Soccer: World Cup tickets still available for rich fans 

FRANKFURT - Some 150,000 of the best seats at the 2006 soccer World Cup, including tickets for the final, remain unsold and are available for public purchase.

But fans wishing to jump the queue and guarantee tickets ahead of the next sales lottery should check their credit ratings carefully.

Prices start at 1900 euros (NZ$3303) plus sales tax for a package that will get you into three early-round games, and go up to 336,000 euros for a 20-person box at all six matches in Berlin's Olympic Stadium, including the final.

Swiss-based company iSE-Hospitality holds the rights to sell a total of 346,950 tickets in a variety of hospitality packages following a public tender from FIFA.

Close to half the seats have been sold to date, the company said.

"The German market is of course challenging, but we are certain we will sell out," iSE Hospitality's deputy CEO Andreas Hacker said in an emailed response to questions.

The pace of sales is in contrast to the mad scramble for tickets by the regular channel on the official World Cup website -- understandably, perhaps, given the difference in prices.

The initial offering of 812,000 tickets from organisers was oversubscribed by 10 to one and the next significant sales window, when around 300,000 tickets go up for grabs after December's draw, is likely to prove even more popular.

The ordinary tickets on public sale start at 35 euros for the lowest category seats at opening round games.

They go up to 600 euros for the most expensive seats at the final but there are relatively modest price points along the way, with the cheapest tickets costing 90 euros for the semi-final and 120 euros for the final.

The contrast with the hospitality offer is stark, with most of the seats priced well out of range of most fans.

- REUTERS