The World Cup’s in-demand tickets: are Scotland really more popular than England, USA and Argentina?

It’s no surprise that the most expensive World Cup resale tickets are for the final . But the next priciest is a group game between two nations who have never reached that stage. A ticket to the Colombia v Portugal group game in Miami on 27 June is the tournament’s second-most expensive seat on the resale marketplace, with a cheapest asking price of $2,254 as of 17 May, according to TicketData.com , an analysis site.

That is far less than the “get-in price” of $7,734 to the final, but more than the semi-finals in the Dallas area ($2,170) and Atlanta ($2,117). The second-costliest group game is presently Scotland v Brazil, also in Miami, with availability for $1,641. Demographics, geography, star power and the south Florida city’s seductive reputation are combining to make Colombia’s clash with Portugal especially attractive. “It’s clearly the last time to see Ronaldo so people are excited about that, the Colombian population is significant there, and Miami has become kind of the party central for this event,” says Jim McCarthy, a ticketing expert whose company, Impresario Strategic Growth Service, works with football clubs to grow their attendances. As group stage matches go there aren’t that many with two really good teams.” It may seem unusual that leading European powers – Spain, Germany, France and England – are not the biggest draws, at least by this metric, which is a strong indicator of market dynamics set by supply and demand. But Fifa’s expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams has diluted the group stage by mixing in more minnows and reducing the stakes, since eight third-place teams will progress in addition to the top two in each group. “They’re all priced with the presumption of very high demand for them and I think the reality is that with the group stage changing the way that it has, there are lots of games that were always going to require some real marketing and some real thought to get them sold,” McCarthy says. So Colombia’s clash with Portugal stands out especially in a touristy city that’s often dubbed the gateway to Latin America. Flights between Colombia and Miami are relatively affordable, and there are an estimated 1.8 million people of Colombian origin in the US, according to census data, including over 310,000 in the Miami area. There are an estimated 1.4 million people of Portuguese origin in the US, including more than 90,000 in Florida. It’s also fair to assume that many Americans without a rooting interest are keen to see a match between two of the world’s best teams, especially if Cristiano Ronaldo is involved. With about 6.4 million residents, greater Miami is the eighth largest metropolitan area in the country.

Key points

• That is far less than the “get-in price” of $7,734 to the final, but more than the semi-finals in the Dallas area ($2,170) and Atlanta ($2,117).
• The second-costliest group game is presently Scotland v Brazil, also in Miami, with availability for $1,641.
• Demographics, geography, star power and the south Florida city’s seductive reputation are combining to make Colombia’s clash with Portugal especially attractive.
• “It’s clearly the last time to see Ronaldo so people are excited about that, the Colombian population is significant there, and Miami has become kind of the party central for this event,” says Jim…
• As group stage matches go there aren’t that many with two really good teams.” It may seem unusual that leading European powers – Spain, Germany, France and England – are not the biggest draws, at l…