As the FIFA World Cup heads back to Brazil for the first time since 1950, World Cup 2014 tickets are sure to be like gold dust with so many fans wanting to see a little piece of the action. Just like in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup, we can expect a huge demand for tickets, so big in fact that getting hold of any at all will be a challenge.

So where can you buy World Cup 2014 tickets? According to FIFA, the official match schedule and ticketing arrangements have yet to be finalized – they are asking fans to be patient and keep checking their official website for more details as and when they are published.

If the last World Cup is anything to go by, we can expect tickets to be released around 18-24 months before the finals take place, which would be sometime in the summer/autumn of 2012. Until then, it’s all a bit of a guessing game, but we can at least give you the lowdown on what to expect.

Types of Tickets

During the last World Cup, FIFA released three types of tickets for sale – individual match tickets, follow-my-team tickets, and individual match tickets specifically for fans in the host nation.

Individual Match Tickets: As the name suggests, these tickets are for those who would like to see just one match only. Each match in the finals, from the opening game right through to the World Cup final itself will have a number of tickets reserved for this bracket, with prices expected to vary considerably depending on the choice of seat, stadium and the match itself (the final would likely cost twice as much as a first round group stage game).

Follow-my-team Tickets: These tickets are for those fans who want to (and can afford to!) follow their team’s progress right through the World Cup finals from beginning to end. Therefore, lucky fans who claim one of these tickets will be entitled to see all three group games at a minimum, plus each game in the knock-out stages that their team participates in, which means if you happen to support England and they make it to the final, you get to see all seven games during their campaign.

Host nation tickets: At the last World Cup in South Africa, a big percentage of tickets were reserved for general sale to the public of the host nation only. How these tickets are distributed will be the prerogative of the host nation’s football association, in this case the Brazilian FA, though it is likely a number will be reserved for citizens of host cities that want to watch games near to their homes.

Buying Tickets – How will it Work?

Tickets are not currently available to buy just yet, but it’s expected that they will go on sale sometime during 2012. The only place to buy tickets without risk of them being fake is through the official FIFA World Cup website.

Due to the expected huge demand, there will almost certainly be a lottery held to determine who gets tickets and who doesn’t. The way it worked in the previous World Cup, and also in the upcoming Euro 2012 finals, was that the authorities announced an application window of around one month, when all those interested can register their name and be entered into the draw for the chance to buy World Cup tickets. Note that it’s not done on a first come, first served basis, so it won’t affect your chances in the slightest if you get your name down on the first day or in the very last seconds.

Once the application window closes, FIFA will conduct a draw and then notify successful applicants that they have been chosen, before giving them a second one-month window in which they have to purchase the tickets. Any remaining tickets left unsold will likely be re-entered into a second lottery, giving fans another chance at getting to see the games.

But That’s Not All There Is…

If you don’t get your name chosen out of the hat, don’t give up as there will be plenty more tickets up for grabs. If you are lucky enough to come from a nation that qualifies for the finals, then, as in previous World Cups, it’s likely that an additional number of tickets will be allocated to your national football association to sell to home fans. Likely, these tickets will be offered to official supporters groups first of all, though depending on the country some may go on general sale.

Reseller Tickets

One new thing we hope that FIFA adopt is the ticket reseller portal that UEFA has introduced for the Euro 2012 finals, an official UEFA website that allows ticket holders who for whatever reason find they are unable to attend the matches to resell their tickets at face value. The way the UEFA site works is that a ticket holder lists his or her tickets on the site, and then these remained listed for a short period of time during which interested people can make a bid for them. Once the listing period closes, the winning bid will be chosen at random. If FIFA adopt something similar for World Cup 2014 tickets, this could well be a good place to lookout for more ticket opportunities.

Other Tickets

FIFA have always kept back a large number of tickets for goodwill and commercial purposes, though these tickets will not be easy to get hold of (depends who you know!).

For sure, there will be a large ticket allocation to the FIFA World Cup’s official sponsors, and these are traditionally given away as prizes in competitions, so keep an eye out for special offers and try your luck – you never know, somebody has to win!

FIFA will no doubt also reserve a number of tickets for football associations from countries that did not qualify for the finals, although these will be in limited supply. Some top club teams may also receive tickets, as will select footballing officials, referees, players, VIPs, corporate guests and officials from host cities, though these will not be for general sale.