BEIJING: Chinese football fans will need up to $680 to watch Argentina’s Lionel Messi-led team against Australia in a Beijing friendly, a rematch of Argentina and Australia’s meeting in the last 16 of the Qatar World Cup, organizers revealed on Friday.
The match between Argentina and Australia from the Qatar World Cup’s round of 16 will be repeated on June 15 at the 68,000-seat Workers’ Stadium.
Argentina defeated England 2-1, and they went on to win the World Cup. Messi, expected to depart Paris Saint-Germain this summer, scored in that victory. On June 5 and 8, tickets priced between 580 yuan ($82) and 4,800 yuan will be available for purchase in two batches.
Disappointed fans online quickly decried the prices for the showing game. One user on Weibo (a Twitter-like platform) wrote on the official account of the match organizers, “I’m reporting you for robbery.” Another fan wrote, “If we pay 4,800, will Messi carry us on his back during his match?”
Since 2017 it will be the first visit of Messi to China since 2017. To enter the stadium, people must provide identifying information and present ID cards or passports since strict measures are being taken to avoid scalping.
However, businesses on China’s Taobao online marketplace started selling ticket booking services almost once. One vendor charged 18,000 yuan for what they claimed to be access to VIP seats. After Beijing abruptly abandoned tight restrictions on Covid late last year, the international sport has just recently started to return to China.
