Explainer-Soccer-How 2026 World Cup tickets are sold, priced and resold

By Rohith Nair and Frank Pingue

March 3 (Reuters) – As anticipation for the 2026 World Cup builds with 100 days to go until the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, here is what you need to know about tickets to the showpiece event:

HOW MANY TICKETS HAVE BEEN SOLD SO FAR?

FIFA says nearly two million tickets were sold in the first two sales phases, with demand so intense that World Cup tickets were oversubscribed over 30 times.

To put that hunger for tickets in perspective, FIFA said the requests alone were 3.4 times more than the overall number of spectators who attended 964 games in the last 22 editions combined since 1930.

Residents of the three host countries understandably drove the most purchases, followed by fans in England, Germany, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Argentina and France.

FIFA has not yet released figures for phase three, while the next phase of tickets will open after the March playoffs – where teams like former champions Italy, Denmark and Poland will vie for a spot at the finals.

HOW DOES THAT COMPARE WITH THE 2022 WORLD CUP?

One month prior to the 2022 World Cup, FIFA said 2.89 million tickets were sold for 64 matches in eight stadiums.

Overall, FIFA said 3,182,406 tournament tickets were sold for the 2022 World Cup, generating $686 million in revenue.

However, the 2026 edition has an expanded format with 48 teams, up from 32, and a total of 104 matches from the opener on June 11 to the final on July 19.

“The last four men’s World Cups – Qatar, Russia, Brazil, South Africa – I think the USA is trumping that demand in a big way, pardon the pun,” Michael Edgley, director at Australia’s Green and Gold Army Travel, told Reuters.

HOW MUCH DO TICKETS COST FOR THE 2026 WORLD CUP?

Ticket prices are becoming as much a headline as the matches themselves, especially when comparing their face value to the ticket pricing summary that was originally listed in the bid book by the three host nations.

The face value for a ticket to the July 19 final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, ranges from $2,030 to $6,370 – a considerable jump compared to the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar where prices ran from $206 to $1,607.

The highest category single ticket for the final in the 2026 bid book was $1,550.

Tickets to the opening match on June 11 at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca range from $560 to $2,735 while the rest of the group stage games are between $100 and $575.

Face value tickets for the last-16 games range from $220 to $890, while the quarter-final matches start at $410 and reach $1,690. Semi-finals tickets span $455 to $2,780.

The third-place match offers some reprieve with face values listed at $165 to $1,000.

HOW AFFORDABLE ARE THE CHEAPEST WORLD CUP TICKETS?

Due to backlash over exorbitant prices, FIFA decided to introduce a small number of $60 “Supporter Entry Tier” tickets.

These tickets cover all 104 matches of the tournament, but the seats are tucked high in the top corners of stadiums and are very limited in number compared to the other categories.

These tickets will make up 10% of allocations for Participating Member Associations, who will define their own criteria for allocating tickets to “loyal fans” closely connected to their national teams.

By contrast, Qatari residents could buy Category 4 tickets for as low as $11.

WHAT DOES DYNAMIC TICKET PRICING MEAN?

FIFA is using dynamic pricing for the first time at this year’s World Cup, which has left many fans confused, frustrated and priced out of the world’s biggest sporting event.

The concept of dynamic pricing – sometimes called variable pricing – is a system that allows for the cost of tickets to fluctuate based on a variety of factors including real-time demand, inventory and the popularity of an event.

This means the price of a ticket for the same match and seat category can go up – and sometimes down – depending on how many people want it and how fast the tickets are selling.

Dynamic pricing is also commonly seen in airline ticket prices and hotel room rates during holiday seasons as well in the music industry, especially for high-demand events.

HOW DO RESALE MECHANICS WORK AT THE WORLD CUP?

FIFA has advised fans reselling tickets to use their official platform as it is safe and transparent, with the organisation charging 15% of the total cost when purchasing tickets and a 15% fee for reselling or exchanging tickets.

A ticket can be listed at a higher resale price, potentially well above face value, if the seller chooses as the demand for high-profile matches, limited supply and market speculation can push resale prices well above the original purchase price.

Residents of Mexico may list their tickets for no more than the original purchase price but such sales restrictions do not apply to residents of Canada or the United States.

“It is legal to resell tickets in the U.S. That’s not been the case in previous World Cups,” Edgley added.

“So the resale market is extremely hot. The tickets are extremely popular. Despite the price, the ticket sales have just been phenomenal for FIFA.”

Although FIFA’s resale platform has been used at previous World Cups, prices were controlled and fans could not set prices that were above face value.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru and Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond and Christian Radnedge)