{"id":197125,"date":"2026-01-16T20:16:57","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T20:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/absolutely-insane-fans-hoping-to-attend-world-cup-already-feel-priced-out-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T20:16:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T20:16:57","slug":"absolutely-insane-fans-hoping-to-attend-world-cup-already-feel-priced-out-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/absolutely-insane-fans-hoping-to-attend-world-cup-already-feel-priced-out-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"'Absolutely insane': Fans hoping to attend World Cup already feel priced out – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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MIAMI \u2014 Soccer fans are already counting down the days and circling their calendars. This summer, FIFA will stage its largest-ever World Cup in North America, with 48 soccer teams playing in 16 cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
But despite blockbuster anticipation, there\u2019s one looming question: Can fans afford to attend the games?
Many potential buyers online have expressed shock and outrage over the global tournament\u2019s ticket prices, raising fears that some of the beautiful game\u2019s most die-hard supporters will be priced out of the sport\u2019s marquee event.
In the latest World Cup ticketing phase, known as the Random Selection Draw<\/a>, some group stage seats cost as much as $700. Most World Cup final tickets were listed for thousands of dollars. Facing backlash, FIFA added a limited number of $60 tickets<\/a> for each match. But that hasn\u2019t allayed concerns of fans \u2014 including the likes of the United Kingdom\u2019s prime minister<\/a>.
\u201cAs someone who used to save up for England tickets, I encourage FIFA to do more to make tickets more affordable so that the World Cup doesn\u2019t lose touch with the genuine supporters who make the game so special,\u201d Keir Starmer wrote on X<\/a> last month.
The $700 price tag is for tickets sold at face value, mind you, not on the secondary market. On resale markets, ticket prices are soaring much higher.
\u201cThose primary market prices are already, by far, the most expensive in World Cup history,\u201d Henry Bushnell, a senior writer for The Athletic, said in an interview.
Steep prices may not shock Americans seeking entertainment. But in other countries, soccer is seen as key to communities\u2019 cultural fabric. The idea of exorbitant costs, even for top matchups, doesn\u2019t sit well with much of the global soccer community.
\u201cYou have to re-mortgage, get loans,\u201d England fan Jo McNicol told NBC News. \u201cNobody has that sort of spare money for one match.\u201d
McNicol said she has booked plane tickets and an RV for a countrywide road trip this summer. But she can\u2019t find World Cup tickets at a price she\u2019s willing to pay.
McNicol also uses a wheelchair. She attended the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar and said her accessibility ticket came with a companion ticket for no added cost. But not this year<\/a>.
\u201cIt\u2019s just been unfair,\u201d she said of FIFA\u2019s process.
In response to NBC News\u2019 questions, FIFA didn\u2019t comment on the record about accessibility.
On general ticketing concerns, FIFA wrote, in part, that the World Cup\u2019s pricing model \u201creflects the existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events within our hosts on a daily basis, soccer included. This is also a reflection of the treatment of the secondary market for tickets, which has a distinct legal treatment than in many other parts of the world. We are focused on ensuring fair access to our game for existing but also prospective fans.\u201d
Even if fans are willing to shell out big money, some are concerned about physically getting into the U.S. as the Trump administration cracks down on visa applications from countries like Iran, Senegal and Haiti \u2014 all of which have teams in the tournament.
With U.S. immigration policy consistently under scrutiny, the government and FIFA have unveiled a priority visa program for World Cup ticket holders known as FIFA PASS<\/a>. The program will allow purchasers to get expedited visa appointments.
Gianni Infantino, the president of soccer\u2019s global governing body, promises \u201cthis will be the greatest and most inclusive FIFA World Cup in history,\u201d FIFA said in a news release.
Foreign fans\u2019 obstacles aside, Americans also face challenges.
Brian Hexsel, president of the American Outlaws, a major U.S. Soccer supporters group, called the ticket prices \u201cabsolutely insane.\u201d
\u201cMy biggest fear is that FIFA has actually stopped the growing of the sport in the U.S.\u201d Hexsel said.
But even if there are fewer face-painted, banner-waving, drum-beating die-hards in the stands, the seats are still expected to be full. According to FIFA on Wednesday, more than 500 million ticket requests<\/a> were made during the Random Selection Draw.
\u201cAmericans love things that are big and spectacular,\u201d Bushnell said, \u201cand that\u2019s what FIFA is trying to make this World Cup.\u201d
Jesse Kirsch is a correspondent based in Miami reporting across all NBC News and MSNBC platforms.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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news AlertsThere are no new alerts at this timeMIAMI \u2014 Soccer fans are already counting down the days and circling their calendars. This summer, FIFA will stage its largest-ever World Cup in North America, with 48 soccer teams playing in 16 cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico. But despite blockbuster anticipation, there\u2019s one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":197126,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-197125","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197125\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}