“I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to say I went to a World Cup and experienced what a World Cup game is like for myself,” said Mr Velosa, who purchased a ticket for US$270.
“Last year, I attended the Club World Cup in Philadelphia as well, and that was one of my favourite experiences of all time. So I’m hoping this will be just as rewarding.”
BIG TALKING POINT
High ticket prices are no surprise as this is the first World Cup in the US since 1994, University of Colorado Boulder assistant professor Ovunc Yilmaz told CNA.
“Given the scale of demand in the US, Canada, and Mexico, high prices were always very likely,” he added.
For this World Cup, dynamic pricing is being used for the first time. It means ticket prices may vary dramatically, both across games and even for a given game over time.
“If there’s relatively little demand, then prices go down until you’ve sold all the tickets available – unless you have a product that no one really wants, and that’s definitely not the case with the World Cup,” said Richard Sheehan, who is an economics professor at the University of Notre Dame.
The initial baseline for Category 1 tickets was reportedly about US$600 when they first went on sale in the autumn of 2025, but now, they generally sell for over US$1,000 and sometimes much higher.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended FIFA’s ticket pricing following criticism from supporters who argued the cost of attending matches had become prohibitive.
However, groups such as Football Supporters Europe (FSE) had warned that “extortionate” pricing would exclude ordinary fans. According to FSE, ticket prices for this tournament have jumped fivefold, compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The issue was again brought to the fore over the weekend following swathes of empty seats during the Czech Republic’s clash with South Korea in Guadalajara.
FIFA reported an attendance of 44,985 at the 46,000-seat stadium.
“Please note that, during last night’s match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match,” the authority added.