SAFF final ticket prices crash after Bangladesh exit: Tk 1,000 gallery seats now Tk 200

A ticket that cost Tk 1,000 is now available for Tk 200 — and that too for the SAFF Championship final. With hosts Bangladesh knocked out of the tournament, spectator interest in the final has faded, and the effect has shown in ticket prices.

Gallery tickets for the India-Pakistan final on November 17 are now going for just Tk 200. The website of Tickify, the company in charge of ticket sales, showed the final's gallery ticket price at Tk 200 today.

Yet when Bangladesh reached the semi-finals, the ticket price, even after a reduction, was Tk 800. After Bangladesh's exit in yesterday's 1-0 loss to Pakistan, the final's ticket price has fallen fourfold. Even so, doubts remain over how many spectators the final will draw.

The gallery for the Bangladesh-Pakistan semi-final was packed with spectators. The National Stadium, with a capacity of around 22,000, drew 21,983 spectators.

Visiting the National Stadium area on Sunday afternoon, there was little sign of the SAFF final. That reality was reflected in the words of Tariqul Islam, who watched the Bangladesh-Pakistan match from the gallery yesterday. Standing in front of the stadium, he said: 'Bangladesh is not there — what is the point of watching the final now? Our SAFF is over.'

After beating Sri Lanka 4-0 to reach the semi-finals, Bangladesh's supporters had dreamed of playing in the final. But that dream was shattered by the loss to Pakistan.

With Bangladesh's exit, football fans' interest in the final seems to have faded as well. How full the gallery will be even at Tk 200 a ticket is now the question.