The FIFA World Cup is always a spectacle to behold by any and every football fan around the world, and Malaysia is no exception. Local fans are likely to be planning to gather their football friends to watch it, be it at the comfort of their homes or even at 24-hour mamaks.
There’s no doubt that football fans would love to experience the game in the flesh. Having to feel the excitement, the tension and the suspense with thousands of people within the stadium cheering on with you would be a moment every football fan dream of.
With the next World Cup being held in Russia in 2018, it’s bound to be another exciting round of football that will not disappoint. If you are planning to attend the World Cup, particularly the finals, it can be a bit too heavy on your wallet. But how much would it cost for Malaysians to watch the final game live in Russia?
What you need to know about World Cup tickets
As a major football fan, it would be a dream come true to attend the World Cup live. But how much would it have cost for a Malaysian if you were to go for the last game, the finals?
There are four categories to the seating:
Only Categories 1 to 3 will enable fans to get specific tickets; Team Specific Ticket Series, Supporter Tickets and Conditional Supporter Tickets, which is good if you’re keen to follow specific countries or, for this example, wanting to watch the last game, the finals.
With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of the cost in RM for the finals tickets in the respective years, according to the categories.
** Based on conversion from Brazilian Real in 2014
*** Only for locals of the country where the World Cup is held
^ Based on conversion from Russian Ruble
Years have passed and the ringgit has gotten a lot weaker since then, and the exchange may see you paying more today.
If you compare it to the former years in 2010 and 2014, the current prices for the FIFA Final World Cup 2018 have definitely increased. If you’ve been saving up based on the past prices, you will have to save up an extra RM700 – RM2,000 to be able to afford a ticket now. This is in part due to the weakening ringgit, and an increase in price for the tickets in the upcoming game.
If you’re determined to get the tickets and have saved up with the inflation rate in mind, you now have the next few challenges to overcome.
How do you get the tickets?
First of all, you’re going to need a FAN ID. This works as a “supporter passport” throughout the tournament and a visa for foreign visitors. This is completely free and will make your trip to Russia a lot easier, so remember to register for it first.
Now to get the tickets! Regular priced tickets are being sold at different phases. The first sale phase is going on now with:
This sales period is happening before the draw is taking place in December 2017, so that means you won’t know who’s playing in what stage, especially for the finals. If you’re keen to watch your favourite team play instead, there are options in how you can purchase the tickets which include:
- Applying for individual tickets to a specific game (such as the finals)
- Applying for team-specific tickets (games that involve your favourite football team)
- Applying for venue-specific tickets (games that are held at a specific arena, like the Volgograd Arena)
Currently almost 1 million people from Russia and across the globe have applied a submission for the tickets during the random selection draw! If you’re determined in getting the tickets and don’t want to leave it to chance, you can still aim for the First Come First Served phase that begins in November 16, 2017, though it’s best to be fast and give the correct information as only when the information is verified that you can get the tickets.
If you’re still in the midst of saving up, you have a final chance to get the tickets during the last-minute sales phase, which will start from April 18 to July 15 2018, the day of the 2018 FIFA World Cup final. Though this is only possible if the tickets haven’t already been sold out yet, so it’s best to book those tickets earlier!
Once you’ve managed to get the tickets you want, you still need to plan the next step: flight and accommodation.
Total cost to attend the finals in Russia 2018
The last match of the Finals will be happening on July 15, 2018. It will roughly take a day to travel to Russia, and with both July 12 and 13, 2018 being rest days, it is the perfect time to travel down for the Finals.
If you’re flying on July 12, 2018 and coming back on July 17, 2018, you can fly with China Southern. There will be a stopover in Guangzhou, China both to and from Russia, with the travel time being around 15 hours. You will arrive at Sheremetyevo, Moscow on July 12, 2018 at 7.15pm. The total price of the tickets will be about RM3,257.90 including check-in baggage and meal.
Next is to plan your accommodation. There are plenty of options, such as a hotel or an Airbnb accommodation.
If you’re traveling on your own, a hostel may be a good place to stay to save some money as well as possibly meet some other fans who are probably staying in the same place as you. One of the closest hostels to the Luzhniki Stadium is the Lucy Hostel, at RM131 per night, which come up to RM655 for five days. Most of the amenities are shared, especially the toilet and bathroom, and it’s a 30 to 40 minutes Metro ride to the Luzhniki Stadium.
Prefer something a little more private? You can look into Airbnb where there are rooms for as low as RM79 per night, which comes to a total of RM445 (including the service fee). It’s located close to the stadium as well with less than half an hour travel time to the stadium.
All Metro rides cost around RM8 regardless of the distance, making transport a breeze if you know where to go and what to do.
There’s a range of prices to look out for, so it all depends on your budget. But say you decide to go with the most affordable options, such as going for Category 3 tickets and sticking to Airbnb. Here’s how your total cost for seeing the Finals will cost:
The total comes up to below RM7,000, but if you’re looking into buying souvenirs as well you can plan a budget trip to Moscow and watch the Finals for below RM8,000, give or take. This may actually be doable for those who plan early.
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It’s always good to plan your trip to watch the Finals carefully. Beware of scams that claim you have gotten the tickets, especially if you have yet to register yourself, or emails asking you to open suspicious documents. If you lose out on the tickets, it’s best not to support scalpers who are selling their tickets with hiked prices! Remember, the tickets are specially given with the buyer’s information using the FAN ID, so such scams will not work.
If you have yet to start saving but really don’t want to miss the World Cup Finals in the flesh, you can still save until April when the last minute sales of tickets would be held. But by then most of the prices suggested here may have gone up. If you’re capable of saving up enough though, aim for somewhere between RM1,000-RM1,500 per month and slowly buy the things that you need, such as the tickets, flight and accommodation (in that order). The price may go up a little along the way, but if you can stick to saving that amount, you should be good and ready to attend the 2018 FIFA World Cup Finals!
Whatever your choice is, in the end, may you enjoy the FIFA World Cup in whatever way that you can. Be it among a crowd of roaring fans watching the game, or with your buddies in a nearby mamak stall.
