The World Cup ticket prices are on track to be the most expensive in the tournament’s history, and many fans are angry after being unable to purchase seats during FIFA’s latest release. FIFA announced that World Cup tickets would be open to the general public on April 1, 2026.
Frustrated fans took to social media posting screenshots showing themselves waiting for hours in the queue. Others were directed to the wrong link and were also unable to buy tickets.
FIFA continues to keep tickets sales a mystery in an attempt to create demand amid astronomically high prices. ESPN reported that the World Cup ticket prices soared in the latest release.
The most expensive World Cup final ticket is now nearly $11,000, up from $8,680 in December. Additionally, the only seats that were made available for the United States’ opening match against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, were from the most expensive category at $2,735.
Here’s what you need to know about landing World Cup tickets.
Latest World Cup Ticket Release Left Fans Stuck in Queue
FIFA has been deliberately vague about how many tickets have been sold and what matches remain available. Previously, it was only fans who won the lottery who were able to purchase World Cup tickets.
The April 1, release was slated to operate differently as tickets were, in theory, made available to the general public. Instead, many fans spent hours waiting, only to be unable to access the World Cup ticketing platform.
“Soccer’s governing body did not announce which games and price categories were available, leaving potential ticket buyers to search themselves on a FIFA ticketing site that often took hours to enter,” ESPN detailed in an April 1, story titled, “World Cup ticket prices soar as FIFA reopens glitch-prone sales.”
“Some people who clicked on what FIFA called its ‘last-minute sales phase’ when sales opened at 11 a.m. ET were directed into a queue for ‘PMA late qualifier supporters sales phase,’ aimed for a segment of fans for the six nations who earned berths on Tuesday.”
Will World Cup Ticket Prices Go Down?
There are reasons to think that the majority of the World Cup ticket prices will drop. FIFA expanded the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams creating more games which means more tickets.
Additionally, many of the American football stadiums have a larger capacity than the previous World Cup venues allowing more tickets to be sold. Some of the World Cup games are scheduled to be played during weekday afternoons when many American fans are working.
Right now, World Cup tickets are only being sold on FIFA’s website and secondary sites like StubHub and SeatGeek. Ticketmaster is not selling World Cup tickets.
FIFA Raised World Cup Ticket Prices for 40 Games: Report
FIFA has been using a dynamic ticket pricing model which allows prices to fluctuate based on demand. The Athletic’s Henry Bushnell reported that World Cup ticket prices were higher for 40 of the 104 matches in the April 1, release.
“Those who did get through saw limited availability for high-demand matches and some prices that had once again been raised by FIFA, soccer’s global governing body,” Bushnell detailed in an April 1, story titled, “FIFA raises World Cup ticket prices again as fans frustrated by last sales phase.”
“Tickets to roughly 40 of the World Cup’s 104 matches were more expensive Wednesday than they had been in any previous ticketing phase, according to fans who gained access and shared screenshots or numbers,” Bushnell added.
“… FIFA did not lower any prices, despite suspicions that a handful of matches are not selling well at all.”
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