Fans who bought tickets for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the most expensive category have declared their frustration after many realised they’d been placed right at the top of the stadium.
Many rushed to purchase tickets for the tournament, to be played in Australia and New Zealand in a few months’ time, and spent up for category 1 tickets.
But while the FIFA website states “category 1 is the highest priced (ticket category) and located in prime areas within the stadium”, many were unaware they could be allocated as high as the very back row on the top tier.
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A ticketing map of Stadium Australia shows category 1 covering everywhere from one corner of the field, across the wing and to the opposite corner, but also all the way up to the very top.
“It’s very deceptive. People feel they’ve been duped, that it’s false advertising,” ticket buyer Ann Murphy told the Nine papers.
Another, Tala Salah, said: “I was under the impression that people who get their hands on tickets in the earliest ticket phases would be rewarded with the best seats within their category.
“I took that afternoon off work to make sure I could buy the best tickets.
“We’ve instead been assigned the worst possible seats within our category on level 6, where you can barely see what’s happening.”
FIFA explained ticketing maps were available so fans knew where they could possibly be placed but that hasn’t stopped the frustration flowing.
“From the very beginning of ticket sales back in October 2022, FIFA has clearly communicated through stadium maps where fans will be allocated seats based on the ticket category purchased,” a spokesperson said.
The tournament gets underway on July 20.
