Anger is spreading among football supporters worldwide after tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup began appearing on FIFA’s official resale platform at staggering prices, with one seat for the final listed at $143,750.
The eye-watering figures come weeks after FIFA President Gianni Infantino warned that tickets circulating on secondary markets would attract hefty mark-ups. That prediction has now materialised - on FIFA’s own authorised marketplace.
A Category Three ticket for the tournament’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa at the Azteca Stadium on June 11 was on sale for $5,324, compared with its original face value of $895.
Even more startling was the listing for the July 19 final at East Rutherford, New Jersey, where a Category Three seat originally sold for $3,450 was being offered at more than 41 times that price. The cheapest available ticket for the final on the resale site stood at $9,775.
Although a handful of tickets have dipped below their original purchase price - such as a seat for Austria’s group game against Jordan at Levi’s Stadium listed at $552 instead of $620 - such examples are the exception rather than the rule.
Supporters’ organisations say the situation validates long-standing concerns that speculative buying is crowding out genuine fans.
“These exorbitant prices unfortunately don’t surprise me. It reflects what we know and what we fight against: many people buy to resell,” said Guillaume Aupretre, spokesperson for the French supporters’ group Irresistibles Francais.
“In the end, who pays the price? The passionate fans who end up with outrageous offers.”
Despite the backlash, demand for tickets remains intense. FIFA says it has received close to 500 million ticket requests for the tournament, highlighting the scale of global interest in the first 48-team World Cup.
FIFA distances itself from pricing
While FIFA provides the resale platform, it insists it merely facilitates transactions between fans and collects a 15 per cent service fee, leaving sellers free to determine their own prices.
“Generally speaking, the pricing model adopted for FIFA World Cup 26 reflects the existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events within our hosts on a daily basis, soccer included,” FIFA said in a statement.
The governing body also noted that resale laws differ across host countries. In Mexico, reselling tickets above face value is restricted only when the ticket is purchased locally in Mexican currency, while resale remains largely unregulated in the United States and Canada.
Ticket affordability has emerged as one of the most contentious issues ahead of the tournament. Football Supporters Europe has accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal”, arguing that commercial priorities are sidelining loyal fans.
In response, FIFA introduced a small allocation of $60 tickets for recognised supporters’ groups, though critics argue the move is too limited to address the wider problem.
FIFA began notifying applicants from the second ticket sales phase in early February. A final sales window is scheduled to open in April and run through the end of the competition on a first-come, first-served basis.
The organisation says it applies “variable pricing” during official sales phases, with prices adjusted according to demand and availability, but stresses that it does not use a fully dynamic pricing model.
Leave a Reply