World Cup Final Tickets Climb to $10,990 as FIFA Resumes Sales Amid Technical Issues

FIFA Adjusts Ticket Prices for 2026 World Cup Amid Sales Glitches

FIFA announced a significant increase in ticket prices for the upcoming 2026 World Cup, with the highest ticket now priced at $10,990. This adjustment came during a sales reopening marked by technical glitches, following the finalization of the tournament’s 48-team lineup.

Previously, the top ticket price had been $8,680 during the initial sales following the tournament draw in December. Category 2 tickets for the World Cup final, scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, have risen from $5,575 to $7,380. Additionally, category 3 tickets now cost $5,785, an increase from $4,185.

As of Wednesday night, tickets were available for only 17 of the 72 group-stage matches, with no tickets listed for knockout stage games. FIFA has adopted dynamic pricing for this event, which will be held across 11 U.S. cities, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.

By the evening, only $2,735 tickets were available for the U.S. opening match against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, with prices remaining unchanged since December. Similarly, tickets for the Americans’ June 19 match against Australia in Seattle and their June 25 game against Turkey at Inglewood were not available. The tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa on June 11 in Mexico City had $2,985 seats listed, up from $2,355. Tickets for Canada’s first game against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto were listed at $2,240, an increase from $2,170.

FIFA did not specify which games and ticket categories would be available, leaving prospective buyers to navigate a ticketing website that experienced significant delays. Many encountered a queue for what FIFA identified as the "last-minute sales phase," intended for fans from nations that secured berths the day before.

FIFA acknowledged the misdirection but assured that the ticket links were functioning properly by noon. Notably, not all remaining tickets for the 104 matches scheduled from June 11 to July 19 were made available, with additional allocations planned for release over time.

This marks the fifth phase of ticket sales, building upon earlier presales and selection draws conducted in preceding months. For the first time, fans are able to purchase specific seat locations rather than only category requests. During sales in December, ticket prices ranged from $140 to $8,680, prompting FIFA to commit to offering $60 tickets for loyal supporters of each national federation.

Concerns regarding affordability have been voiced, particularly by 69 Democratic members of Congress, who criticized dynamic pricing as inconsistent with FIFA’s mission to promote accessible soccer. They expressed that the pricing strategy could render this World Cup the most financially exclusionary in history.

FIFA has also established its own resale market, collecting a 15% fee from both buyers and sellers. The latest additions to the World Cup field include Bosnia-Herzegovina, Congo, the Czech Republic, Iraq, Sweden, and Turkey. Fans whose teams were eliminated may seek to resell tickets, including supporters from Italy, Poland, Denmark, Jamaica, and Bolivia.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino previously noted an overwhelming demand for tickets, equating the requests to "the request for 1,000 years of World Cups at once," although it remains uncertain how many of these requests pertain to lower-priced seats. Concerns over escalating resale prices have prompted some fan groups to file formal complaints with the European Commission.

Infantino defended FIFA’s resale activities, highlighting the legality of their practices under U.S. law, while some European regulations could prevent ticket resales, mandating sales at face value or through authorized partners only.