World Cup Vacation: On Sale Now
Soccer governing body FIFA said today it would release 150,000 additional tickets to the World Cup games starting June 11 in South Africa. The new block includes seats for every game, including the final, and will go on sale on Friday. The announcement came as the U.S. team coach Bob Bradley prepared to announce the final roster of 23 players who will travel to the tourney.
The new tickets come to market somewhat unexpectedly, because ticket sales so far have been disappointing to host country officials who had hoped 700,000 foreigners would travel to Cape Town and other South African cities to see the quadrennial tournament. Now they are pegging that number closer to 200,000.
That may be bad news for local tourism officials, but it's good news for soccer fans still deciding how to spend their summer vacation. It's not just the tickets that are on sale, it's the whole experience. There are reports of prices being slashed on the new and newly refurbished hotel rooms near the stadiums.
Oh, and those euro troubles? They've made the dollar stronger against the rand, too. A month ago you'd get 7.37 rands to the dollar; today it touched 8, so you'll be able to buy your sausages and your Amstels on the cheap, too. Goooooaaaaaaaaaaaaallllll!
Photo by Isak Aronsson on Flickr.
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