The previous price was $8,680 (₹6,95,300) when FIFA initially sold tickets after the tournament draw in December.
FIFA’s category 2 tickets for the July 19 match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, rose from $5,270 (₹4,46,800) to $7,380 (₹5,91,400), while category 3 tickets increased from $3,960 (₹3,35,300) to $5,785 (₹5,01,600).
As of Wednesday night, tickets were listed for 17 of the 72 group-stage matches, but none for the knockout stage games. The governing body of soccer is implementing dynamic pricing for the tournament, which will occur across 11 U.S. cities as well as three in Mexico and two in Canada.
A Category 1 ticket for the opening match between Mexico and Canada at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City was set at $2,985 (₹2.39 lakh). Category 2 tickets were priced at $2,260 (₹1.81 lakh), while Category 3 tickets were available for $1,410 (₹1.13 lakh).
FIFA did not specify which games and price categories were available, leaving prospective ticket buyers to navigate the FIFA ticketing site, which often took hours to access.
Some users who clicked on what FIFA termed its “last-minute sales phase” when sales commenced at 11 am EDT were directed into a queue labeled “PMA late qualifier supporters sales phase,” intended for a group of fans from the six nations that secured berths on Tuesday.
FIFA did not provide an explanation for the link misdirection but stated around noon that the links were functioning correctly.
The organization also mentioned that not all remaining tickets for the 104 games scheduled in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19 would be available for purchase, and additional tickets would be issued on a rolling basis.
This marked the fifth phase of ticket sales following a Visa presale draw from September 10-19, an early ticket draw from October 27-31, a random selection draw from December 11 to January 13, and an unscheduled 48-hour availability in late February.
FIFA indicated that this phase, which will continue throughout the tournament, allows specific seat locations to be purchased rather than just a request for a ticket in a category.
During the month-long sales phase following the December 5 draw, ticket prices ranged from USD 140 to USD 8,680. After receiving complaints, FIFA announced that USD 60 tickets would be allocated to each participating national federation for their most dedicated supporters, likely amounting to 400-700 per team for each match.
“The implementation of dynamic ticket pricing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup starkly contrasts with FIFA’s core mission to promote the accessible and inclusive development of soccer globally,” wrote 69 Democratic Congress members in a March 10 letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“Despite the cooperation of host cities in bringing the vision of the largest, most global World Cup in history to life, the effects of dynamic pricing will render the 2026 World Cup the most financially exclusive and inaccessible to date.” FIFA has also established its own resale market, collecting 15 percent from both buyers and sellers.
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Congo, the Czech Republic, Iraq, Sweden, and Turkey filled the World Cup lineup. Fans of teams eliminated on Tuesday have the option to resell tickets they previously purchased, including nations like Italy, Poland, Denmark, Jamaica, and Bolivia.
Infantino claimed in January that the number of ticket requests received by FIFA equated to “the request for 1,000 years of World Cups at once.” “This is unique,” he remarked at the time. “It’s incredible.” It remains unclear how many of those requests were for seats in the lower price categories.
Fan groups have expressed concerns about the soaring costs of resold tickets, with one group filing a formal complaint to the European Commission last month.
Infantino defended FIFA’s cut of resale transactions, stating the governing body was engaged in a lawful commercial activity under U.S. law. Some European nations have regulations that can limit resale by requiring tickets to be sold at face value or only by authorized event partners.
(With AP inputs)
