Will Budget-Friendly 2026 World Cup Tickets Actually Exist for Fans?
In an uncommon display of damage control, FIFA has yielded to public outcry and lowered ticket costs for select matches at the 2026 World Cup.
Instead of shocking minimum prices that rapidly escalate into thousands, FIFA proudly declared on Tuesday that supporters of qualifying nations can view their team's matches for the reasonable price of $60.
This approach applies to all 104 games in the biggest World Cup to date. However, there are multiple restrictions to this announcement that FIFA promoted as entirely beneficial. The primary concern is that the quantity of discounted tickets available is extremely limited.
What Are the Lowest-Priced World Cup Tickets?
FIFA emphasized that the "basic tier" cost has been set at $60. This shows a significant decrease from the amounts that triggered harsh criticism from supporter organizations worldwide, with the former minimum price around $220.
Nevertheless, this amount is still nearly three times the lowest cost mentioned when the joint hosts initially proposed hosting the competition, with $21 cited in 2018.
What Quantity of Budget Tickets Will Be Offered?
This is where examining the details becomes crucial. FIFA highlighted the cost but the actual number of $60 tickets wasn't widely publicized. Each national federation receives a portion for every match that equals just 8% of the venue's capacity. Only 10% of that share—meaning 0.8% of all tickets—falls into the discounted category.
To provide perspective on these numbers, consider the World Cup final as an illustration. The fortunate teams reaching East Rutherford in July will receive 6,600 tickets each (8% of MetLife Stadium's capacity). However, just 660 of those (10%) will be priced at $60. The 81,840 available seats in New Jersey could exceed $8,000.
The USMNT's three group matches start and conclude at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium, where 560 seats per game will be priced at $60. During their visit to Lumen Field in Seattle on Matchday 2, there are 552 budget tickets available.
Average Distribution of Budget World Cup Tickets During Group Stage
Group | Team | Average Number of $60 Tickets Available in Group Stage per Game |
|---|---|---|
A | Mexico | 571 |
A | South Africa | 564 |
A | South Korea | 399 |
A | UEFA Path D winner | 549 |
B | Canada | 408 |
B | Qatar | 517 |
B | Switzerland | 520 |
B | UEFA Path A winner | 491 |
C | Brazil | 577 |
C | Haiti | 557 |
C | Morocco | 593 |
C | Scotland | 520 |
D | Australia | 517 |
D | Paraguay | 565 |
D | UEFA Path C winner | 520 |
D | USMNT | 557 |
E | Curaçao | 571 |
E | Ecuador | 599 |
E | Germany | 532 |
E | Ivory Coast | 488 |
F | Japan | 644 |
F | Netherlands | 637 |
F | Tunisia | 480 |
F | UEFA Path B winner | 585 |
G | Belgium | 515 |
G | Egypt | 512 |
G | Iran | 557 |
G | New Zealand | 475 |
H | Cape Verde | 565 |
H | Saudi Arabia | 565 |
H | Spain | 528 |
H | Uruguay | 475 |
I | France | 577 |
I | IC Path 2 winner | 477 |
I | Norway | 567 |
I | Senegal | 560 |
J | Algeria | 579 |
J | Argentina | 696 |
J | Austria | 635 |
J | Jordan | 629 |
K | Colombia | 523 |
K | IC Path 1 winner | 520 |
K | Portugal | 557 |
K | Uzbekistan | 613 |
L | Croatia | 555 |
L | England | 644 |
L | Ghana | 477 |
L | Panama | 460 |
How to Purchase Budget World Cup Tickets
FIFA delegated the responsibility of distributing these tickets to each individual federation.
Every country will handle creating their own requirements and qualification standards which haven't been detailed yet, though FIFA has provided these organizations some guidance: "They are asked to ensure that these tickets are specifically designated for dedicated fans who maintain strong connections to their national teams."
What this will actually mean in implementation is still unclear.
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