Bangladesh out, final tickets crash to Tk200

A place in the SAFF Championship final once came at a premium, with tickets priced at Tk1,000. Now, with Bangladesh out of the title race, the same gallery seat is going for just Tk200. The five-fold price cut tells its own story: without the hosts in Monday's India-Pakistan showdown, the excitement around the final has taken a sharp hit.

The price of a general gallery ticket for the November 17 final has dropped to Tk200 on Tickify, the tournament's ticketing platform. The steep reduction comes after weeks of criticism over ticket prices, which had been a talking point even before the competition kicked off.

Bangladesh's 1-0 semi-final defeat to Pakistan on Saturday appears to have dealt a major blow to demand. Even after an earlier reduction, gallery tickets had cost Tk800 when the hosts were still in the race for a place in the final.

The sharp fall in price has raised questions over whether the National Stadium will draw anything close to the crowd that packed the ground for Bangladesh's last match.

Saturday's Bangladesh-Pakistan semi-final attracted 21,983 spectators at the 22,000-capacity National Stadium, creating a packed atmosphere as the hosts chased a place in the final. But a visit to the stadium area on Sunday afternoon offered little sign of similar excitement ahead of the title clash.

The mood had been very different after Bangladesh's 4-0 victory over Sri Lanka secured their place in the semi-finals. With hopes growing of a first final appearance since 2005, supporters had begun dreaming of a historic run on home soil.

But on Saturday Pakistan's late winner brought that dream to an end. Now, with India and Pakistan set to meet for the title on Tuesday, organisers face the challenge of drawing spectators back to the stadium.

The Tk200 ticket price may make entry more affordable, but whether the discount can fill the stands remains to be seen.