Want $60 FIFA World Cup tickets? It’s complicated.

FIFA is reserving 8% of tickets per match for national federations, which then choose how to distribute their allocation of tickets. The exact number of tickets available per game will vary by the size of the venue, and just a small portion will be in the lowest price tier.

Some loyal soccer fans say it’s still not enough.

“Even to have some tickets at this price is great, but it does still make it really inaccessible for most people,” said Whitney Zaleski, director of operations for American Outlaws, the largest U.S. Soccer supporter group.

How to get $60 tickets to Team USA matches

For U.S. men’s national team matches, which as of now will be held in Los Angeles and Seattle, U.S. Soccer is allocating all its $60 tickets to members of three supporter groups: American Outlaws, which has a chapter in Atlanta, Sammers and Barra 76.

The supporter groups are loyal followers of the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams, attending their every match, even abroad.

It seems there will be around 500 $60 tickets per game, according to the Athletic.

Credit: Bert Smith

Credit: Bert Smith

World Cup ticket applications are open through FIFA’s online ticketing portal until Tuesday. Those who apply for tickets to Team USA matches will have their names checked against the member lists of the three supporter groups and that is who will be entered into the lottery for $60 tickets, Zaleski said. U.S. Soccer asked the groups for their member lists at the end of last year, she added.

“Part of that, I think, was to reward those folks that have been supporters for a while, and … maybe keep some of those people that might join just to scalp tickets out,” Zaleski said.

But some American Outlaws members are hesitant to put their hat in the ring for the $60 tickets, fearing they won’t get chosen for that tier and then will be locked into paying for FIFA’s higher-priced tiers, Zaleski said.

“We’re hearing it from our members as well, like ‘I would love to sign up and try to get the $60 tickets, but I can’t afford the FIFA pricing. So if I don’t get (chosen) in the $60 lottery, I can’t afford to get charged for the FIFA pricing,’” she explained. “So it’s still not a perfect scenario.”

People can also become members of U.S. Soccer, both free and paid, and enter the FIFA ticket draw for a chance to purchase tickets to Team USA matches, just not the $60 ones. The other costs for the U.S. men’s group-stage games range from $265 to $2,735 per ticket, depending on the match.

How to get $60 tickets to matches in Atlanta

Before FIFA announced a lower-cost tier of tickets, the prices for matches in Atlanta ranged from $140 to $3,040, depending on the stage of the tournament. Atlanta will have eight matches over the course of the World Cup, with the city’s first match June 15 when Spain faces off against Cape Verde.

Since the U.S. men’s national team is not playing any group-stage matches in Atlanta, U.S. Soccer is not allocating any $60 tickets to games in the city during the early part of the tournament. (If Team USA advances to the knockout round or the semifinals, there is a chance the team could play in Atlanta.)

Atlanta’s World Cup matches

That means for the early matches, Atlanta fans who want a chance at the lower-price tickets will have to go through other countries’ federations.

How to participate if you can’t get a ticket

Whether fans are in the stands for a match or not, there will be plenty of festivities to enjoy during the World Cup.

State Farm Arena will run a concert series. The city of Decatur is planning a soccer and music festival that will last more than 30 days during the summer.

Then there’s groups like the Cape Verdians of Atlanta, which is planning three days of events leading up to the June 15 game, said Al Vicente, the group’s president and honorary consul of Cape Verde for Georgia and the Carolinas.

“I didn’t think that in my lifetime I would have seen us qualify,” Vicente said. Cape Verde is one of the smallest nations to ever make it to the World Cup.

Cape Verde’s prime minister will come to Atlanta and Vicente’s group plans to host a meet-and-greet with him, along with the national team players, according to Vicente. His group is also planning a night of Cape Verdian food and music for fans to enjoy.

“People want to be in that atmosphere and support their team, support their country,” Vicente said.

The Atlanta chapter of American Outlaws is also planning events around the tournament’s matches, Zaleski said.

But for fans who can’t wait until the World Cup to get their soccer fix, the U.S. men’s national team will be playing friendlies in the spring, two of which will be Atlanta in March, as a sort of send-off before the global tournament. Zaleski said the celebrations around these matches are going to be bigger than usual for those who know they won’t be able to get tickets to the tournament this summer.

“They’re planning on treating these send-off matches as kind of like their World Cup,” she said.