Ticket prices have been the defining issue of the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far.
Coming up to a week into the tournament, attendances across the United States, Canada and Mexico have been relatively strong, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been plagued with questions from reporters about ordinary, bedrock fans being priced out.
On top of that, some supporters – not to mention Somali referee Omar Artan or 11 members of Iran’s backroom staff – have encountered visa issues. Prices inside the stadiums, meanwhile, have been astronomical, especially for fans from nations whose GDP per capita is, in some cases, about two per cent of the United States’.
FIFA-mandated hydration breaks, which have effectively split games into four quarters and given broadcasters more advertising time, are seen by many as the apex of the most nakedly commercial World Cup in history, too.
Ticket prices are the front line of the argument. FIFA has used dynamic pricing tactics (where costs are not fixed but rather constantly fluctuating relative to supply and demand), its own in-house resale platform and, allegedly, the funnelling of inventory to unauthorised third-party resellers to hike prices.
In total, world football’s governing body wants to make $3bn in matchday income, more than triple what it earned in Qatar in 2022.
The nature of dynamic pricing, however, is that prices go up and down.
That is why, when tickets for Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia at NRG Stadium, Texas were spotted for $6.94 in May, supporters hoped it could herald a swathe of more affordable get-in costs.
Those were the cheapest tickets to date.
However, after Cape Verde’s historic 0-0 draw with tournament favourites Spain yesterday, prices for the Saudi Arabia match, which is the tiny nation’s final one of the group stage, have exploded.
As relayed by economist Florian Ederer, the cheapest tickets available are now $190.
That’s an increase of 2,638 per cent.
Granted, there are perhaps some extenuating circumstances here. But the surge in demand is indicative of the volatility of the dynamic pricing model.
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