Fury is mounting among football fans after tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup appeared on FIFA’s own resale platform at extraordinary mark-ups, with one seat for the final advertised at $143,750.
The listings surfaced shortly after FIFA President Gianni Infantino cautioned that tickets traded on secondary markets would likely attract steep prices. Those warnings have proven prescient – on FIFA’s officially sanctioned exchange.
By Wednesday, a Category Three ticket for the opening match between Mexico and South Africa at the Azteca Stadium on June 11 was priced at $5,324, far above its original $895 face value.
For the July 19 final at East Rutherford, New Jersey, a Category Three seat was posted at more than 41 times its initial cost of $3,450. Even the least expensive ticket available for the final on the resale site stood at $9,775.
A few anomalies exist. One ticket for Austria’s group-stage fixture against Jordan at Levi’s Stadium in California is listed at $552, slightly below the $620 paid by the original buyer. But such cases are rare amid widespread price inflation.
Supporters’ groups say the trend confirms long-held fears that speculative buying is shutting out genuine fans.
“These exorbitant prices unfortunately don’t surprise me. It reflects what we know and what we fight against: many people buy to resell,” said Guillaume Aupretre of the French supporters’ association Irresistibles Francais.
“In the end, who pays the price? The passionate fans who end up with outrageous offers.”
Demand, however, remains relentless. FIFA reports nearly 500 million ticket requests so far, underscoring the global rush for seats at the expanded 48-team tournament.
FIFA defends system
While FIFA endorses the resale platform, it maintains that it merely facilitates transactions, taking a 15 per cent commission while allowing sellers to set prices.
“Generally speaking, the pricing model adopted for FIFA World Cup 26 reflects the existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events within our hosts on a daily basis, soccer included,” the body said in a statement.
The organisation added that ticket resale is treated differently under the law in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In Mexico, selling above face value is restricted only when tickets are bought locally in the national currency.
Ticket pricing has become one of the most divisive issues ahead of the tournament. Football Supporters Europe has accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal”, arguing that commercial interests are eclipsing fan access.
FIFA has attempted to ease concerns by releasing a limited allocation of $60 tickets for official supporters’ groups, but critics say the gesture does little to solve the broader affordability crisis.
Applicants from the second ticket sales phase, which closed in January, have been informed of their status since February 5. A final sales window is scheduled to open in April on a first-come, first-served basis.
According to AFP report, FIFA says it uses a “variable pricing” approach during official sales phases, with prices shifting according to demand and availability, but insists this does not amount to a fully dynamic pricing model.