Khaberni - The prices for the 2026 World Cup tickets have seen a new record jump after the International Football Association Board raised the cost of attending the final match to unprecedented levels, in a move that sparked widespread controversy among fans.
The British newspaper TheAthletic said, "The price of a first-class ticket for the final was about $10,990, a figure that reflects a significant increase compared to earlier stages of the offering, where the same ticket was previously sold for about $8,700, then gradually increased, revealing a sharp rise in prices as the tournament date approaches."
It added: "The final match is scheduled to be held on July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium, as part of the largest edition in the history of the World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, featuring 48 teams for the first time over 104 matches."
It continued: "The increases were not limited to the World Cup final only, as they included dozens of other matches, where prices for about 40 matches were raised during the last phase of the sale, with a special focus on encounters that have large fan turnouts, especially those involving teams with global popularity."
It continued: "The increases extended to the knockout stages, where the prices of some semi-final matches reached more than $3,700, reflecting a clear trend towards higher pricing for decisive matches."
It added: "This escalation comes amid the implementation of the dynamic pricing system for the first time in the history of the tournament, a system that allows changing prices according to demand, leading to significant variations in ticket prices, and has drawn widespread criticism from football fans who consider this policy to complicate attendance for ordinary supporters. In an attempt to absorb the anger, a limited category of low-priced tickets starting at about $60 was offered, but they remain in limited numbers and generally in less favorable positions within the stadiums, which diminishes their impact on the pricing crisis."
It concluded: "Despite the controversy, the organizing body justifies these increases with the large expected turnout, where estimates indicate a record demand for tickets, making the 2026 edition likely to be the most expensive in the history of the tournament, amid a complex balance between commercial returns and making the event accessible to the fans."
