The World Cup dream has been anything but for fans hoping to attend the 2026 tournament, hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
To start, FIFA, the governing body of international soccer, charged fans hundreds for the ability to purchase tickets, and some have been listed for over thousands of dollars. Tickets to the final range from $4,000 to $9,000-plus.
Due to backlash, FIFA said it will provide some $60 tickets to the final and every other match, but hasn’t relayed much information, the Associated Press reports.
Each national federation of the teams playing will have the $60 tickets and can allot them to “loyal” fans. Each match allotment to federations is expected to be around 1,000 tickets.
This “Supporter Entry Tier” is rare for FIFA as it hadn’t responded to ticket price criticism.
All it has said is the new ticket tier is “designed to further support traveling fans following their national teams across the tournament.”
When the U.S. first hosted the men’s World Cup in 1994, the Los Angeles Times reported that the average ticket cost was $58. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $120-$127 in 2025.
The Athletic reports that the tickets are the highest in World Cup history.
While there were some $60 tickets during the first round of ticket sales, the average ticket for a group game, the initial opening matches of the tournament, were $105-$620.
To attend the opening match of the tournament that the U.S. team plays in would cost, at the lowest, $560. Ticket prices then jump to $1,120, $1,940, and $2,735, depending on stadium location.
