/ 14 January 2010

Dummy’s guide to buying World Cup tickets

Dummy's Guide To Buying World Cup Tickets

A total of just over three million tickets have been made available for the soccer World Cup, with just more than 743000 for sale to the general public.


There are two type of ticket products available:

*Individual Match Tickets for a specific match

*Team Specific Ticket (TST) Series are ticket strips to follow the national team of your choice. This may be tickets for between three and seven matches.

Tickets are sorted into four categories, with the most affordable (category 4) available exclusively to South Africans. Category 4 tickets start at R140 for the group matches and get progressively more expensive in the latter stages of the tournament with a category 4 ticket for the final costing R1050.

Category 1 tickets are usually the most expensive, starting at R1120 for the group games, but do give you the best view of the game as they are generally pitch-side.

Category 2 tickets start at R840 for the group matches and are situated adjacent to the category 1 seats, usually in the corner of the stadium.

Category 3 tickets start at R560 for group matches and the seats are usually adjacent to category 2 tickets.

Category 4 tickets are situated behind the goals.

Ticket Application Procedure

There are two methods of applying for tickets:

On the website
*Applicants have to visit the site and register to join the Fifa club

*Register request for tickets. If you are buying tickets for guests, remember to have their ID numbers and full home addresses handy when making the booking.

*Confirm your ticket details and pay using a Visa card. No other card will be accepted on www.fifa.com

*A confirmation email will be sent out informing you whether or not your application has been successful. If you are successful, tickets will be available for collection at designated points in each host city from April 15.

At your FNB branch:
*Collect an application form at any FNB branch across South Africa.

*Fill out the form, with the ID numbers and details of any guests, return the form to an FNB teller.

* You will be required to pay the full amount of the tickets you wish to purchase. This amount will be loaded onto a prepaid card which can be used as cash should your application be unsuccessful.

*Once the draw is made you will receive an sms informing you whether or not your application has been successful.

*If your application is successful, you will be able to pick up your tickets at designated points in each host city after April 15.

After April 22, Fifa will be selling all the tickets that were unsold in the first three sales phases at ticket collecting offices and online on a first-come-first-serve basis.