FIFA World Cup 2018: Tickets for Russia to cost between $105 to $1100, to be sold from Thursday

Moscow: FIFA announced Tuesday that ticket sales for the 2018 World Cup will begin on Thursday, nine months to the day that the tournament kicks off in Russia. “Fans all over the world will also be able to book their place as ticket sales for the tournament start exclusively on FIFA.com/tickets,” world football’s governing body said. [caption id=“attachment_4038621” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the World Cup Trophy Tour kick-off ceremony. Reuters[/caption] FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura said the ticketing system will give fans “a fair chance” to secure tickets for the June 14-July 15 extravaganza. The sales process has been divided into two phases. During the first period, which starts on Thursday and finishes on 12 October, fans will be able to submit their ticket applications. All applicants will be duly notified of the outcome of their applications before the second phase gets underway after the draw for the finals takes place on December 1. The tickets purchased during both sales phases will be delivered free of charge to applicants in the weeks leading up to the tournament, with deliveries planned to start in April. FIFA says that at the request of Russian authorities everyone attending World Cup matches will need to receive a FanID, the official identity document issued to the fans. The FanID and a valid ticket are required to enter the World Cup venues. Having a FanID gives supporters some additional benefits and services provided by the host country, such as visa-free entry to the Russian Federation, certain free inter-host city travel and free use of public transport on matchdays. The World Cup will be played at 12 venues in 11 Russian cities – Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara. Three categories of tickets will be available, with Category 1 the most expensive, FIFA said. The cheapest seats, Category 3, will cost from $105 for group stage matches, to $175 for the quarter-finals and $455 for the final. Category 1 seats will cost between $550 in the group stage and $1,100 for the final. FIFA said there would also be a Category 4 price band, available only to Russian residents at discounted prices varying between 1,280 roubles ($22.19) for group stage games to 7,040 roubles for the final. A similar policy was used in Brazil in 2014. With inputs from agencies