Despite problems, demand high for World Cup tickets

If you’re going to Brazil for the World Cup, you’d better start looking for a sports bar where you can watch the games on TV. Because for all the problems with stadium construction, transportation infrastructure and political protests, this World Cup has proved to be one of the bestselling ever.

Tickets for nearly two-thirds of the tournament’s matches were snatched up just hours into the final online sales phase Tuesday, and 44 of the 64 games have already sold out.

FIFA, organizer of the World Cup, put 200,000 tickets on sale Tuesday on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Even before Tuesday’s sell-off, demand for tickets in the U.S. was higher than in any country outside Brazil. Fans were reportedly paying $2,800 on average for tickets to the Americans’ three group-play matches. That’s more than 10 times face value for the lowest-priced ticket.

And the U.S. games aren’t even the most popular ones. More fans in the U.S. have bought tickets for games involving Mexico than for ones with the red, white and blue, according to viagogo, the world’s largest ticket exchange.