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Foreigners to Pay 5 Times More for Russia World Cup Tickets

FIFA announced its pricing structure for the 2018 Russia World Cup on Tuesday, revealing that tickets will be available to Russians at a fifth of the price paid by foreigners.

Russian residents will have access to at least 350,000 tickets for the tournament with prices starting at 1,280 rubles ($20) for group stage games.

Group stage tickets will cost between $105 and $210 for foreigners.

A ticket to the final, to be played at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium, will cost Russian residents 7,040 rubles ($110), with tickets for foreigners costing between $455 and $1100.

A two-tier ticketing policy for locals and foreigners has been in place at the last two world cups, in Brazil in 2014 and in South Africa in 2010.

Ticket prices for foreigners have increased since the Brazil tournament where group stage tickets for foreigners started at $90 and the cheapest ticket for the final $440.

We wanted to make sure that we priced tickets fairly to make the events accessible to as many people as possible. We conducted market research and priced the tickets accordingly,” said FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura, in a statement on FIFA’s website.

World Cup tickets will go on sale to the general public next year.

Earlier this month, Russia announced that foreign fans will enjoy visa-free travel to Russia from 10 days before the start of the tournament to 10 days after it ends.  

The competition will take place in 11 Russian cities from June 14 to July 15, 2018.

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