FIFA has come up with a way to temporarily distract fans’ attention from the price of tickets for this summer’s World Cup — by raising prices for parking also to eye-popping levels at Hard Rock Stadium.
How expensive will it be to leave your vehicle for a few hours on a patch of grass?
Try $175.01. Minimum.
That’s what FIFA’s official site is charging for the opening match in Miami Gardens. The deeper you go into the competition, the pricier things get, with $249.99 the going rate for the consolation match on July 18.
The New York Times estimated that $175 is FIFA’s average rate to park during World Cup matches in the United States. The June 11-July 19 tournament is being co-hosted with Mexico and Canada.
Because parking rates originally were in the $75 range, it appears the rates are subject to surge pricing that has become the norm for tickets to sporting events and concerts. Now, even parking is affected.
“Parking prices are determined based on local market conditions and benchmarking against comparable major events previously held in each host city,” FIFA said in a statement released to The Palm Beach Post. “Parking prices vary based on supply and demand and overall market conditions. This is consistent with common industry practice across major live events.”
Hard Rock Stadium — which will be renamed “Miami Stadium” during the World Cup so as not to conflict with FIFA’s strict advertising policy protecting its official sponsors — will be the site of seven World Cup matches starting with Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay on June 15. That match, along with the June 21 offering of Uruguay vs. Cape Verde, will cost $175.01 for general parking as well as parking under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
All parking, including ADA, will be outside the stadium’s security perimeter, FIFA said.
Each venue has its own wrinkles. In the case of Hard Rock Stadium, parking will feel the squeeze because of space occupied by the track and facilities for the Formula 1 Grand Prix and Miami Open tennis courts, which have reduced parking capacity for Dolphins games. That’s in addition to hospitality or fan activations that may be set up for the World Cup.
FIFA said it’s also possible that additional parking spaces may become available as operational and security plans are finalized.
The highly anticipated June 27 match in Miami Gardens, Colombia vs. Portugal, also will cost $249.99 for parking — a bargain, one supposes, considering that tickets are listed at more than $2,200 on the secondary market. The match had more than 30 million ticket requests — more than any other in the tournament including the final.
Prices for parking for the remaining matches in Miami Gardens: Scotland vs. Brazil, June 24, $200; round of 32 match, July 3, $249.99; quarterfinal, July 11, $225.
Organizers will encourage fans to use public transportation.
“We’re going to have a transportation plan,” said Rodney Barreto, co-chair of the Miami Host City Committee. “We’ve hired a large firm that’s given us a plan that’s going to take in Brightline, Tri-Rail, buses, Uber, Lyft, everything.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: World Cup parking at Hard Rock Stadium going from $175 to $249.99
