Need to pay a fortune to watch Ronaldo and Messi in 2026: How FIFA's pricing makes the beautiful game inaccessible
Fans were initially excited about $60 tickets for the 2026 World Cup, but prices quickly soared to $560 for the opening match.
When FIFA announced the tickets for the 2026 World Cup would start at $60, football fans worldwide were relieved. That optimism among the football fanatics, however, was short-lived. However, as the first presale window opened last week, supporters discovered that the promised budget-friendly tickets were nowhere to be found. The actual prices of the tickets were at least five to 10 times higher.
The unexplained price surge
The numbers tell us a sobering story. The cheapest ticket for the opening match has jumped from $55 in Qatar in 2022 to $560 in 2026 - nearly a tenfold increase. For the summit clash, the baseline ticket has soared from $206 to $2,030, meaning even the cheapest seat now costs more than the most expensive premium ticket did just four years ago.
The most expensive ticket for the final of the tournament will cost the fans nearly $6,370 compared to $1,607 in Qatar. To get a better context, tickets in the 1994 World Cup in the United States ranged from $25 to $475. Even if we adjust for inflation, it is still a fraction of today’s prices.
The dynamic pricing revolution
What makes the 2026 World Cup different from all the previous editions is FIFA’s introduction of dynamic pricing for the first time in World Cup history. This system adjusts ticket prices based on the real-time demand, similar to airline pricing models familiar to North American consumers but largely foreign to European and South American football fans.
While FIFA promoted $60 tickets as the entry point, these represent only a small slice of the inventory in the highest stadium tiers and would disappear within minutes. For high-demand fixtures, particularly those involving the United States or players who are global superstars, the starting points have jumped to triple digits in no time. The US opener in Los Angeles is a perfect example of the issue. The cheapest seats for the fixture started around $560, while premium locations reached $2,375 before any resale markup.
The pricing structure
Perhaps more controversial than the dynamic pricing itself is the resale platform of FIFA. In the United States and Canada, FIFA charges both the buyers and sellers a 15% commission on every transaction. In Mexico, the local regulations cap resale at face value.
This dual-fee structure creates a 30% wedge between what sellers receive and what buyers pay. The mathematics of FIFA’s commission system reveals the true cost.
List Price | Buyer Pays (×1.15) | Seller Receives (×0.85) | FIFA's Take (~30% of list) |
$60 | $69 | $51 | $18 |
$140 | $161 | $119 | $42 |
$560 | $644 | $476 | $168 |
$1,500 | $1,725 | $1,275 | $450 |
$2,500 | $2,875 | $2,125 | $750 |
Even a modestly priced $1,500 ticket generates $450 for FIFA’s platform, while the buyer must pay $1,725, the seller receives only $1,275. Scaling this across thousands of transactions gives the user a clear picture of revenue implications. Quite unsurprisingly, resale prices for the 2026 World Cup have exploded, with some final tickets already listed at over $38,000 on secondary platforms.
FIFA’s defense
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the model by pointing to isolated examples where dynamic pricing benefited fans. At the 2023 Club World Cup, tickets for a Chelsea vs Flamengo semifinal dropped from $474 to just $13.
FIFA maintains that as a not-for-profit organization, World Cup revenue is reinvested into global football development. The model pricing reflects the standard North American market practices for major sporting events is what they are maintaining.
The 2026 World Cup represents a fundamental shift in how football’s premier tournament is priced and accessed. With final tickets starting at more than ten times Qatar’s prices before dynamic adjustments, this tournament has become the most expensive in history. Serious questions are being raised by the fans and followers of the game about whether the beautiful game is being priced beyond the reach of normal fans.
