Ticket prices for 2026 World Cup soar on Fifa resale site | OneFootball

The ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup have skyrocketed on the official resale site provided by FIFA, even though most tickets were only recently distributed after the sales phase ended in January.

On the resale and exchange site, a Category 3 seat (the highest segment of the stands) for the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, on June 11 in Mexico City, was offered on Wednesday (11) for US$ 5,324 (R$ 27,594, at the exchange rate of the day), compared to the original price of US$ 895 (R$ 4,275).

Tickets multiply in value for other games

For the France-Senegal game, on June 16 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the site offers tickets at a price five times higher than the original, rising from US$ 219 (R$ 1,135) to US$ 1,000 (R$ 5,183).

For just over US$ 1,380 (R$ 7,153), fans can purchase a Category 1 seat, closer to the field, which originally cost US$ 620 (R$ 3,213).

And to watch from a privileged position the match between Brazil and Morocco, on June 13, one needs to shell out US$ 1,725 (R$ 8,941), more than seven times its original value.

The final on July 19, a category 1 ticket, initially priced at US$ 7,875 (R$ 40,816), is now offered for almost US$ 20,000 (R$ 103,660).

However, there are offers: a ticket for Austria-Jordan, which originally costs US$ 620 (R$ 3,213), is being resold for US$ 552 (R$ 2,861).

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“Exorbitant” prices

“These exorbitant prices, unfortunately, do not surprise me. They reflect what we know and what we fight against: many people buy to resell,” comments Guillaume Auprêtre, spokesperson for the Irrésistibles Français, the main organized supporters group of the French national team.

“In the end, who pays the price? The passionate fans who face exorbitant offers,” he adds, stating that despite the high prices, many tickets are being purchased.

Although ticket exchange is backed by FIFA, the entity specifies in its sales conditions that it acts only as a “facilitator” and that the reseller “determines the displayed price of each ticket.”

The pricing model adopted for the North American World Cup “reflects existing practices for major sports and entertainment events in the host countries,” it explains in a statement.

The resale market is not regulated in the United States or Canada. In Mexico, ticket resale for profit is prohibited, but only when purchased in Mexico and in its currency, the peso.

Ticket sales have been criticized since September

Since reservations opened in September, ticket sales have been a delicate topic for the World Cup. FIFA has been harshly criticized for the exorbitant prices, both for the general public and for official fan associations.

The entity defended the ticket prices, attributing them to an “exorbitant” demand, according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

A final sales phase, from April until the end of the competition, will be organized on a first-come, first-served basis through a variable pricing system, meaning prices fluctuate according to demand and availability for each match.

However, FIFA emphasizes that it does not apply a dynamic pricing model, as the values are not automatically modified.

*Content produced by AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.