Attending the 2026 World Cup seemed to become a luxury reserved for a few since tickets for the great event went on sale. For months, fans from different countries criticized the high ticket prices, especially in the United States, where some tickets easily exceeded $1,000. However, a few weeks before the start of the tournamentthe market finally began to change and prices are falling faster than expected.
According to recent data from TicketData, tickets for group stage matches registered a drop of more than 22% in the last month. The average entry price had reached $737, but is currently around $550.. The reduction occurs with less than 30 days left until the official start of the World Cup.
The tournament will begin on June 11 in Mexico City and will be played for six weeks at venues in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
One of the cases that attracted the most attention was the match between Jordan and Algeria. That match became the first in the World Cup to offer tickets for less than $100 dollars, reaching sell tickets from $98 dollars. Although the price subsequently rose a little again after new purchases, the movement made it clear that demand is not as strong as FIFA expected.
Within the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) there is concern about the possibility of seeing some stadiums with many empty seats. This would be a major problem for a tournament that seeks to consolidate the growth of soccer in North America.
Important changes also began to be seen in Los Angeles. The match between the United States and Paraguay at SoFi Stadium finally went down of a thousand dollars per ticket for the first time in several months. At the moment, The average price is around $938 dollars. Reports indicate that just over 40,000 tickets have been sold in a stadium with a capacity of close to 70,000 people.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino previously defended the high costs of the tournament.
“We have to look at the market; we are in the market where entertainment is most developed in the world,” said Infantino, comparing the prices of the World Cup with sporting events such as the NFL and the NBA. “Although some people say the ticket prices are high, they end up on the resale market at even higher prices. We are only applying market prices“.
The Soccer Supporters Europe group called the high costs a “monumental betrayal” for soccer fans. Even the president of the United States, Donald Trump, reacted to the issue.
“I wouldn’t pay them either”declared upon learning that some tickets for U.S. team matches were worth more than $1,000 dollars.
The drop occurs after months of strong criticism against FIFA for its dynamic pricing system. Since sales began, fans from different countries denounced exaggerated costs for group stage matches, especially in the United States, where many tickets easily exceeded $1,000 at resale.
Despite the recent decline, There are still games with extremely high prices. The duel between Colombia and Portugal appears to be the most expensive in the group stage, with tickets exceeding $3,200 dollars.
The World Cup finalscheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, It also maintains very high prices. At the moment, the cheapest tickets are around $7,700 dollarsalthough the finalist teams are not yet known.
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