FIFA charging up to $10,990 (M186 228) for tickets to 2026 World Cup final

The first open sale of tickets for the 2026 World Cup showed Fifa is charging up to $10,990 (M186 228) to be at the final.

It is thought to be the most expensive ever general admission to a football match, based on box office prices rather than the resale market.

In its World Cup bid book, the US, Canada and Mexico said tickets to the final would cost a maximum of $1,550 (M26 265).

By the time tickets went on sale to members of each country’s official supporters’ club in December, the most expensive was listed at $8,680 (M147 085).

Prices then went up again when Wednesday’s final sale period began.

Tickets for the Qatar World Cup final in 2022 cost the equivalent of $1,604 (M27 180) for the top-priced seat.

Establishing the actual cost of tickets for this summer’s tournament is difficult as Fifa has never released its pricing structures.

It is also using a version of dynamic pricing, whereby prices change at the start of each sales point depending on past demand.

Late last year the cost of the initial ticket releases was described as a “monumental betrayal”. In December, Fifa announced a small number of $60 (M1 016) tickets.

On Wednesday, tickets were put on open sale for the first time – and gave another glimpse at what is being charged by tournament organisers.

What prices have been observed for the final

It is impossible to assess the overall ticket pricing with no information on the prices, or the volume available in each category.

Going through the Fifa ticketing website and seeing what is still available and what is being charged gives a good indication. However, that does not confirm if there are either more expensive tickets still, or if more were available in more affordable categories.

From what has been observed, ticket prices for the World Cup final increased by as much as 38% in the open sale compared to December’s release.

Apart from the $10,990 (M186 228) category one ticket:

• Category two was up 32.78% from $5,575 (M94 470) to $7,380 (M125 056).

• Category three increased 38.23% from $4,185 (M70 916) to $5,785 (M98 028).

Fifa also gave no advanced notice of which games would be available, or at what prices, as the “last-minute sales” period began.

Those who did get through found that prices had gone up for the most in-demand fixtures – including the top teams and other key knockout games.

Tickets on the official resale platform, which reopened on Thursday, are being priced even higher.

One seller was seeking $82,780 (M1 402 731) for one ticket. Read more about this…

‘Yet another stain on Fifa’s ticketing sales’

Fifa’s handling of the ticket sales process has caused confusion and controversy.

With no pricing structure and scant information published in advance of sales windows, supporters have found it difficult to plan for the World Cup.

“It seems to be top secret,” Thomas Concannon, who leads the the Football Supporters’ Association’s fans’ embassy for England away games, told BBC Sport.

“Supporters just don’t know where they stand.”

The situation was no different on Wednesday, with fans given no details of the “last-minute sales” and sent into incorrect ticket queues.

“It’s just yet another stain on Fifa’s ticketing sales,” Concannon said. “It’s been a common theme for the entire tournament.”

Concannon said that the cost of attending the World Cup will be “well into the thousands, if not over £10,000 (M195 488)” for just a few games when all costs are taken into account.

“Sometimes in your life, you only get one opportunity to be able to go to a World Cup,” he said.

“For many, this was their opportunity and they just won’t be able to afford to go.”

Scotland fan Allan Ross from Stewarton in Ayrshire, who failed to get tickets on Wednesday, says he will not try again and will treat the trip to the US as a holiday.

Allan encountered many problems with the queueing system and trying to add tickets.

“I was going to go back on again and I thought, you know, I want my holiday to be a good holiday,” he said. “I want to go across here and be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it.

“I’m going for the atmosphere, I’m going for a holiday. I don’t want to go across there feeling bitter about Fifa.

“It’s the definition of madness, so I’m not going to chase any more.” –BBC Sport