Just found this.  Haven't had a chance to have a full read but seems to imply you can pick them up.  https://tickets.fifa.com/FAQ/en?platform=desktop&lang=en 

thats what happened to me with Germany v Mexico in the 2nd phase. spewing.

Just got a notification from DHL, they've picked up my tickets from Verona (I guess that's where FIFA print them) for delivery, exciting stuff!

Hi mates, currently have 1x Denmark v Australia and 1x France v Australia ticket I need to sell. $165 USD face value, that's all I want for it.

Feel free to DM me, first in gets them.

Got my DHL email yesterday at last - says tix will be here from Italy by this Friday - mightily impressed if that is the case but should definitely be here by Friday week when I leave. 

off topic - Russian  sim cards - I've read the wikis and checked out the main players and it looks pretty complex. found a prepaid (i think) plan  on Megafon ('Turn on') with 30gb for 1000r + option to add calls at 20r/minute back to Australia so seems like what I'm after but not sure about all the data eating options and whether they can be turned off if you cant read russian. Anyone got personal experience on this? 

I see this plan 30Gb/1000 rub, you get
1. free internet with (WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, eMotion, ТамТам, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Rutube, Vimeo)
2. 30GB on other services
3. free calls on Megafon phones 
4. 1500 min on other Russian phones
You pay for sms (3R to Russian, no information to abroad)
It seems that calls to Australia are 75R/min. Normally, it's expensive to call from Russia abroad, better to use internet apps for calls.

Hi Vlad. There is an option to add calls @ 20 r / min as well. Costs 60r one time and 2 r a day. Its called ‘calls to other countries’.
Am I right in reading that is a pre-paid plan? And are they likely to have English support online?

Thanks

Yes, it's pre-paid.  Normally, in Russia all plans are pre-paid, except for a few corporative ones. No money - no calls :)
and I don't think they have any English support. 
Could you please point me on ‘calls to other countries’ option, I can't find it. 
BTW Now, I can't find the plan you mentioned and I saw this morning. Can you?
Mobile operators in Russia are fucking cheaters, they subscribe you to payable mailing lists and services without a notice and other scams. So, pay the exact amount to buy your plan and don't have money on you account or control them through your personal account or apps.

Look what came in the mail! :)

Very strange tickets categories distribution.
For Samara I got Level 5 C525 Row 11, pratically same as your but on the curve - category 3

That's interesting, do you have any links for seat maps? Can't find anything more than where each category is on the FIFA site.

I'm just glad to be there. I got category 3 for the provisional tickets for the knockout stage.

On www.bigsoccer.com forum look for World Cup sub section. In there there’s a thread with every stadium and the seating plans on it.

http://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/russia-2018-stadium-seating-plans.2083085/

Champion.  Still waiting for mine.  Assuming now that they must be a pickup in Russia job as I've got one for resale that according to my account is still listed as 'submitted for resale'.

Who knows, they might turn up next week but I'm starting to think they're not coming.

Blokes on facebook groups have flown out without their tickets only for them to arrive at their house address afterwards.

Thanks for that!

Looks like I'll be right on the halfway line in Samara, I'll take one of my panorama shots and put it on wiki for people to steal.

I'm sure you can get them reprinted at the service centres in Russia regardless, as long as you have your Fan ID.

I'm 99% sure you can but I'd feel so much better if they just sent an email to say that, "yes we're not sending your tickets out, pick them up here". 

It's the not knowing that is frustrating.

That's come up a bit in the ticketing thread on bigsoccer.  Some of the Cat 1 tickets are not much better than the Cat 3 ones.

What do you mean? You bought them as resale?

I bought 7 tickets outright.  After I worked out travel and accom I realised that the match in Volgograd was too hard to get to so I put that one up for resale.

As a bit of WW2 buff I'm disappointed not to be going to Volgograd. Would have loved to see a few of the monuments and museums there.

What a shame, you're really missing out.

Yeah the big statue, motherland is it?, looks amazing.

^^^ will have to go next time......

Back to tickets though here's my drama. I have 7 matches. I can only make 6. So I went to the ticket resale part of the ticketing portal and clicked through on 'ticket resale'.

Up the very top the first box you come across, shown below in the first photo, says;

"Your Tickets are in the process of being delivered and therefore cannot be currently submitted for resale. By ticking this box, YOU ARE NOT SUBMITTING YOUR TICKETS FOR RESALE; by ticking this box, you are only confirming you wish to opt out of the delivery of your Tickets."

So I didn't tick this box because I didn't want to "opt out of delivery".

Then I scrolled down and found the match I wanted to put up for resale and clicked "submit for resale". (See picture 2).

So that's where I'm at.

Will FIFA send me the 6 I've bought for sure and hold one? Send all 7? Or Hold them until I get to Russia because I've submitted a match for resale?

I don't mind picking them up in Russia I just wish they'd send an email saying what's happening one way or the other.

It's a little frustrating. I fly out on the 11th June so only have next week for these tickets to arrive if they are coming at all.

Can anyone shed some light on what's happening or what they think is happening. Getting a little toey now.

Yeah that's really confusing.

Ticket drop on FIFA just now.

Its still there Vlad. I'm using the chrome translated version of the russian megafon site:
http://moscow.megafon.ru/tariffs/vklyuchaysya/

the option for 'calls to all countries' is in the 'services and options' menu then 'intercity' 
http://moscow.megafon.ru/services/far_calls/all_countries/all_countries.html

yes, those extra 'services' are what I'm concerned about. they can be disabled but without russian literacy its going to be tricky. 

But at least i now know its pre-paid. I figure if it costs me 2000r ($50) for international calls and data for the 16 days I'm there thats about a tenth of what I'd pay roaming with my Aus sim.

Cheers

Nice! I got an email saying mine are with the delivery courier today. Verona Italy to Darwin Australia in 3 and half days. Amazing. Cant even get an express envelope to another capital city inside that time :) 

Can't fault DHL. They actually came a day earlier than the estimate on the site for me, delivered to my door on Sunday.

Yeah I booked Cat 1 for two games and for both I've ended up right on the very edge in the top tier. I'm trying not to be annoyed about it because I have the privilege of going to a WC, but the price difference between categories was pretty significant so it's a little disappointing. 

It's a little frustrating, but they have to have the border of each category somewhere.

In saying that, my conditional category 3 ticket for the Round of 16 is almost half the price of my Category 1 group stage tickets.

Just rang DHL.  She did a manual search for my tickets and 'sad face' my name, address and postcode didn't come up.  She did say ticket batches are still arriving every day and to keep calling back.  

You would think FIFA would be better at this by now wouldn't you?  Reading past tripadvisor ticket threads the same delays and non-information happened for Brazil.