World Cup sticker shock: The ugly cost of the beau...

playIs the 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket structure misleading? (2:42) Saving up for a World Cup is nothing new for die-hard soccer fan Paul Marshall. In 2014 and 2018, the Southern California native made trips to Brazil and Russia for the festivities. In 2022, he spent the entirety of the competition in Qatar, from the opener to the final. Then, in 2026, the grand celebration came to his own backyard. "It was a shock when the prices came out," said Marshall about the World Cup with 104 matches split between the U.S., Mexico and Canada. "It's like three to four times [more], then when you look at matches like the final, it's even more, it's like eight times more. On FIFA's resale marketplace, in which soccer's organizing body takes an additional cut from transaction fees, prices have soared into four to six figures for consumers. There have even been tickets listed for more than $2 million. By pricing out ordinary fans, FIFA risks hurting the image of the tournament. Lawmakers across the U.S. have questioned FIFA's perplexing multi-category ticket-selling process, leading to a subpoena from the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey, who stated in a joint announcement that tickets have "far exceeded the prices for any previous World Cup tournament" thanks in part to dynamic pricing that can wildly inflate costs. In the last World Cup, prices were set between $70 to $1,600 when tickets were revealed. When scanning through the bid proposal from the U.S., Canada and Mexico, which details what participants and local officials could expect from a tournament hosted by the three countries, the financial burden for fans was initially far more reasonable. The proposed face value of tickets ranged between $21 to $323 (not including suites) for group-stage games. The final, again excluding suites, ranged from $128 to $1,550. To quote the bid proposal, "Prices have been projected based on those from historic FIFA World Cups and validated against comparable ticket prices within the host countries." Within this model, forecasts estimated ticket revenue reaching between $1.8 billion to $2.1 billion. FIFA confirmed to ESPN that the cheapest tickets originally went on sale at $60, making that revenue forecast appear extremely conservative. That $60 entry point is something that the governing body has celebrated. In a statement to ESPN, FIFA noted that "50% of each [country's federation's] allocation (roughly 8% of the net purchasable capacity of the stadium) will fall within the most affordable range." The 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to North America, and its arrival means significant sticker shock for fans. Illustration by ESPNHowever, the number of $60 tickets for each game was likely to be in the hundreds, rather than thousands, according to The Associated Press. Average prices for the cheapest tickets available for group-stage games two months before the tournament's start were much higher. For example, in Los Angeles, where the U.S. men's national team will play twice, the average cheapest ticket for group-stage games 60 days out was $1,040.52 on FIFA's resale market. In Dallas, where global icon Lionel Messi will play two matches, the average cheapest ticket for group-stage games was $1,028. For context, that's roughly double what the average American spends on food in a month. U.S. President Donald Trump also chimed in, saying, "I wouldn't pay it either, to be honest with you," when discussing World Cup tickets that could go for more than $1,000. Predict the final standings in every Group. $10,000 in prizes. Make Your Picks Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, agreed with that sentiment. "I think they're high," Giuliani said to ESPN. "I think I'm with the president on this one. These prices are high, and I think in some ways FIFA's a bit of a victim of their own success." As for Marshall, the fan from California who is going to 11 games this summer, he's spending more than $10,000 on tickets alone. "And I'm not going to the final," he said with a laugh. "It's insane." Speaking of finals, it's worth comparing the World Cup to the May 30 UEFA Champions League final, which is widely recognized as the pinnacle of club soccer. Prices were set between $80 and $1,090 for the event, and unlike FIFA's World Cup selling policy, tickets had to be kept at face value on the resale market and had no fee charged to the seller. It's a hypothetical, but there could be Americans who will pay more for a World Cup group-stage game in their own city than a neighbor who crossed the Atlantic to watch Paris Saint-Germain beat Arsenal for Europe's top club honors. Compared to the average cheapest ticket price of $446.89 for group-stage games as of June 1, L.A. residents could instead spend as little as $28 on an Olympic 2028 ticket. In Miami, the cheapest ticket for group-stage games seen on June 1 costs an average of $960.54, which is more than the cheapest race-

World Cup sticker shock: The ugly cost of the beau...

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