Kathmandu. Fans who want to watch the final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the New York Stadium on Sunday will have to become a millionaire if they want to buy tickets at the last minute.
Less than 24 hours before the start of the game, the price of tickets for the final reached $2.3 million (about Rs 35.53 crore) in the resale market.
The final between Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Lamin Yamal’s Spain is considered to be the most expensive sporting event in the history of the United States.
As of Friday, almost all tickets had been sold out on FIFA’s official sales platform. Some of the tickets available were priced at around $32,000 ($9.49 million). But as of Saturday, there were no tickets left for official sale. On resale platforms, ticket prices have gone from less than $10,000 to $2.3 million.
Fill the ground despite the high price
Ticket prices at this World Cup are at an all-time high, but the enthusiasm of the fans has not diminished. According to FIFA, more than half of the 72 group games were fully occupied, while only a few hundred seats were empty for most other matches.
According to FIFA data, 99.7 percent of the total seats available in the preliminary round have been filled.
According to ticket expert Scott Friedman, FIFA was able to accurately predict the demand of the fans, which is why all the tickets were sold at a high price.
“FIFA did a great calculation of what the demand is,” he said. Fans were willing to pay a very high price for all 104 games. ’
Dynamic pricing from {
FIFA introduced a dynamic pricing system for the first time in this World Cup. Under this, the price of the ticket was increased or decreased according to the real-time demand.
Initial tickets for the group stage were priced at $575, more than double the most expensive group stage tickets of the 2022 World Cup. But as demand grew, many fans had to pay much more.
Adam Elmaktoub, a professor at Columbia University, said there was a lack of transparency about dynamic pricing.
“Dynamic pricing is acceptable on air tickets and other items, but in a big event like the World Cup, there has to be a clear process,” he said. ’
According to experts, FIFA adopted a “slow ticketing” strategy and did not put all the tickets on sale at once.
This, they say, has further increased the demand by creating a psychological impact of the lack of tickets.
More expensive in the resale market
In the U.S., resale rules are relatively relaxed, allowing ticket sellers to set prices in the secondary market. Due to this, the ticket price of the final has increased even more.
As of Friday, the average ticket price for the finals was more than $11,000, which is 8% more expensive than the average ticket price for the 2024 Super Bowl, according to resale platform SitGeek.
Criticism of ‘World Cup only for the rich’
Human rights organizations have said that the reach of ordinary fans to this World Cup is very limited.
Ronan Evans, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, said: “This World Cup seems to be for a limited number of people who are financially able. Only fans who could travel to the United States, get easy visas, and buy expensive tickets enjoyed it live. ’
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has claimed it will be the most inclusive World Cup in the world, but fans from many countries have been criticised for failing to access the stadium due to visa problems and expensive tickets.
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