Fans will have the opportunity to sell unwanted tickets online during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as FIFA "tries to ensure that as many seats as possible are filled at stadiums," according to REUTERS. This summer, the London Games and Euro 2012 were both "blighted by rows of empty seats at supposedly sold-out venues." FIFA Marketing Dir Thierry Weil said that sponsors will "also be asked to give details of who is using their tickets." He added that it was "impossible to eradicate 'no shows' from ticket holders" (REUTERS, 10/10). REUTERS also reported that Weil expects sponsors to be fair with FIFA about who is attending the matches. Weil: "What we expect from the sponsors is to be fair and open with us on who is coming and who is not coming, which tickets they will use and which tickets they will not use in advance of the game, so that we can reallocate those tickets." Weil added that FIFA "would be testing its ticket systems" during the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil. The event is seen as a "dry run" for the World Cup (REUTERS, 10/10). In London, Tariq Panja reported that although 97% of tickets were sold for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, "many matches were played in stadiums with empty seats." That World Cup brought $3.7B in sales for FIFA, with $1.1B coming from sponsorship and marketing, and $2.4B from TV. For the 2014 World Cup, FIFA has budgeted for revenue of $3.8B (BLOOMBERG, 10/10).
