FIFA hiked ticket prices for dozens of 2026 World Cup games ahead of the second phase of sales, which began Wednesday.
The initial prices, described last month by fan groups as “super high,” “astonishing” and “unacceptable,” were already multiple times higher than those at previous World Cups. But, sensing strong demand, FIFA raised the cost of many tickets to new record-setting heights — the first large-scale implementation of its “variable pricing” strategy.
The price of a Category 1 ticket to the 2026 World Cup final, the most expensive non-hospitality ticket, jumped from $6,730 last month to over $7,000 this month, according to multiple fans who gained access to pricing data.
The cost of upper-deck tickets to the final also rose, with most now priced at $5,055 (up from $4,210 last month) or $3,450 (up from $2,790).
Prices for many group stage games in the United States stayed stagnant. But tickets for the games in Mexico and Canada, which generally sold quicker in last month’s “Visa Presale” phase, got more expensive across the board, with some prices rising by around 25%, according to screenshots and data seen by The Athletic.
And in the knockout rounds, prices for every single match jumped in at least one category. For the first semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, a Category 1 ticket now costs $3,295 (up from $2,780 at the start of the previous phase). A Category 2 ticket is $2,350 (up from $1,920) and a Category 3 ticket is $930 (up from $720).
In most stadiums, according to color-coded maps embedded in FIFA’s ticketing portal, Category 1 encompasses the entire lower bowl and most or all of the second deck. Category 2 is predominantly the upper deck along the sidelines, while Category 3 is the upper deck above either goal. Category 4 tickets appear to be extremely scarce — confined to the upper portion of a few corner sections in the upper decks of stadiums. (Fans buy tickets by category, and FIFA assigns the exact section, row and seat closer to the start of the tournament.)
FIFA has not said how many tickets are available in each category. In fact, soccer’s global governing body has not communicated pricing details to the general public at all, as it did ahead of past World Cups. It has tightly guarded prices, and hasn’t made executives available for interviews. It even refused to reveal prices to fans who bought the “right to buy” tickets and clamored for the transparency they’d been promised.
But on Wednesday, the ticket portal opened to a random selection of fans in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. They’d entered FIFA’s second lottery, the “early ticket draw,” and won the opportunity to purchase tickets to World Cup games in their country during a so-called “domestic exclusivity period.”
After hours-long waits in digital queues, they saw and revealed prices. Among the other matches subject to price hikes were:
- The World Cup opener at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca
- Canada’s opener at BMO Field in Toronto
- Games in Toronto, Vancouver, Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara
- The U.S. men’s national team’s second game, at Lumen Field in Seattle
- The U.S. men’s national team’s third game, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
- Every game from the round of 16 onward
Prices for the U.S. opener at SoFi Stadium did not change — perhaps because those tickets did not sell as quick as others in the first sales phase. On Wednesday, they were still listed at:
- Category 1: $2,735
- Category 2: $1,940
- Category 3: $1,120
- Category 4: $560
But for the USMNT’s game in Seattle on June 19, they rose by 13% in Category 1, 16% in Category 2 and 22% in Category 3, to:
- Category 1: $605
- Category 2: $470
- Category 3: $225
- Category 4: $90
Prices also rose for the USMNT’s third game, to:
- Category 1: $910 (up 13%)
- Category 2: $750 (up 24%)
- Category 3: $340 (up 21%)
- Category 4: $140
Prices for Mexico’s opener, the very first game of the World Cup, rose by around 20%:
- Category 1: $2,187 (40,015 Mexican pesos)
- Category 2: $1,584 (28,985 Mexican pesos)
- Category 3: $945 (17,295 Mexican pesos)
- Category 4: $378 (6,915 Mexican pesos)
Most other tickets, at this stage, are still for matches between unknown teams. Most matchups and game locations will be determined on Dec. 5 at the World Cup draw and shortly thereafter when FIFA sets the schedule.
Soon after that, FIFA will open a third ticket lottery phase, and its variable pricing strategy will likely kick in again.