World Cup ticket surge triggers frustration among fans

Ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup in North America, to be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico, have surged, angering fans hoping to attend matches in person. Seats for the final now cost more than five times the price of tickets for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

FIFA opened its online ticket application system on Dec. 12 through its official website. Each applicant can request up to four tickets per match, and winners will be selected by lottery. Successful applicants will receive email notifications in February.

The Associated Press reported that top-tier seats for next year’s final are priced at $8,680, or about 12.78 million won. That figure is more than five times the highest-priced premium seats at the Qatar final, which cost $1,600. For comparison, the most expensive ticket for the 1994 World Cup final, hosted by the United States, was $475.

FIFA’s introduction of dynamic pricing for this tournament has further fueled the rise in ticket costs. Because the system adjusts prices based on projected demand, tickets for high-interest matches are automatically set at higher levels. Football Supporters Europe, known as FSE, criticized the approach in a statement, calling the prices “absurd” and arguing that FIFA is disregarding the vital role fans play in the World Cup.

Seating for the North American World Cup is divided into categories 1 through 4. Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, the venue for South Korea’s first two group matches, and BBVA Stadium in Monterrey, which will host the team’s third match, do not offer category 4 seats. As a result, the lowest-priced tickets available to South Korean fans fall under category 3.

Category 3 tickets cost $180 for South Korea’s opening match against the European playoff Path D winner. For the second match against host nation Mexico, category 3 seats are priced at $265. Tickets in the same category for the third match against South Africa are $140. Even if Korean fans choose the least expensive option for all three games, attending the group stage in person would still cost at least $585, or roughly 860,000 won.


한종호기자 hjh@donga.com