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Champions Trophy final in Dubai: Tickets being resold for over 1,000%; some listed at Dh97,000
India will take on the winners of the second semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa, in Dubai on Sunday, March 9
- PUBLISHED: Wed 5 Mar 2025, 10:42 AM
India beat Australia to advance to the Champions Trophy finals, making Dubai the venue for the grand finale. Residents, tourists, and cricket lovers waited in online queue for up to an hour only to find that all tickets were sold out within 40 minutes, including the Dh12,000 tickets in the Sky Box category.
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While some fans were shocked that even the pricey Sky Box tickets were sold out, tickets on re-sale websites went one step further. Viagogo listed these tickets at Dh97,746, a 714 per cent increase from the initial price. According to the website, these were being viewed by thousands, and were among the 'last tickets on the site'.
Despite high prices, cricket fans determined to see the final match bought the tickets they could get their hands on, with websites displaying reminders that only two or four tickets were left in each category.
Some websites such as Xchangetickets, listed the Dh250 General Admission tickets at Dh3,000, an increase of 1,100 per cent.
Ticombo, a reselling platform, had most of its categories unavailable, with ticket prices reaching over Dh11,000 for the Grand Lounge and over Dh6,000 for the Premium section. The website invited buyers to make a proposal on certain listings, an online way of haggling with the seller, as it displayed the amounts that were already proposed.
The India-Pakistan match on February 23 saw similar skyrocketing prices on resale websites, with tickets being sold for up to 600 per cent more.
Team India refused to travel to Pakistan, who is hosting a major international cricket tournament after nearly 30 years, over security concerns. Dubai was then chosen as a neutral venue, and visitors from around the world have been flying in to watch their favourites battle it out on the cricket field.
On March 9, India will take on the winners of the second semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa, in Dubai.
For those who could not get hold of a ticket for the final clash online, physical tickets will be available at the Dubai International Stadium Box Office, according to the ICC website.
Poojaraj Maniyeri is a Digital Journalist who loves turning everyday conversations into news stories. She is also a typical bookworm, and brings a novel with her everywhere she goes.