With the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, with Mexico and Canada commencing in just three weeks time, match tickets still remain at record high prices, pushing some fans away from attending the event.
From the FIFA ticketing portal, the cheapest ticket for the tournament is listed at $281 AUD, almost twice as high as the previous record of $147 in 2018.
For Australian football fans such as panel beater Jeremy Benjamin, an event that is a celebration for everyone to attend, now feels like a luxury event for the rich.
“I think you’re going to have a lot of celebrities and people that have money but maybe don’t have that passion for the game,” Mr Benjamin said.
“You’re not going to have the average working man, the people that really love the game there.
“You’re only going to have people that sit there on their phones recording it all which will hurt the atmosphere of the games a lot to be honest.”
For the first time in its history, fans will be able to access tickets on the resale market, outside of FIFA’s resale ticket exchange service.
This is due to the fact that there are no restrictions to ticket reselling platforms in the United States, which previous host countries have prohibited.
This market, according to FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, is a key factor in the pricing of World Cup tickets, with prices aligned to market conditions.
“In the US it is permitted to resell tickets, as well, so if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price,” Mr Infantino said at the Miklen Institute Global Conference.
“Even though some people are saying that the ticket prices we have are high, they still end up on the resale market at an even higher price.
“You cannot go to watch in the US a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300.”
The average ticket on the resale market for the World Cup is priced at a much higher rate compared to other professional sports leagues, which cost lower than the $300 USD stated by Mr Infantino.
While resale prices have dropped 21 per cent in the last 30 days according to TicketData, Mr Benjamin sees prices dropping as low as last years FIFA Club World Cup unlikely, which dropped from $489 to $6 for its opener.
“Being a World Cup which is so big compared to a Club World Cup, I have a feeling they won’t have to drop it as much,” Mr Benjamin said
“They would have sold lots of tickets even if it’s just going to be more people with money rather than the working class man.”
The World Cup kicks off on June 12, with Mexico welcoming South Africa to the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Additional reporting: Aric Kim
