Fans face 2026 World Cup rip-off as Fifa says ticket sales subject to ‘dynamic pricing’
Game’s governing body implements controversial pricing scheme, raises cost of final ticket to US$6,730 compared to US$1,607 at 2022 edition
Ticket prices for next year’s World Cup will range initially from US$60 for group matches to US$6,730 for the final, but could change as football’s top event adopts dynamic pricing for the first time.
The prices are up from a range of US$25 to US$475 for the 1994 tournament in the United States and for the US dollar equivalent of US$69 to US$1,607 when ticket details were announced for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Falk Eller, Fifa’s director of ticketing and hospitality, said there would be “approximately 1 million tickets available”, and prices would vary based on market demand.
Dynamic pricing is commonly seen in airline ticket prices and hotel room rates during holiday seasons.
Yet it led to complaints from fans of British band Oasis who waited in long queues to get their hands on tickets for this year’s reunion shows only to find that prices had increased considerably as part of a “dynamic pricing” scheme.
“I think the message is ‘Get your tickets early,’ especially if you know where you will be, because you live in that city, or you’re a fan of the three hosting nations, and then you know already when and where they will play,” Heimo Schirgi, the tournament’s chief operating officer, said.