Tickets have gone on sale for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with soccer fans the world over getting their first chance to grab a spot for the soccer tournament's long-awaited return to Latin America. Since Tuesday, fans are now able apply for tickets on the FIFA website.
Tickets will range in price from $90 for first-round matches to $990 for the final at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, reports the BBC. For Brazilians over the age of 60, local students, and members of certain social welfare programs, tickets will be available for as little as $23.
In the event which has more ticket requests than seats available, all applications for tickets made before Oct. 10 will enter a random selection draw to determine who gets to go. On Nov. 5, leftover tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis, and a final phase of sales will begin Dec. 8, after all the qualifying games have been played and the field of participating countries is set.
According to FIFA, the 2006 World Cup in Germany was attended by some 3.3 million fans, many from outside the country. The 2010 World Cup in South Africa saw closer to 3.1 million in attendance. Wherever Brazil falls on that spectrum, the event is sure to bring a massive influx of tourists for 2014. As a point of reference, there were 5.4 million total international tourists for the entire 2011 calendar year.
This World Cup will be the first in Latin America since 1986 (Mexico) and the first in South America since 1978 (Argentina). It represents the second time Brazil has hosted the World Cup; the last time was in 1950.
Traditionally, teams from the host continent have a large advantage in terms of winning the Cup. No European team has ever won the World Cup in the Americas; Brazil, by contrast, has won World Cups in Europe, North America, and Asia, and holds the record for World Cup victories with five.
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