1.5 million applicants, but only 63,000 tickets: The first international match of Argentina’s soccer world champions with superstar Lionel Messi attracts the crowds. Next week’s Buenos Aires game against Panama (March 23) sold out in no time, with local media reporting that 1.5 million people have queued up for a virtual ticket. Not even the price of about 230 euros per card dampened the enthusiasm in the country, which is being shaken by a severe economic crisis.
The Estadio Monumental has a capacity of 83,000, but the Argentine Football Association (AFA) reserves 20,000 seats for free tickets. According to AFA President Claudio Tapia, there have also been 131,537 applications for media accreditation, with the stadium only being designed for 344 journalists.
“We would like to accommodate everyone, but we would need two stadiums for that, just for journalists,” said Tapia, speaking of “madness”. Five days after the game against Panama, Messi’s team meets Curacao in a friendly match.
Messi and Co. had won Argentina’s third World Cup title in Qatar, and in a dramatic final the South Americans ultimately prevailed on penalties against France.
