FIFA resale platform experiences surge in 2026 World Cup ticket costs
Costs for tickets to the 2026 World Cup have surged dramatically on FIFA's authorised resale site, where many seats for various fixtures are now available at multiples of their initial value, despite the fact that the majority of tickets were only just handed out after the primary sales period concluded in January.
Just weeks following a caution from FIFA President Gianni Infantino that any tickets appearing on resale platforms would probably carry inflated costs, such concerns have materialised on the governing body of global football's dedicated site.
As of Wednesday, a seat in category three, situated in the uppermost tier of the stands, for the opening match pitting Mexico against South Africa at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on 11 June was available for 5324 dollars, in contrast to its starting price of 895 dollars.
Meanwhile, a category three seat for the World Cup final on 19 July at East Rutherford in New Jersey was promoted for a staggering 143750 dollars, exceeding its original value of 3450 dollars by over 41 times.
The lowest priced ticket for the final on the resale platform stood at 9775 dollars.
In a handful of exceptional instances, certain ticket costs have even dropped. For example, one ticket for Austria's group stage encounter with Jordan at Levi's Stadium in California, the venue for Sunday's Super Bowl, is listed at 552 dollars, even though the initial purchaser paid 620 dollars for it.
For supporters of football worldwide, several of the fees on FIFA's resale site serve as proof of the issues they have opposed ever since the tournament's draw in December.
"Such steep prices do not catch me off guard, regrettably. This mirrors what we already understand and oppose: numerous individuals purchase tickets solely to sell them on," stated Guillaume Aupretre, representative for the France national team fan collective "Irresistibles Francais", boasting almost 2500 members.
"Ultimately, who bears the cost? The devoted supporters left facing inflated bids. We would rather see these opportunities go to genuine fans travelling to cheer their side, but sadly, that is not happening."
Nevertheless, despite the high fees, transactions continue apace, underscoring the worldwide enthusiasm that has generated around 500 million ticket applications, as per FIFA.
Major disappointment
Although its resale site enjoys FIFA's backing, the football organisation clarifies in its sales conditions that it merely acts as an intermediary, taking a 15 percent commission, within this supporter to supporter exchange, with sellers dictating the ticket fees.
"Broadly, the pricing approach for FIFA World Cup 26 mirrors the standard market dynamics for significant entertainment and sports events in our host nations on a routine basis, including football," FIFA noted in a release.
"This also echoes the handling of the secondary ticket market, which receives different legal consideration compared to many other regions. Our priority is to guarantee equitable entry to our sport for current and potential supporters."
The secondary market remains unregulated in the United States and Canada. In Mexico, selling tickets above face value is banned, but solely if the ticket was acquired in Mexico using the national currency.
Ticketing has emerged as one of the most contentious elements of the World Cup preparations, with international fan organisations like Football Supporters Europe labelling FIFA's approach a "major disappointment" regarding costs.
This has led FIFA to allocate a small number of tickets at 60 dollars exclusively for recognised supporter groups. Detractors argue that this reduced price tier falls short of resolving the core issue.
FIFA has been informing applicants since 5 February about whether they secured tickets in the second sales round, which wrapped up in January.
A concluding "last minute" sales period, running from April through to the tournament's close, will operate on a "first come, first served" principle.
Across these sales rounds, FIFA explains that it employs "variable pricing", meaning fees vary "based on demand and stock" for individual matches.
That said, it stresses that it avoids "a dynamic pricing system (...) since fees are not automatically updated."