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Front Office Sports - The Memo

Morning Edition

June 30, 2026

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The prices of World Cup knockout-round tickets are falling on the secondary market. In the past week, the average get-in price for round-of-32 matches fell 39% from $2,040 to $1,245, according to figures TicketData provided to Front Office Sports. One main reason behind the drop in prices: increasing uncertainty for international travelers.

—Margaret Fleming

First Up

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  • At his introductory press conference, new Mavericks coach Dusty May said college’s NIL era helped prepare him for the NBA. Read the story.
  • NBC missed the first hour of its first Red Sox–Yankees broadcast since 1995 on Sunday night due to the network’s PGA Tour coverage running late. Read the story.

Ticket Prices Plunge for World Cup Knockout Matches

REUTERS/Phil Noble

The great World Cup ticket price drop has finally arrived, though not exactly when or how anyone expected.

World Cup ticket prices are falling on secondary resale markets for knockout rounds, according to resale market tracking site TicketData.

In the past week, the average get-in price for round-of-32 matches fell 39% from $2,040 to $1,245, according to figures TicketData provided to Front Office Sports on Monday morning.

There was a widespread belief—or perhaps hope—among ticketing experts and fans that FIFA’s aggressive prices would drop ahead of the group stage. Instead, those costs did not fall on FIFA’s own website. On secondary markets, they increased in the lead-up to the tournament, then continued to climb as matches got underway. Now, prices are falling as the field is pared down and the tournament begins its most consequential matches.

The round of 32 began with Canada’s 1–0 win over South Africa on Sunday, and continues with three matches per day from Monday through Friday.

Some individual round-of-32 matches have fallen precipitously, according to TicketData’s website. The get-in resale price for Monday’s match between Germany and Paraguay in Boston fell 68% over the past seven days to $466, while Wednesday’s Belgium-Senegal game dropped the same percentage to $421. The biggest changes in the past week are Switzerland-Algeria in Vancouver, which fell 72% to $443, and England against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Atlanta, which fell 69% to $598.

Only one match has barely budged. Mexico-Ecuador on Tuesday in Mexico City has fallen only 1% to $2,849 over the past week.

According to the figures provided to FOS, in the past seven days, the average get-in prices fell:

  • 26% for all knockout matches, from $2,930 to $2,165
  • 28% for the round of 16, from $2,895 to $2,080
  • 19% for the quarterfinals, from $3,660 to $2,970
  • 16% for the semifinals, from $4,705 to $3,960 

The trend really started only in the past week, according to TicketData. When looking at data from the past 14 days, prices for the round of 32 are only down 14%, and further rounds are more expensive than they were two weeks ago, per TicketData.

In other words, the prices shot up during the tournament but have fallen sharply in the past week.

Several factors might be driving the fall. The main one is the increasing uncertainty for international travelers. Many fans over the past weeks told FOS they were following their team through only the group stage or the round of 32 before they would go back home.

FIFA released a small batch of tickets on its own primary resale site early in the morning on Friday, Sunday, and Monday. The batches were only about a few thousand tickets at a time, hitting around 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. ET.

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ONE BIG FIG

Watching Team USA

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17.01 million

The number of people who watched the U.S. men’s national team play the World Cup group-stage match against Turkey on Fox Sports. The June 25 match, which the U.S. lost 3–2, ranks as the second-most-watched FIFA men’s World Cup telecast in English behind the USA-Paraguay match on June 21, which notched more than 18 million viewers. The U.S.-Turkey match reached a peak audience of 19.47 million viewers at around 10:30 p.m. ET. Next up is the round of 32, with the U.S. facing Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

DAILY SPORTS TRIVIA

Can you list the last five Doak Walker Award winners in reverse chronological order starting with the 2025–26 season?

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LOUD AND CLEAR

Airport Book

Barstool Sports founder and pizza influencer Dave Portnoy went on a four-shop tour of RI pizza places and stopped at Francesco's on Hope Street after owner Frank Schiavone got Portnoy's attention with some confident signage.

Eric Rueb/Imagn Images

“I wish it was a different outlet that had the list. I feel like they’ve got me by the balls here because this list you have to try to get on as a book—I clearly hate them.”

—Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy on how he views the New York Times Best Sellers list now that he has a book coming out. His book Cancel Me If You Can will be officially released Tuesday, and Portnoy said part of the reason he wanted to write one was because “the idea of walking into an airport and seeing my book in the window, or in bookstores—appealed to me.” Portnoy spoke with FOS about the arduous process of writing the book, how Barstool grows talent, and the story behind Pat McAfee’s exit. Read the story.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Intersecting Capital and Competition

Sports has become one of the most compelling investment opportunities in the global market. Private equity is gaining ground across leagues and teams, prediction markets are challenging the status quo, women’s sports continues its rapid ascent, and the economics of college athletics are being rewritten in real time.

On Sept. 15, we’ll unpack it all as Asset Class returns to Manhattan—bringing together the investors, operators, founders, and executives shaping the future of the business of sports.

Led by FOS deals reporter Ben Horney, the event will feature candid discussions about the trends, transactions, and capital strategies driving the industry forward—and what they mean for the next era of growth.

Request to attend now. Space is limited.

FOS NEWS

Mia Hamm on Women’s Sports Future

FOS

FOS graphic

Amid the 2026 World Cup, Front Office Sports caught up with soccer legend Mia Hamm to discuss the tournament’s impact, the future of the sport in the U.S., and her sports investment portfolio.

Hamm was optimistic that the World Cup will continue fueling soccer’s growth in the U.S., pointing to the memories young fans will create by attending matches and the ripple effect those experiences could have on participation and fandom. Looking ahead, she said the 2031 Women’s World Cup—also set to be hosted in the U.S.—has the potential to build on that momentum and eclipse the landmark 1999 tournament.

Asked what it’s like to be part of Angel City FC’s ownership group of more than 100 investors, Hamm joked the biggest challenge is scheduling a Zoom meeting. And if she could add another investment to her portfolio, it would be pickleball.

Watch the full interview.

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Nike will reportedly stop letting other companies sell its products online in China.

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Gray is the latest active player to join the media.

Question of the Day

Are World Cup knockout matches cheap enough for you to buy tickets?

 YES   NO 

Monday’s result: 73% of respondents think the expanded World Cup has made the tournament better overall.

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Written by Margaret Fleming
Edited by Lisa Scherzer, Dennis Young, Catherine Chen

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