High Ticket Prices Define First World Cup Presale

FIFA released its first batch of tickets for the 2026 World Cup this week, revealing by far the most expensive prices in the tournament’s history.

On Wednesday, the first group of people received instructions to purchase tickets for the Visa Presale Draw. FIFA only sent instructions to a fraction of the more than 4.5 million fans who had entered for the presale; millions of fans are still waiting on word from FIFA that they might be selected at a later date. A second ticket selection round was held on Friday.

While ticket prices for many group stage matches held in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada start at $60 as FIFA said they would, those only make up a small portion of the available offerings, the cheapest level of four price categories. Sitting anywhere outside of the nosebleeds will cost at least $140 per ticket for even the cheapest matches in the U.S. The most expensive group stage match is the struggling U.S. Men’s National Team’s opener in Los Angeles, with the cheapest seats priced at $560 and the best seats at $2,735.

The prices continue their historic climb as the tournament progresses. Prices for the Rounds of 32 and 16 at U.S. venues range from $125 at their lowest to $890 at their peak. A seat to a quarterfinal match will cost at least $275, and a semifinal bout at least $420.

The lowest price for a ticket to the final held at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium is $2,030. The other three price categories for the final are $2,790, $4,210, and $6,370.

These figures make the 2026 World Cup by far the priciest tournament on record. For the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the lowest group stage tickets—reserved for host country residents, unlike the 2026 tournament—cost only $11. The lowest ticket for that year’s final was $206, while the highest was $1,607. The tournament begins in June.

The England Fans’ Embassy of the Football Supporters’ Association called the prices “astonishing,” and said it’s “unacceptable” for the cheapest ticket to the final to cost more than $2,000.

Fans selected this week could purchase up to 40 tickets for the tournament, and one fan confirmed to Front Office Sports they were able to buy the full amount. While options for country-specific packages were offered, most of the tickets on sale were matches between two unknown opponents. Fans could buy tickets for individual fixtures or a package for a certain stadium.

FIFA will hold two presale periods—with the second one coming Oct. 27—before it announces the tournament draw in early December. FIFA is planning to hold additional windows following the draw, though those prices will be heavily influenced by FIFA’s “variable pricing” strategy.

FIFA’s dynamic pricing model means that the cost of tickets will fluctuate based on demand. The global soccer body tried this approach with the Club World Cup, hosted by the U.S. this past summer, but eventually abandoned the strategy amid high prices, poor ticket sales, and partly empty stadiums.

Tickets have already skyrocketed on FIFA’s official resale market, which launched Thursday. Resale tickets are listed thousands of dollars higher than their original Wednesday sale price. On top of the exorbitant prices, FIFA is taking a 15% cut from both the buyer and the seller on all tickets.

One fan who did squeak through the system, William Bove, tells FOS he purchased tickets on Wednesday for two matches in Mexico City. He says he paid $190 for two tickets to a Mexican National Team game and $140 for an unknown group stage match. Bove says he plans to keep his tickets, though the resale market is tempting. “I think the experience is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’d rather have that than the $7,000 to $8,000,” he says.

Verizon also began its giveaway, which claimed to offer “thousands” of free tickets through an hourly release Thursday and daily drops throughout early October. A fan named Dave, who asked to be identified only by his first name, tells FOS he didn’t hear from FIFA, so he tried the Verizon route. He says he checked his Verizon app each hour, but the offer instantly disappeared every time. A spokesperson for Verizon tells FOS that “hundreds” of tickets were made available yesterday, all of which were claimed, and “thousands more” will be released before June.

“Definitely this whole experience has really frustrated and infuriated a lot of people at a time where you could have a lot of celebration and a lot of positivity around this tournament,” Dave says. “It’s going to continue to be overshadowed by this corporate profit and lust for as much money as possible, and that really takes away from what could be a really beautiful experience for this country.”