Even as fears spread that 2026 World Cup matches could be staged before empty stands, attendance is running hot. FIFA says the tournament is already at 2,307,947 spectators through 36 matches, with a 99.54% occupancy rate. At the same time, third-party resale
The price to get into the 2026 World Cup has been rising for weeks, and the stadium math isn’t helping calm anyone down.
Fears that high ticket costs would mean empty seats never fully matched what fans were actually delivering once the tournament kicked off. After 36 matches of the 104-game tournament, FIFA says total attendance has reached 2,307,947—an average of 64,110 people per game. That pace is putting the tournament on track to shatter the all-time World Cup attendance record set in 1994. when 3.5 million spectators attended the event. the last time it was held in the United States.
The 1994 tournament had 24 teams and 52 games, while the World Cup expanded to 32 teams and 64 games beginning in 1998. With the tournament back in the United States and 48 teams involved for the first time. the long-standing record was always vulnerable. The bigger surprise is how tight the demand remains even while prices climb.
FIFA also put a finer point on it: the occupancy rate for the first 36 games is 99.54%, meaning nearly every game has been a sellout or close to it. With that level of demand, the expectation that ticket prices might soften has largely faded.
Prices have climbed since the tournament began June 11. according to TicketData.com. which tracks prices from third-party resale platforms including StubHub and SeatGeek. On the morning of June 11. the average get-in price—defined as the cheapest ticket available—across all group-stage matches was around $700. By June 21, that figure had moved to over $1,000.
As the calendar turns toward the knockout stage, the price surges are no longer evenly spread across the board. Looking at the remaining 67 games as of 2:30 p.m. ET on June 21, all but four have seen their average get-in price rise over the past week.
The clearest exception so far is the U.S. men’s national team match against Turkey in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 25. What had been positioned before the tournament as a matchup between the two top Group D teams has turned into a dead rubber. The U.S. already won the group and Turkey has been eliminated. and the data reflects that shift: it’s the game that has seen its price fall the most.
For games where the U.S. is still in the mix, though, the numbers look different. Resale tickets for the team’s round of 32 match in the Bay Area are up 56% over the past three days. with a get-in price of $3. 157. If the U.S. wins and advances to the round of 16 in Seattle. the price jump has been even steeper in the same three-day window: an 85% increase to a $3. 830 get-in price.
On Sunday, June 21, FIFA’s official ticket sales platform showed no tickets available for USMNT games—either confirmed or potential. On FIFA’s official resale platform, the get-in price for the USMNT-Turkey game was still over $1,000. For the round of 32 game at Levi’s Stadium, it was $2,875.
The sequence is plain in the numbers: FIFA’s 99.54% occupancy through the first 36 matches points to relentless stadium demand, and TicketData.com’s jump from an average get-in price of around $700 on June 11 to over $1,000 by June 21 shows how that demand is translating into higher resale costs.
Even with seats close to full across the tournament, the lesson for fans is that “sellout” doesn’t mean “cheap.” It means supply is tight, and as the U.S. navigates the bracket, the market is moving fast—sometimes faster than supporters can predict.
2026 World Cup ticket prices FIFA attendance occupancy rate TicketData.com StubHub SeatGeek USMNT round of 32 round of 16 Levi's Stadium Seattle Los Angeles