From a 40-year-old teacher buying a $140 match ticket after a tight budget to Scots organizing transport for 1,120 fans, the 2026 World Cup is becoming a stress test for supporters. FIFA’s ticketing phases, resale markups, and dynamic pricing are pushing peopl
By the time the first World Cup tickets vanished, Worchihan Zingkhai already knew what the price tag would do to him.
He remembers the 1998 FIFA World Cup in Ukhrul. a small village in India near the Myanmar border. when his whole community crowded around a black-and-white TV to watch Italy play Chile. Now. in 2026. he is 40 and preparing to watch the tournament in North America—guided by a single stubborn fact: the tickets he wanted were simply out of reach.
Zingkhai, a teacher and content creator, tried buying tickets in February for matches featuring England, Portugal, or Argentina. The prices for those games were hundreds of dollars above his budget. A few months later. during last-minute ticket sales. he spent three hours in a line and finally secured the cheapest option he could find in Atlanta. close to where he is staying: $140 to see the Czech Republic against South Africa. In a village of about 800 people. he said. the idea that a stadium he will visit holds more than 70. 000 people still feels unreal.
He is not alone. FIFA estimates that 6.5 million fans are expected to attend the 2026 World Cup, but for many supporters, the hardest part isn’t the tournament itself. It’s making the math work—ticket costs, travel, lodging, and the ripple effects that show up in ordinary lives.
In April’s last-minute sales phase, FIFA said a ticket to the final cost at least $5,785. A Category 1 seat for the final was nearly $11,000. The sticker shock is arriving alongside an even bigger business picture: FIFA expects to generate nearly $9 billion in revenue in 2026. part of a projected $13 billion haul for the four-year World Cup cycle ending with this summer’s tournament. FIFA generated $7.5 billion over the four-year period from 2019 to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The ticket hunt is now its own competition
For fans, the path to a seat is shaped by ticketing phases and demand-based changes. The tournament begins with the group stage, with 12 groups of four teams, and the best-placed teams advance to the knockout rounds starting with the Round of 32. Ticket prices rise as stakes increase.
Between September and January, FIFA held three ticket sales phases in which fans applied through a ballot system. Prices then increased by April’s “last-minute” phase. From December, fans could also get tickets through participating member associations, the governing bodies of the countries that qualified.
FIFA is also using dynamic pricing for this year’s World Cup, meaning ticket prices have fluctuated based on demand—an approach many fans have criticized.
If tickets remain out of reach, the resale market becomes the last stop. FIFA offers a resale marketplace, and for the most popular games it has pushed prices higher. As the tournament draws nearer, there have been some big discounts.
That resale marketplace is largely unregulated, with some exceptions in Mexico and parts of Canada.
One Toronto social worker found out the hard way
Shriya Agnihotri, a 29-year-old social worker from Toronto, had been hopeful because the World Cup is in North America. She wanted to attend after it became a big deal in her family growing up.
But her ticket attempt didn’t go smoothly. She had no success locking down a ticket in the final lottery draw in January. In April’s last-minute ticket sales, after spending six hours in line, the matches she wanted were too expensive. She ended up buying a Category 1 ticket for Ghana against Panama for 630 Canadian dollars, which is $454.
Alan Talbot, a 61-year-old civil engineer from the UK, said ticket buying has become progressively harder over the years, and that competition is the core problem. He has been to four World Cups in his lifetime, and he said he sees many frustrated fans discussing the same issue on forums.
Talbot eventually secured four tickets on resale and via a friend in the second sales phase. The tickets have cost him and his wife just over $3,100.
Another fan planned for months—starting with a savings account
For younger fans and those traveling internationally, securing a seat can mean building the trip long before a final purchase.
Mo Faraj, 23, from Boston, opened a dedicated savings account in November to save for the World Cup. As an Iraqi, he was determined to watch his team play its first World Cup since 1986.
Iraq qualified through a nail-biting playoff, and that shaped his schedule too. Iraq was one of the last countries to qualify for the World Cup, so its PMA sales phase took place in April rather than December, as with most others.
Faraj bought a Category 1 ticket for Iraq against Senegal for $450 through the FIFA website. He also bought two more tickets via Iraq’s PMA: $180 to see Iraq against Norway, and $220 to see it play France—Category 2 seats.
