🔗 Share this article

As the earliest passes for the 2026 World Cup became available last week, millions of fans logged into digital lines only to discover the actual implication of Gianni Infantino's promise that "global fans will be welcome." The lowest-priced official seat for the upcoming championship match, located in the upper levels of New Jersey's 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium where players seem like tiny figures and the action is barely visible, comes with a fee of $2,030. Most upper-deck seats apparently vary between $2,790 and $4,210. The frequently mentioned $60 passes for preliminary matches, touted by FIFA as evidence of inclusivity, show up as tiny green spots on virtual seating charts, little more than mirages of fair pricing.

This Hidden Sales Procedure

FIFA maintained cost information completely confidential until the very point of release, replacing the customary publicly available cost breakdown with a digital draw that determined who was granted the chance to purchase tickets. Many supporters passed hours watching a virtual line screen as algorithms determined their spot in the waiting list. By the time purchase opportunity eventually arrived for most, the more affordable options had already sold out, presumably acquired by automated systems. This happened prior to FIFA without announcement increased fees for no fewer than nine matches after only 24 hours of purchases. This complete system appeared as barely a admission opportunity and more a consumer test to determine how much dissatisfaction and scarcity the public would tolerate.

World Cup's Defense

FIFA insists this system only constitutes an adjustment to "common procedures" in the United States, the country where most matches will be hosted, as if high costs were a cultural practice to be respected. In reality, what's emerging is barely a worldwide event of the beautiful game and closer to a digital commerce testing ground for all the elements that has made contemporary entertainment so exhausting. The organization has combined every annoyance of contemporary shopping experiences – dynamic pricing, random selection systems, multiple logins, including remnants of a collapsed cryptocurrency craze – into a unified exhausting process engineered to transform access itself into a tradable asset.

The Blockchain Connection

This story originated during the NFT trend of 2022, when FIFA introduced FIFA+ Collect, promising fans "reasonably priced acquisition" of digital football memories. When the market declined, FIFA repositioned the tokens as admission possibilities. This revised system, promoted under the commercial "Purchase Option" designation, gives fans the chance to buy NFTs that would eventually grant permission to purchase an actual match ticket. A "Championship Access" collectible is priced at up to $999 and can be converted only if the purchaser's chosen squad qualifies for the final. Otherwise, it turns into a worthless virtual item.

Current Disclosures

This expectation was ultimately broken when FIFA Collect administrators disclosed that the great proportion of Right to Buy purchasers would only be eligible for Category 1 and 2 tickets, the highest-priced categories in FIFA's opening phase at costs significantly exceeding the reach of the average follower. This news caused widespread anger among the digital token owners: social channels were inundated by protests of being "cheated" and a immediate wave to offload tokens as their market value dropped significantly.

The Cost Situation

When the actual tickets finally appeared, the scale of the cost increase became evident. Category 1 seats for the semi-finals reach $3,000; quarter-finals nearly $1,700. FIFA's new fluctuating fee approach suggests these amounts can, and almost certainly will, rise considerably further. This approach, adopted from airlines and technology booking services, now controls the world's biggest athletic tournament, forming a byzantine and tiered marketplace divided into multiple levels of privilege.

This Secondary Platform

During past World Cups, aftermarket fees were limited at standard cost. For 2026, FIFA eliminated that limitation and moved into the secondary market itself. Tickets on the organization's secondary marketplace have reportedly been listed for tens of thousands of dollars, such as a $2,030 ticket for the final that was resold the following day for $25,000. FIFA double-dips by collecting a 15% commission from the original purchaser and another 15% from the new purchaser, earning $300 for every $1,000 resold. Officials claim this will reduce scalpers from using outside platforms. Realistically it legitimizes them, as if the most straightforward way to address the touts was only to include them.

Supporter Backlash

Supporters' groups have answered with understandable disbelief and outrage. Thomas Concannon of England's Fans' Embassy called the prices "astonishing", observing that following a team through the event on the cheapest tickets would amount to more than double the equivalent journey in Qatar. Include international travel, hotels and entry requirements, and the supposedly "most inclusive" World Cup in history begins to appear very similar to a private event. Ronan Evain of Fans Europe