WASHINGTON (AP) — FIFA has invited more teams than ever to a World Cup whose ticket prices may be affordable for perhaps only 1% of the world’s fans. The process for deciding which matches the teams will play in a 48-nation tournament and where they will be held begins with Friday’s draw at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan will appear at football’s main event for the first time in next year’s tournament, which will run from June 11 to July 19 across 16 venues in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
“I’m fairly optimistic because to qualify you have to beat the other teams in your confederation, and that’s a sign of quality,” said Arsene Wenger, the former Arsenal manager, as red carpets were being rolled out at the Kennedy Center on Thursday. “Teams aren’t here by accident.”
The presence of U.S. President Donald Trump and his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum was expected, along with Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney. Instead of soccer articles, the Kennedy Center gift shop remained stocked with Shakespeare, Beethoven and Verdi socks, alongside shelves of red and white nutcrackers that are typical of the season.
The world’s top 11 teams by the rankings have qualified. Italy, ranked 12th, is among the 22 nations competing in the playoffs for the six final spots that will be decided on March 31.
Led by captain Lionel Messi, who will turn 39 during the tournament, Argentina is aiming to become the first nation to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. Messi will try to extend his record of 26 World Cup matches and enters with 13 World Cup goals in his career, three behind Miroslav Klose’s record.
Matches will be staged at 11 NFL stadiums, plus three in Mexico and two in Canada, where renovations are underway to add 17,000 temporary seats to BMO Field, boosting capacity to around 45,000. Attendance is expected to surpass the 3.59 million mark, a record set in 1994.
“Basically we set a new tone in terms of attendance, in terms of surrounding the tournament with a lot of buzz and glamour,” said Alan Rothenberg, the chief organizer of the 1994 World Cup in the United States. “We did a lot of things that broke the ice when presenting the World Cup as something more than just a soccer tournament.”
FIFA announced initial ticket prices ranging from $60 to $6,730. It cautioned that prices would be dynamic, in contrast to the $25 to $475 range for the 1994 U.S. tournament. It has declined to publish a full price list, as it had done for every World Cup since at least 1990.
The governing body is also selling parking passes for up to $175 for a single match, a semifinal in Arlington, Texas.
FIFA spokesman Bryan Swanson did not respond to requests for the FIFA president Gianni Infantino to speak about the ticket prices.
Sixty-four nations will participate in the draw, which represents 30% of FIFA members, but only 42 countries have secured spots. Among playoff teams, Albania, Kosovo, New Caledonia, and Suriname are seeking to reach the World Cup for the first time.
With the expansion, the top two teams from each of the 12 groups advance along with the eight best third-placed teams. Some nations could reach the new round of 16 with as few as three points.
“I think we’ll be in great shape,” said Tab Ramos, former United States midfielder and now Fox’s lead soccer analyst. “We have a good team, so I’m not as worried about this draw as I’ve been in the past.”
Opta Analyst’s computer projections put the United States at a 0.9% chance of winning the World Cup. The Americans have not reached the semifinals since the first World Cup in 1930.
Spain leads the projections with a 17% chance, followed by France (14.1%), England (11.8%), Argentina (8.7%), Germany (7.1%), Portugal (6.6%), Brazil (5.6%), and the Netherlands (5.2%).
In a new twist, FIFA announced that the four top-ranked teams — Spain, Argentina, France, and England — will avoid facing one another until the semifinals if they finish first in their groups during the opening round.
The host cities for most matches and start times will not be announced until Saturday. In 1994, there were only seven night games.
The venues where a team will play its group-stage games will be restricted to a region (Eastern, Central, and Western).
The 1994 World Cup draw in Las Vegas was apolitical, featuring performances by Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow, James Brown, and Vanessa Williams, in addition to comedian Robin Williams, who called the draw’s stage “the world’s biggest lottery board” and shouted “Bingo!” when Greece was drawn.
This draw appears to be more like the 2018 tournament ceremony in Moscow, opened by Russian President Vladimir Putin. It’s anticipated that Trump, who has campaigned for a Peace Prize, will receive FIFA’s own Peace Prize that Infantino established after traveling to several events with the American president.
But the main event is the ball-drawing to form the groups. Retired stars Tom Brady of the NFL, Shaquille O’Neal of the NBA, and Wayne Gretzky of the NHL, along with the American League MVP three times over, Aaron Judge, will help in a ceremony led by England’s former captain Rio Ferdinand.
“There’s tension and looks of pure fear and disappointment and/or joy and euphoria from coaches and staff,” said Alexi Lalas, former United States defender and now Fox’s lead soccer analyst. “It really makes it tangible for people.”
TODAY, Friday
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