Resale tickets for the Colombia v Portugal World Cup group game in Miami on June 27 are the second most expensive, priced at $2,254, driven by star power, large diaspora populations, and Miami's party atmosphere.
Fifa’s embrace of dynamic pricing and resale markets has led to sky-high costs and a speculative free-for-all, betraying the spirit of the beautiful gameIn What Money Can’t Buy, his 2012 critique of a world where everything is for sale, Michael Sandel laments what he calls “the skyboxification of American life”. Price gouging and profiteering, Mr Sandel notes, can exclude millions from communal experiences that should unite people, rather than divide them according to the size of their wallets. That is “not good for democracy, nor is it a satisfying way to live”.Ahead of the men’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico next month, millions of football fans would readily agree with the Harvard philosopher. Gianni Infantino, the president of the sport’s global governing body, Fifa, has predicted that this summer’s tournament will be the “greatest and most inclusive … ever”. But the lead-up has been overshadowed by a ticketing strategy that is almost surreally indifferent to the battered traditions of “the people’s game”.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
A standard ticket for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at FIFA World Cup 2026 Final has appeared on the resale market for an extraordinary $11.5 million, despite offering no premium benefits. The pricing surge at MetLife Stadium highlights escalating concerns over affordability and speculation, as global demand for the expanded tournament intensifies ahead of its North American showcase.
The current get-in price for a group stage game at the 2026 Fifa World Cup has dropped 17.1 per cent on the secondary market in the past two weeks, according to data from the ticket tracking service TicketData.com on Thursday. The news comes as Fifa released a new batch of World Cup tickets for sale not long after its president, Gianni Infantino, defended the high costs and attributed them to the demand in the US market. The average get-in price (the cheapest ticket available) currently...
Fan groups have called prices a ‘monumental betrayal’Fifa collects 30% cut on resale marketsFifa president Gianni Infantino has defended World Cup ticket prices, insisting that football’s global governing body was obliged to take advantage of US laws that allow tickets to be resold for thousands of dollars above face value.Fifa has faced searing criticism over the cost of World Cup tickets, with fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) calling the pricing structure “extortionate” and a “monumental betrayal”. FSE filed a lawsuit with the European Commission in March targeting Fifa over “excessive ticket prices” for the tournament. Continue reading...
In a reversal from previous tournaments, companion tickets come at significant cost for the 2026 World Cup. Accessibility advocates are raising their concernsSign up for the World Behind The Cup newsletterFootball fans with disabilities are struggling to buy companion tickets for World Cup games with some seats that had been assigned for caregivers appearing to be put on general sale.The Guardian has uncovered significant issues with the World Cup ticket sales process for fans with disabilities, including:Wheelchair users who have secured a match ticket being unable to buy an accompanying ticket for a caregiverCompanion seats being made available to buy in isolation, without proof of a prior wheelchair or accessible purchase, in stage four of Fifa’s sale process earlier this monthWheelchair and accessible seating being priced higher than general admission tickets on Fifa’s official resale marketplace across a wide range of matchesAn inability by Fifa to guarantee that fans who have bought companion tickets will be seated next to the wheelchair user they are accompanying Continue reading...
