The sales process for FIFA World Cup tickets officially began in September 2025, with the first allocation reserved for sponsors, Visa’s official presale. This was followed in October by an early-entry ballot, before the larger random selection draw opened on 11 December, set to run through 13 January 2026.
Following the release of prices, the initial reaction among fans has been overwhelmingly negative, as a tournament long seen as accessible to millions worldwide now appears increasingly restricted to those with the financial means to attend.
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Supporting your national team at a World Cup is never inexpensive, with fans required to absorb high costs beyond tickets, including travel and accommodation. There was also anger directed at FIFA’s pricing for the 2022 World Cup, when final-match ticket prices increased by 46% compared with the 2018 competition, and the number of affordable tickets declined.
Given the outcry ahead of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, it is difficult to believe FIFA expected anything other than the negative reaction it has received in 2025. Seemingly seeking to capitalise on the highly commercial sports market of its North American hosts, the price increases are extraordinary.
2026 FIFA World Cup Ticket Prices
| Match Type | Category 1 | Category 2 | Category 3 | Category 4 | 2022 World Cup Price Range* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Match | $525-2,739 | $405-1,942 | $216-1,119 | $75-561 | $55-618 |
| Group Matches | $391-621 | $285-465 | $140-240 | $60-105 | $11-220 |
| Round of 32 | $400-751 | $305-576 | $165-291 | $105-185 | $19-275 |
| Round of 16 | $641-981 | $516-786 | $240-365 | $185-260 | $82-426 |
| Quarter Final | $1,266-1,777 | $889-1,221 | $536-801 | $276-411 | $82-426 |
| Semi Final | $2,899-3,299 | $2,353-3,409 | $861-932 | $421-456 | $137-956 |
| Final | $7,885 | $5,061 | $3,800 | $2,033 | $206-1,607 |
Source [2] BBC [3*] GlobalData Post Event Report (FIFA World Cup 2022)
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By GlobalDataFan discontent has prompted calls for action from several supporters’ groups and national governing bodies. Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has labelled the pricing extortionate and has called on FIFA to immediately halt ticket sales, seeking greater engagement through consultation and a full review.
A major factor behind the price increase relates to the expansion of the World Cup in 2026. The tournament has expanded from 32 to 48 teams, with FIFA promoting this change as an effort to broaden its market and increase opportunities for smaller football nations to qualify.
This has occurred, with Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan all qualifying for the 2026 competition for the first time in their history. While this expansion brings the tournament to more national fan bases, ticket pricing has not provided the same welcome.
For example, Haiti has qualified for only its second World Cup (the first was in 1974), yet the cheapest tickets for its opening match against Scotland in 2026 are $180. Haiti is among the poorest nations in the world, with an average monthly wage of around $147, meaning a full month’s income would not cover a single match ticket.
This figure also excludes additional costs: long-haul flights from Haiti average $652, and, when combined with a base hotel cost of $120, the total reaches $952—equivalent to more than five months of the national average income.
Under Swiss law, FIFA is a non-profit organization, meaning its revenue from activities such as competition ticket sales is reinvested in the sport globally. Expanding the tournament to 48 teams guarantees greater ticket revenue, as the number of games will increase from 64 to 104.
Based on an average Category 4 ticket price of $93 and an average stadium capacity of 63,134, this equates to an additional 2.53 million fans in stadiums, representing a potential $253.29 million in incremental ticket revenue from the extra matches alone.
At the 2022 tournament in Qatar, FIFA reported $929 million in ticket and hospitality sales, a figure it is expected to surpass in 2026. This reflects a broader trend in soccer, in which hosts capitalise on fans’ loyalty and desire to attend matches. In the Premier League, for example, 95% of clubs raised ticket prices for the 2024/25 season, and 65% did so again for the current 2025/26 season.
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, but this popularity is increasingly being exploited by those in charge. The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of the sport and, according to a recent GlobalData survey, the most popular sporting event that fans would pay to attend, with 27.8% of respondents expressing interest.
The reality for FIFA is that, despite high prices, fans are so eager to experience the World Cup that they are willing to pay a premium. The first 48 hours of ticket sales to the general public in December highlighted broad acceptance of the latest pricing, with five million ticket requests.
Pricing also aligns more closely with the North American market in 2026. While domestic soccer is cheaper on average—for example, the average adult season ticket in the English Premier League equates to £32.53 ($44)—top US- and Canada-based sports leagues command significantly higher premiums.
At the high end, in the final weeks leading up to the 2025 Super Bowl, average ticket prices on StubHub reached $8,076, comparable to the projected price for the 2026 World Cup final ($7,885).
With high prices seemingly not fully derailing fan interest, it also supports FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s personal agenda, delivering the highest revenue from a World Cup in history, and aiding his personal re-election campaign in 2027.
The critical response and backlash to the ticket prices have since led FIFA to make a small concession, introducing a ‘small number’ of more affordable tickets, priced at $60 (£45) for all 104 matches of the tournament. The reality is that this is a very small concession, which only on the face of it appears to show FIFA as having responded to unpopular opinion.
The new, cheaper tickets will only be available within the ‘supporter entry’ tier and cover 10% of this supporter allocation for each national soccer federation. The small concession does very little for fans or FIFA alike, as FIFA is still set to extract maximum value from the bulk of its tickets, and fans are still largely subjected to high costs.
