Charlotte —
The World Cup officially kicks off in Mexico on Thursday, but thousands of fans across North America will have already gotten their opportunity to enjoy the world’s biggest sporting festival before a minute of the tournament is played.
With ticket prices – not to mention travel expenses – having been at extreme levels for months, the series of international friendlies (exhibition matches, for the American reader) – played before the tournament begins have become big-time moments for families all around the United States. The accessibility of the games – coming to markets where no World Cup matches will be played, such as Saturday’s match between the USA and Germany in Chicago – and the relative affordability of those tickets has turned meaningless games into priceless memories.
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Jay Jhaveri traveled from Long Island outside New York City to North Carolina last weekend to see the US take on Senegal in Charlotte. Jhaveri said he explored going to matches at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, but for his family of five, it made more financial sense to fly to Charlotte, buy fifth-row tickets at Bank of America Stadium and enjoy a weekend away than it did to purchase tickets for the actual tournament a short(er) trip from home.
