Prices for top-tier tickets to the 2026 World Cup final have tripled
Kyiv • UNN
FIFA has increased the price of tickets for the World Cup final in the USA to $32,970. Gianni Infantino called such a cost market-based and justified for the entertainment industry.
FIFA has tripled the price for top tickets to the World Cup final, making seats available on Thursday at a price of $32,970 for the July 19 match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, UNN reports, citing AP.
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Football's governing body listed these seats as Category 1 front-row seats on its sales website.
Previously, the maximum price for Category 1 was $10,990. On Thursday evening, seats priced at $10,990 were available only as wheelchair-accessible and easy-access seating.
Tickets for the July 14 semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, were listed at $11,130, $4,330, $3,710, and $2,705. Tickets for the semifinal scheduled for the following day at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta were priced at $10,635, $3,545, and $2,725.
Tickets for the US national team's opening match against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, were priced at $2,735, $1,940, and $1,120, while tickets for the Americans' game against Australia on June 19 in Seattle were $2,715. Tickets for the final group stage match against Turkey in Inglewood on June 25 were priced at $2,970, $1,345, $990, and $840.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the ticket prices.
"We have to take the market into account. We are in the entertainment market, which is the most developed in the world, so we need to apply market prices," he said Tuesday at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California. "In the US, ticket resale is allowed, so if you sell tickets at a very low price, they will be resold at a much higher price. And essentially, even though some say our ticket prices are high, they still end up on the resale market at an even higher price, more than double ours."
He added: "In the US, you can't go see a college football game, let alone a professional match of a certain level, for less than $300."
On the FIFA Resale/Exchange marketplace on Thursday, tickets for the final were selling for prices ranging from $11,499,998.85 to $8,970. The highest price was listed for a ticket four rows from the top tier, in Section 307, Row 22, Seat 12.
FIFA does not control the asking prices on its resale/exchange marketplace but charges a 15% commission to the buyer of each ticket and a 15% commission to the seller for the resale.
Last month, someone listed tickets for the final for $2,299,998.85.