Analysis: how prices for the cheapest World Cup tickets have rocketed | World Cup 2026

In the past, a fan’s ability to attend a World Cup hosted in their country depended more on their bid books than their checkbooks. For 2026, in the United States, Mexico and Canada, even the cheapest tickets are a luxury item in comparison.

A Guardian analysis of ticket prices for the men’s World Cup shows that amid the general rise in ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup, the most extreme hikes have often applied to the cheapest tickets. The analysis is based on official Fifa prices dating back to 1994, with more robust data available from 2006. Prices for 2026 matches are accurate as of December 16, 2025 and do not include the 1.6% of salable tickets for each match that Fifa recently made available for a fixed price of $60.

It is important to note that Fifa’s dynamic pricing model could see the prices of any game fluctuate between now and the tournament. In some cases, they may drop precipitously, as was the case just before some 2025 Club World Cup matches. But for traveling fans – especially those from the four countries that may face visa restrictions – waiting until the last minute to secure tickets may be neither desirable nor feasible.

For now, at the end of 2025 and with the first phase of ticket sales opening next year, the price increases are most dramatic in the lower categories, significantly raising the barrier of entry for the vast majority of interested fans. This is true during many rounds of the tournament, and especially for the final.

Category 4 is historically the lowest price tier for World Cups and was previously exclusively available to residents of a host country. The hometown discount was the biggest in 2018, with the lowest prices of the 21st century helping to give Russia a historic home-field advantage as they reached their first quarter-final since 1970 (as the USSR).

In 2026, not only are “cheap seats” at least three times more expensive in most rounds than they were when Qatar hosted them in 2022, but there were so few Category 4 seats available that the tournament’s entire stock was sold out before sales opened to the general public, according to Fifa.

The most extreme price increases are concentrated where we think they could be: in cities and for the biggest games, or those involving a host country.

Historically, most World Cup rounds have been priced more than the previous ones, with the exception of the third-place match, which is priced similar to that of a round of 16 or quarter-final match. This is still true in 2026. Meanwhile, the nascent round of 16, born from an expanded field, has a similar price tag to group matches.

The limited number of seats at $60 for each match with capped prices still represents a five-fold increase from the 2022 Category 4 group stage entry point.

Dynamic pricing, introduced for this tournament, has been cited as the main driver behind these price increases. This practice allows prices for each match to change based on demand, and that demand has changed significantly since the World Cup draw. Before that, every match had unknown participants, except for the nine host countries. Afterwards, the teams were assigned matches and venues, so people knew for the first time who would be playing.

Here, the power of global stars becomes evident. Compared to ticket prices before the draw for each of their group matches, Portugal saw the biggest price increases – which can be attributed to the Cristiano Ronaldo factor. Argentina, Lionel Messi’s world champion, comes second. Euro 2024 champions Spain and well-supported South American qualifiers Colombia and Uruguay complete the top five.

Notably, matches involving Iran were the only ones to see a double-digit decrease.

The percentages shown below reflect the post-draw prize compared to the initial prize for each match, as specified by its date and venue.

In total, 91 of the 104 matches saw their prices increase after the December draw. Five matches saw their prices remain unchanged; eight games saw declines.

Whatever you end up paying, it will likely be a far cry from the pricing model promised during the 2018 application process, held during Donald Trump’s first term. This is taken from the application file submitted to Fifa:

At the time, United 2026 organizers were working to price Category 4 group matches at $21, or within a dollar of the 2018 host price, taking into account inflation. The recent $60 tickets on sale remain above expected prices until the quarter-finals.