World Cup Ticket Pricing Strategy Leads to Availability Concerns Six Weeks Out

Why it matters locally: With two California venues, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Levi's Stadium in San Francisco, hosting World Cup matches, the ticketing strategy's impact on attendance and local revenue generation is a significant concern for the state.

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FIFA’s ticketing strategy for the upcoming World Cup, utilizing a variable pricing model, has resulted in increased ticket costs and widespread availability for multiple group stage matches six weeks before the tournament's commencement. Between October and April, the average ticket price across FIFA’s three category groups increased by 34%. This pricing model impacted at least 90 of the 104 total matches. The average cost for the cheapest group stage ticket is 50% higher than the previous World Cup record, adjusted for inflation. Reports indicated fewer than 41,000 tickets sold for the U.S. group stage opener against Paraguay at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, which has a listed seating capacity of 70,000. FIFA disputed this figure. As of publication, tickets for this match remained available, with a minimum price of $1,120. Seven group stage matches currently show wide ticket availability on FIFA’s official ticketing website. For example, over 2,000 tickets are available for Canada’s group stage opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Toronto’s BMO Field, with prices starting at $1,645. Over 2,000 lower-bowl tickets for the Jordan vs. Algeria match at San Francisco’s Levi’s Stadium on June 22 remain available at $380 or more. Similarly, over 1,000 lower-bowl tickets are available for Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on June 25, with prices starting at $380. Secondary market platform Gametime lists only four matches with resale prices under $200: Austria vs. Jordan on June 16 and Jordan vs. Algeria on June 22 at Levi’s Stadium, and Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast and Algeria vs. Austria on June 27 at Arrowhead Stadium. A recently enacted law in Ontario prohibits reselling tickets above face value, limiting Canada’s opening game availability to premium tickets ranging from $1,645 to $3,360. Travel restrictions also impact fan access. The U.S. maintains travel bans on immigrant and non-immigrant visas for Haiti and Iran, and on immigrant, tourist, student, and exchange visitor visas for Ivory Coast and Senegal, affecting fans from these qualifying nations. The previous Club World Cup, which debuted a 32-team format last summer in the U.S., reported over 1 million empty seats across 48 group stage matches. This resulted in a 56.7% capacity fill rate. Three of the seven matches with less than 33% ticket sales occurred in venues scheduled to host World Cup matches this June. A match between South Korea’s Ulsan and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns saw just over 3,000 attendees. FIFA previously allocated low-priced seats, with a U.S. allotment of 500 per game offered to three specific groups. Initial lottery winners accessed $120 tickets, and a recent release offered some $140 tickets. FIFA has not released all available tickets, intending to manage demand. Additional tickets are expected during the “last-minute sales phase” in the coming weeks.