Thekabarnews.com—Days before the FIFA World Cup kicks off, thousands of tickets remain available. This indicates weaker-than-expected demand in the resale market. Therefore, there is the possibility of many ticket resellers losing money.

FIFA’s official ticket-resale platform shows that around 176,000 tickets are still available for opening group-stage matches at the tournament.

The excess inventory has driven down resale prices, cutting into profit potential for ticket holders looking to flip their seats.

According to market data, the median resale ticket price is down about 20 percent in the past month. The drop comes as supply continues to outpace demand for several early-stage matches.

When you factor in FIFA’s 26 percent fee on resale transactions, it seems many sellers will actually be losing money. Rather than profiting on the resale of their tickets, sellers may face losses.

Ticket scalpers, or touts, could be the biggest losers if prices continue to weaken before kickoff.

The resale market this year is much softer for many fixtures than in previous tournaments. In the past, high demand often drove resale prices sharply higher.

Data from FIFA’s official resale portal, cited in the Financial Times, points to considerable discrepancies. These discrepancies exist in fan demand among the participating teams.

Iran matches currently have some of the weakest demand, with around 16,000 tickets still available on the resale platform.

The lowest standard ticket for Iran’s group-stage matches is currently priced at around US$138. This shows little buying interest compared with matches involving more globally popular national teams.

There were many factors that could influence the level of demand from fans. These include the popularity of the team, travel costs, the location of the match, and expectations for the team’s performance in the tournament.

Matches involving traditional football powers tend to continue to attract more demand than those involving less-heralded teams.

FIFA created its own resale platform to offer a safe and legal option for ticket holders. Fans can resell tickets they will not use through this platform.

The system also intends to curtail illegal ticket scalping and bring price transparency to buyers.

But the market is currently showing that resale values are still subject to normal supply-and-demand dynamics.

If there are more tickets than there are buyers willing to buy, prices will fall inevitably. Speculative buyers face a risk of loss as a result.

Organizers continue final preparations for one of the world’s largest sporting events, despite softer resale activity.

The competition is expected to attract millions of football fans to its matches. Meanwhile, billions more will be watching the tournament through global television and digital broadcasts.

But resale demand could still pick up as kickoff approaches, particularly for marquee games between tournament favorites.

Demand is patchy across different fixtures, though, with the early group stage games generating significantly less buzz. Marquee matchups anticipated later in the tournament are generating more excitement.

Recent market trends are making ticket resellers aware of the financial risks associated with speculative ticket purchasing.

With the FIFA World Cup on the horizon, the resale market is showing a surprising trend. Even the biggest sporting events on the planet can’t always guarantee rising ticket prices.

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