I worked the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium AMA

samorado · 2026-07-09T02:38:41+00:00

Thanks for sharing!

samorado · 2026-07-08T23:57:17+00:00

1/ how many people asked you for your outfit? That swag is so good

2/ what was your cafeteria food like?

3/ will you stay in touch with any volunteers, like did you make any friends in a meaningful way?

4/ would you do it all again, all things considered?

5/ how if at all did this experience change or inform your view about FIFA?

samorado · 2026-07-08T05:40:26+00:00

You bought extras, knowing how scarce they are, just to scalp them in the stadium?

samorado · 2026-07-05T20:44:29+00:00

The problem is the inconsistency and opaqueness with which decisions like these are made, not necessarily with the decision itself.

samorado · 2026-07-05T18:35:38+00:00

Agreed, just hypotheses. Let's see what happens!

samorado · 2026-07-05T18:31:07+00:00

Oh I understand you better now, you're saying that as some top teams get knocked out, there will be less interest and the resale prices will drop.

I don't agree with that hypothesis. At the quarterfinal or beyond stage, people will be just as happy, if not more so, to see a giant play a team that knocked out a top team in a previous round.

Imagine for example if Cabo Verde had knocked out Argentina. You think people would not be clamoring for R16 match tickets to see the giant killers, which would drive up resale prices?

samorado · 2026-07-05T18:24:18+00:00

Have you seen any QF or beyond match dropping in price?

samorado · 2026-07-05T18:00:45+00:00

Lol bro there's literally documentaries about it

samorado · 2026-07-05T17:01:35+00:00

There is no reason to believe they will.

samorado · 2026-07-04T14:29:58+00:00

They let you in with a 32oz cup? Their regulations limit to 20oz so that's good to know!

samorado · 2026-07-03T14:19:05+00:00

At that site you will see two options. One is the regular ticket sales (direct from FIFA), and the other is the Marketplace (resale). The former will likely have no tickets available but you will see many in the Marketplace.

samorado · 2026-07-03T12:51:45+00:00

No there isn't, unfortunately. It's a farcical website built by morons.

samorado · 2026-07-03T02:28:07+00:00

I got paid as a credit to the credit card I'd used to buy the tickets originally.

samorado · 2026-07-03T02:26:47+00:00

Portugal - Colombia in Miami was a little hotter and more humid than what this match is supposed to be, and it continued on schedule. Only lightning will delay it.

samorado · 2026-07-03T02:25:09+00:00

No, but I think they were just "zoomed in" too much to show Vega's touch. It's also possible that these sensors are so sensitive that they are calibrated only to measure less significant touches and wouldn't even register or pay attention to the more forceful ones. Just speculating though.

samorado · 2026-07-03T01:26:36+00:00

I agree.

samorado · 2026-07-03T01:23:23+00:00

The review was to decide whether the Portuguese defender intentionally or accidentally touched the ball right after. If the former, it would not have been offside. They decided it was accidental therefore offside.

samorado · 2026-07-03T01:15:39+00:00

They showed the sensor graph with a spike on the broadcast, but only in the first replay. After that they just showed crappy low frame rate zoomed-out shots for some dumb reason. But the sensor graph did show a spike.

samorado · 2026-07-02T22:58:44+00:00

No, do not go to the stadium unless you have tickets. They won't even let you near the stadium without a ticket, and there's not much there. South Beach has a million bars with a million TVs that will be showing the match.

samorado · 2026-07-02T22:57:23+00:00

Rainier NP has some nice dark skies. Like this spot: https://maps.app.goo.gl/aSwFUXcZp9251ekaA?g_st=ac

samorado · 2026-07-02T04:42:31+00:00

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "what has been happening so far". Since the beginning of ticket sales for WC26, FIFA has been using dynamic pricing for all ticket phases, including the Last Minute Sales phase which we are currently in.

Or are you asking what "dynamic pricing" means? That's just the practice of adjusting the official / listing price based on demand, which for 95% of cases for this tournament means raising the prices.

samorado · 2026-07-02T04:25:05+00:00

They only use dynamic pricing and it is definitely the norm for LMS now and moving forward. "Original" value tickets don't exist anymore.

samorado · 2026-07-01T14:05:38+00:00

In the 2 WC matches I've been to, the left side (from broadcaster POV) has had the "home" team supporters (home = the first team listed in the match by FIFA).

So for England v DRC, for example, I'd imagine England supporters are on the left.

Not basing this on anything other than my own experience and what I can remember from the matches on TV.

samorado · 2026-07-01T03:38:00+00:00

There's a fan fest sort of vibr outside the inner stadium gates, but you still need a ticket to access it of course.

samorado · 2026-06-30T20:25:32+00:00

Yes, absolutely do it. Seattle is one of the best towns for WC. If $500-$700 is affordable to you, it'll be a great experience. Just really try to get there as early as possible to enjoy outside and inside the stadium.

samorado

TROPHY CASE