WASHINGTON (Kashmir English): Ticket prices for this year’s Football World Cup have dramatically increased on FIFA’s official resale platform, with seats for the final listed at over 41 times their original face value.
While FIFA facilitates these fan-to-fan sales for a 15% fee, it said that resellers set the prices, arguing the model reflects market practices for major events in North America where resale is largely unregulated.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino had warned that tickets made available on resale sites were likely to come with an exorbitant price tag.
As of Wednesday, a “category-three” seat — the highest section of the stands — for the event’s opening game between South Africa and Mexico at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium on June 11 was listed at $5,324, compared to an original price of $895.
One category three seat for the World Cup final on July 19 at East Rutherford, New Jersey, meanwhile, was being advertised for a huge $143,750 — more than 41 times its original face value of $3,450.
The cheapest available ticket for the final on the resale site was listed at $9,775.
In a few rare cases, though, some ticket prices have actually decreased. One seat for Austria-Jordan group game on June 17 at the Levi’s Stadium in California — which hosted Sunday’s Super Bowl — is being offered at $552 despite costing its original buyer $620.
For football fans around the globe, some of the prices on FIFA’s resale site are confirmation of what they have railed against since the tournament draw in December.
“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, spokesperson for the France national team supporters group “Irresistibles Francais”, which has nearly 2,500 members.
“In the end, who pays the price? The passionate fans who end up with outrageous offers. We would prefer that this benefit real fans who come to support their team, but unfortunately, that’s not the case.”
Ticketing has been seen as one of the most controversial issues surrounding the 2026 World Cup, with fan groups worldwide such as Football Supporters Europe accusing FIFA of a “monumental betrayal” over pricing.
FIFA ticket resale mechanism
The FIFA ticket resale mechanism is the only official method for purchasing or selling tickets for FIFA tournaments, such as this year’s World Cup, after the initial sales phases have concluded.
It operates as a secure, controlled secondary market directly on FIFA.com/tickets, allowing fans to list tickets they cannot use and providing another avenue for others to buy them.
