World Cup 2026 ticket prices exceed bid book projections by up to seven times

FIFA sold Category 1 tickets to the 2026 World Cup final for $10,990 during its April open sale. The United 2026 bid book had projected a maximum Category 1 final ticket price of $1,550. Business Insider compared the April prices to those listed in the bid book and to inflation-adjusted prices from the previous seven World Cups.

Earlier tournaments charged between $988 and $1,783 for comparable final tickets.

Ticket categories and sales phases FIFA offered four ticket categories based on seat location. The April sale was the first general-admission open sale, called the Last-Minute Sales Phase. Some fans obtained tickets earlier through three lottery draws or through participating members' associations.

Those associations set eligibility rules, often requiring attendance at multiple prior matches. FIFA allocated 1,000 tickets per game at $60 each for distribution by the associations to committed supporters.

Price increases across categories Category 3 final tickets sold through associations reached approximately $4,000, compared with the bid book's $695 projection. Category 1 tickets through the same channel reached $8,680. The $60 tickets still exceeded the bid book's $128 baseline for the cheapest final seats by nearly three times.

The tournament, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is the first World Cup in the United States since 1994 and is currently in its third week.