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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Jeff Rueter and Andrew Witherspoon

Analysis: how prices for the cheapest World Cup tickets have rocketed

A general interior view of MetLife Stadium, host venue for the FIFA World Cup 2026 final during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semi-final match between Fluminense FC and Chelsea FC at MetLife Stadium on July 8, 2025 in East Rutherford, United States.
MetLife Stadium will host the 2026 World Cup final, with tickets currently set to be up to nine times more expensive than 2022. Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

In the past, a fan’s ability to attend a World Cup hosted in their nation hinged more on bid books than their checkbooks. For 2026 in the US, Mexico and Canada, even the least expensive tickets are a luxury commodity by comparison.

An analysis by the Guardian of men’s World Cup ticket pricing shows that amid the general rise in ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup, the most extreme of those hikes have often applied to the cheapest tickets. The analysis is based on official Fifa pricing dating back to 1994, with more robust data available starting in 2006. Prices for 2026 games are accurate as of 16 December 2025, and do not include the 1.6% of sellable tickets for each game that Fifa recently made available for a fixed $60 price.

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