and asked for 115,000 Argentine pesos or 31,330 Brazilian Reals or US$14400, an amount 35 times greater than officially sold by Fifa.
He even lured the buyers saying the ticket can be delivered to Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro and what a lifetime opportunity it is to be at the Maracana on Sunday. Interestingly, some potential buyers offered homes and property in exchange, but the person who probably bought the ticket had commented “let’s negotiate” after which the seller closed his blog saying “SOLD”.
It was also seen on the same website that tickets are sold at 89,000 pesos or R$24,250 or US$10900.
In another website “TicketBis” the prices were also 10 to 20 times higher than its usual value. The prices ranged from US$6,386.74 to US$18,282.44 for a category 3 ticket while a category 1 ticket was asked for R$40,618 or US$18,300 - 20 times higher than the normal value R$1,980 or US$592.
The prices however shouldn’t bother those passionate faces painted in blue and white and they’re probably still jumping up and down with joy of reaching the final after 24 years. Any price tag will be less, given the Albiceleste lift their third World Cup glory with the hands of Lionel Messi.