FIFA has confirmed that the 2026 World Cup will be the first tournament in history to introduce dynamic ticket pricing, with costs set to rise or fall depending on demand.
The global football governing body revealed that initial prices will range from US$60 (£47) for group-stage matches to US$6,730 (£5,330) for the final. No intermediate price points were provided.
These figures mark a sharp increase on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where tickets were priced between US$69 (£54) and US$1,607 (£1,272).
The Times first reported in May that FIFA was preparing to adopt a dynamic pricing strategy. Now, Heimo Schirgi, FIFA’s World Cup 2026 chief operating officer, has confirmed the approach will be used.
“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,” said Schirgi.
“So that’s the message: ‘Get your tickets early,’ because anything could happen.”
Dynamic pricing, already a common practice in North American sport, has been criticised by fans for inflating ticket costs. FIFA expects to sell around 6.5 million tickets across 104 matches involving 48 teams. Critics argue that while the model could generate record revenues for FIFA, it risks pricing out ordinary supporters in favour of wealthier buyers.
The governing body will reportedly retain all ticketing revenue, rather than sharing proceeds with venues or local organisers.
Dynamic pricing was previously trialled at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, where low demand forced ticket prices – including for the opening match – to be slashed. By contrast, interest in World Cup tickets is expected to be substantially higher.
The Super Bowl provides another high-profile example of the model in action. The average ticket price for this year’s NFL championship game was around US$6,900 (£5,465), while the 2024 edition averaged US$8,000 (£6,340).
FIFA will open ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup next week. It has also pledged to operate an official resale marketplace in a bid to reduce scalping.
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