He said Iraqi fans have been organizing Facebook and WhatsApp groups to keep costs down. “Everyone’s offering up their places, people are offering free transportation, food,” he said. “They’re just happy that we’re in the World Cup; they’ll do anything just to enjoy the moment.”
Faraj and his five friends decided to split the cost of Airbnbs, renting a full-size SUV to travel between Boston, Philadelphia, and Toronto and splitting the gas costs. Faraj estimated his total accommodation spend will be about $1,000 for four nights.
For others, the trip competes directly with home
The World Cup takes place in 16 cities across North America, and accommodation prices vary widely. Atlanta or Guadalajara are much cheaper than New York City or Los Angeles.
Talbot booked hotels nearly a year in advance to avoid higher costs.
Khai Duong, a 28-year-old dental hygienist from Atlanta, described sacrifices of a more personal kind. Duong has been setting aside $400 a month since the summer to afford accommodation. a rental car. and the tickets he bought for two games. He said this means he has had to postpone a trip to his home country, Vietnam, until next year.
Zingkhai’s trade-off is also deeply everyday. He earns about 500 Indian rupees a day—roughly $5 to $6. His in-laws are largely covering the $2. 340 airfare from northeast India to the US. but the cost of food. merch. and tickets means he is forgoing replacing a broken laptop because he can’t afford the extra expense right now.
Bucket-list matches raise the bill the most
Those aiming for the opening match or the final are paying the steepest prices.
Tickets started at $140 for group-stage matches during April’s first open ticket sale. In that same phase, it would cost at least $5,785 to see the final, and nearly $11,000 for a Category 1 seat.
Vanessa Jimenez, 32, from Dallas, spent over $2,000 on one ticket on FIFA’s resale portal to attend the opening game between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City. Jimenez said she is excited to see the performances at the opening ceremony.
“It’s always kind of been a dream of ours to go to, obviously, either a World Cup final or an opener,” she said. “The final would be amazing, of course, but that’s even more expensive to attend.”
When prices don’t move, some communities build their own workarounds
The trip becomes less about buying and more about improvising—through partnerships, shared logistics, and local planning.
Jimenez said she has secured free accommodation in Mexico City through a content partnership.
Faraj said he is splitting nearly every expense with friends.
David Nugent, a 31-year-old from Glasgow, has tickets to see Scotland play Brazil in Miami through a work contract. He is waiting for prices to drop for Scotland against Haiti in Boston. “Unless I win the lottery, I’m not buying them,” Nugent said.
He has created an Instagram page called @tartanarmyinboston with a friend to share practical tips on navigating Boston. The city is expecting a large number of Scots to visit because Scotland will play two of its three group-stage games at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.
Nugent has also planned a boat party for Scotland soccer fans, known as the “Tartan Army.” He said it will be Scotland’s first World Cup since 1998.
Mike Teevan, a 46-year-old from Glasgow, organized a bus for a group of Scottish supporters. “It kind of just snowballed from there,” Teevan told Business Insider. Through booking agents, he has organized buses for 1,120 fans to keep public transport costs down.
Teevan sold bus tickets for between £31 and £45 each, ($42 and $60). He said it costs $90 for a coach ticket between downtown Boston and Gillette Stadium during the tournament, and $80 for a round-trip rail ticket, compared to $20 on an NFL game day.
FIFA insists it is working for access
In a statement to Business Insider, FIFA said it is “focused on ensuring fair access to our game for existing and prospective fans.”
Most of the fans who spoke described high prices as part of the reality they are facing, but their mood still leaned toward excitement.
Zingkhai said he is glad he can make it to the World Cup despite the costs. He recalled how his mother recently asked if he would be on television: “My mom, actually, the other day, told me, ‘Oh, so will I see you on television?’ You know, like she was so innocent, maybe you will be in the crowd.”
He added that while he wished he could get tickets for England. Portugal. and Argentina games. he couldn’t afford them. “But I’m happy. I’m happy with what I got. ” he said. after weeks of ticket lines. resale calculations. and trade-offs that most fans won’t see until they’re already packing their bags.
The throughline is hard to miss: for the 2026 World Cup, the journey to a seat is rewriting lives—and forcing supporters to treat a sporting event like a financial project, completed under time pressure.
2026 FIFA World Cup ticket prices dynamic pricing resale marketplace fan costs FIFA revenue travel costs budget planning Scotland fans World Cup attendance