2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) CONCACAF World Cup ticket prices have surged, prompting backlash from soccer fans.
On the 12th (Korea time), the Associated Press reported that the German Football Association released ticket prices for the CONCACAF World Cup with a top price of $8,680 (about 127.7 billion won).
Group stage ticket prices also rose sharply. Group stage tickets were priced from $180 to $700 (about 1.03 million won). The final starts at $4,185 (about 616,000 won). The highest price is $8,680.
Compared with the 2022 Qatar World Cup, prices have "skyrocketed." At the Qatar World Cup, ticket prices ranged from $69 (about 100,000 won) to $1,607 (about 2.36 million won). By the maximum standard, that is more than a fivefold increase.
The price increase exceeded the standards FIFA had previously presented. FIFA said last September that group stage ticket prices would start at $60 (about 90,000 won). It said the top price for the final would be $6,730 (about 991,000 won).
However, the prices actually released are higher than that. This has sparked controversy. European football supporters issued a statement strongly protesting. "Ticket prices are outrageously expensive," they said, adding, "this is an unprecedented betrayal of World Cup tradition. It is a complete disregard for the fans who have built the World Cup stage."
They also mentioned that the United States had promised minimum $21 (about 40,000 won) tickets during the World Cup bidding process. They asked, "Where are those tickets now?"
FIFA introduced a dynamic pricing system for tickets starting with this tournament. Prices change depending on ticket demand. Matches that attract concentrated interest are inevitably subject to higher prices. FIFA said this means actual selling prices are subject to change.
Final tickets are being traded on some resale sites for more than $11,000 (about 1.619 million won).
The 2026 CONCACAF World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament is the largest ever. The number of participating teams has expanded to 48. The number of matches will also increase. However, the ticket price controversy has emerged as a variable for the tournament's success.<
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