World Cup Ticket Prices Too High
Budget World Cup Tour Takes Young Fan Across Seven Countries
Will Vickers in Bosnia — Reuters
For football superfan Will Vickers, attending this year's FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico was simply too expensive. Between the high cost of travel and soaring ticket prices, the 21-year-old British student knew a stadium experience was beyond his budget. Instead, he came up with an unconventional alternative.
Using roughly the same amount of money it would have cost to attend a World Cup match, Vickers is spending seven days traveling through seven countries, watching seven different matches alongside local fans.
A second-year International Business Management student at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom, Vickers said he would have loved to experience the tournament from inside the stadium but could not afford it.
"I'd have been happiest if I could have been there, but it was beyond my budget. I also didn't want to watch all the matches alone at home," he said.
The idea came to him earlier this month while vacationing with friends in Morocco. There, they watched Morocco's World Cup draw against Brazil with local supporters. The atmosphere changed his perspective, making him realize that sharing the excitement with local fans could be just as memorable as being inside the stadium. One of his friends suggested traveling from country to country to experience different football cultures during the tournament.
Vickers embraced the idea, thinking, "You only get to be 21 at a World Cup once."
His journey has proved far cheaper than attending matches in person. The first leg took him from Manchester to Charleroi and then Brussels, Belgium, by plane and bus, costing just $53. He watched Belgium's match against Iran at a fan zone before taking another bus to Paris, where he spent the night and watched France's game against Iraq for around $60.
His favorite stop so far has been Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vickers said the atmosphere there was unmatched as fans celebrated Bosnia's 3-1 victory over Qatar well past midnight, driving through the streets, honking their horns, and singing.
From Bosnia, he traveled by bus to Slavonski Brod, Croatia, spending another $52. Arriving late, he missed hotel check-in and ended up sleeping on the couch of a local resident. Before returning to England, he plans to continue his trip with stops in Sweden and Norway.
Vickers estimates the entire journey will cost about $600—a fraction of what attending World Cup matches in person would have required. While he admits nothing can fully match the atmosphere inside a stadium, he believes the experience comes remarkably close. "It's not quite the same as being inside the stadium, but it's not far off," he said.
Source: Reuters (Adapted)
