Tom obviously knows nothing. He doesn’t appreciate the challenge of award availability on Fiji. Sanjay only reads headlines. I wonder if he saw this headline about his Arsenal team conceding a goal.
Festivus retorts aside, I am happy that the people at Fiji Airways are a lot kinder than my blog readers. Despite no award availability showing, Fiji rebooked me on the SYD-NAN-LAX route, keeping my dreams of visiting American Samoa alive (see I Blew It: Missing Blowholes in Samoa And Tuna in America).
I have written extensively about the luxury of having points and being able to attend otherwise cost-prohibitive Sports Events. When Michigan made the National Championship game this year, I had to go. I had spent enough money (and points) attending the previous two National Championships, both of which resulted in an L (see Final 4 Free & Final Four San Antonio: Go Blue! Left Blue).
In this report, I will cover the following challenges:
Getting tickets to the game.
Booking flights.
Booking hotels.
And what to do in one of the dullest cities in America, Indianapolis.
Remember when the Straits of Hormuz were open? Of course, you do not, because it was not something the average person concerned himself with. Now, everyone is a geopolitical expert on Iran. And now, the average person is starting to feel the effects of our Buffoon in Chief’s war.
We are contacting you to advise of an important update to your upcoming booking with Fiji Airways.
Due to ongoing developments in the Middle East and the associated operational impacts, including fuel cost challenges, we have taken the difficult decision to suspend our Nadi- Dallas services effective September 7th. As a result, the flight on which you are currently booked will no longer operate.
Now, I am not sure what I will do. Anyone who has searched for availability on Fiji via Alaska knows and will appreciate how difficult it was for me to book this ticket (Bula! Fiji Airways Vancouver to Nadi Flight Review).
TPOL went from 35th place to 4th place as Michigan beat UConn to make my life great again. Whether A777Neo will visit Puerto Rico is the outstanding question. Next up: TPOL’s Final Four Trip Report.
Four years later, the Trip Report from World Cup 2022 is still incomplete. Four years later, I find myself attending another World Cup. Refusing to be extorted, I decided that the only way I would go was if Iraq qualified and if I could live in a big city in North America during the tournament for my next Residency (see TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?).
On Tuesday, March 31st, 2026, the Lions of Mesopotamia took on Bolivia. Despite giving up 16 corners, Iraq held on 2-1 to advance to the World Cup for the first time in 40 years. As luck would have it, Iraq was also scheduled to play in Toronto, a city that I used to love that has fallen on hard times (see What Happened to Toronto?), but is still on the Residency List (see Vote for Where TPOL Will Move Next And…).
Now, I needed to find tickets to the game and a place to live. Using the lessons learned from purchasing tickets in Doha (see The Guide to Buying Tickets for the World Cup And Other Big Events), I waited for the last-chance tickets to go on sale on FIFA’s website on Wednesday at 11AM.
And wait, I did.
Four hours later, I was finally let in. My first objective was to buy Category 1 tickets for Iraq vs. Senegal. The face value was $450 each. I added them to my cart.
The second was to see if there were any other games in Toronto worth attending. Canada vs. Bosnia did not sound exciting, nor did Ghana vs. Panama, especially for $390 (Category 2) to $450 (Category 1) per ticket.
Satisfied, I proceeded to check out.
Like booking an awards flight, I was worried that something would go wrong. To no surprise, my credit card kept getting declined. Fortunately, FIFA takes Apple Pay, and the transaction finally went through.
Just when I was about to declare ‘mission accomplished,’ buyer’s remorse set in. I looked up which other teams were in Iraq’s group. I was disheartened to find out that it includes Norway, which features Erling Haaland, and France who features Kylian Mbappé. My Mesopotamian cubs do not stand a chance against those two. Worse still, those two games will be played before Iraq vs. Senegal. It is highly likely that Iraq will be playing solely for pride at that point, having been demolished by both Norway and France. It is also likely that Senegal will also be playing for pride, having been demolished by both Norway and France.
This brings me back to buyer’s remorse. What are the chances that come game day, two Category 1 tickets for Iraq vs. Senegal will be sold for pennies on the loonie? How mad will I be if that is the case? My friend said I should not think about that and enjoy that I get to see my home country play on the world’s largest stage. That statement has done nothing to quell my anxiety.
Currently, the only thing that makes me feel good is that the resale market is ballooning out of control. Minutes after making my purchase, I found these two tickets for sale:
As of this morning, April 2nd, the price has gone up another $100.
And that’s not the only game that has gone up.
Looking at that, I am not sure if I should have bought tickets to that game and resold them for a profit.
TPOL’s Tip: TPOL is not in the ticket scalping business but has written extensively on the subject (see Ticket Scalping Guide).
Which brings me back to my purchase of tickets for Iraq vs. Senegal. Should I sell these two and wait for the market to tank or hold on to them and confidently declare, ‘mission accomplished’?
I paid $419 for two days of open bar and these board shorts.
Day 1
I went to a breakfast party that started far later than anyone has breakfast. Since the party had no energy and since I had no patience, I returned to my hotel to watch Spain beat England in the UEFA championship.
Don’t arrive early.
TPOL’s Tax: The price of the affair was $145.
Day 2
Perhaps the breakfast party wasn’t great, but surely the road march would be. I woke up to rain clouds. The delay to the party continued as the traffic to the march was insufferable. After an hour, we were dropped off at the start. From there, we waited in the rain for the march to begin. Unlike Trinidad, more people were walking than dancing.
Security was on point.
Day 3
Since I had paid for the event and since I don’t give up easily, I decided to return to the march the following day. I tried my best to get excited, but could not get going. At the airport, I found a taxi to deliver me from my boredom, Geoffrey Butler style.
Grand Total: $4008. I have more points than ever, but nowhere to go. It might be a waste of money, but I will continue to pay the annual fee for new cards, believing that hoarding is better than letting sign-up bonuses pass me by.
Each year, I get worse at picking the winners. I’m currently sitting 35th out of 39. The important point is that Michigan is still in. I also enjoy the current leader’s handle.
And what do teens like to do? Be on social media. Last year, I launched my VLOG (see #MasterOfWon: 1 Year Vlog Anniversary). This year, I expanded my video presence with Academy Award-winning short films on my TPOL YouTube Channel. What can’t TPOL do?
