PARIS — In tough economic times across Europe, the cheapest tickets for the 2016 European Championship will be sold for 25 euros ($28). About 250,000 tickets for 43 of the 51 matches will be sold at that price, with the most expensive seat for the final costing 895 euros ($1,000). Euro 2016 organizing committee president Jacques Lambert says "with this starting price we want to see all of society's groups in the stadiums." One million tickets for the general public will go on sale on the Internet for one month starting June 10. An extra 800,000 tickets will be sold for supporters of specific teams after the tournament's draw in December. The 24-team tournament will be held from June 10-July 10. All group matches, with the exception of the opening game, and last-16 games would have 28 dollar tickets. "This is an exceptional price for a tournament as prestigious as the Euro," insisted Lambert. Lambert said that only one website would be used for ticket sales from June 10 and that seats would be allocated in a computerized lottery. But fans can already register for an account with UEFA. By setting the low price for some tickets and using the computerized lottery, the French organizers are trying to avoid criticism of the ticket system used for last year's World Cup in Brazil. The cheapest seats for the quarterfinals are 45 euros, 65 euros for the semifinals, 75 euros for the June 10 opening match and 85 euros for the final. But the cheapest category four tickets represent only 10 percent of the total 2.4 million that will be sold and given to sponsors. Prices for the next category three tickets range from 55-295 euros, category 2 from 105-595 euros and category 1 from 145-895 euros. UEFA said it will give away 20,000 seats to poor children in France. Ten venues across France will host the 51 matches in a tournament featuring 24 teams for the first time. The kick offs will be at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT), 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) and 9 p.m. (1900 GMT).
