FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced that all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup will be “sold out,” although tickets for the tournament, scheduled from June 11 to July 19, are still available.
Infantino shared with CNBC during an interview at U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, saying, “The demand is there. Every match is sold out.”
In just four weeks, there were 508 million ticket requests from over 200 countries for approximately seven million available tickets, Infantino reported.
“We’ve never seen anything like that — incredible,” he noted.
The World Cup will feature 48 teams across 16 host cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, with the final taking place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Infantino acknowledged that the locations of the tournament have contributed to complaints about high ticket prices from soccer fan groups.
“I think it is because it’s in America, Canada, and Mexico,” he said, adding that everyone wants to be part of this major event.
Resale websites are also driving price increases by using “dynamic pricing,” which causes ticket costs to fluctuate from their original fixed prices.
Infantino stated, “You can also resell your tickets on official platforms and secondary markets, so the prices will rise.” This reflects current market practices.
A report in the Straits Times mentioned that a Category 3 seat for Mexico’s match against South Africa in the tournament opener is priced at $5,324 on the secondary market, compared to the original price of $895. For the finals, a similar seat, originally at $3,450, was listed at $143,750.
In December, FIFA introduced a “supporter entry tier” ticket priced at $60, allocated to national federations. These federations are expected to distribute these tickets to dedicated fans, according to FIFA’s announcement.
When the U.S. last hosted the World Cup in 1994, ticket prices ranged from $25 to $475. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, ticket prices were between $70 and $1,600 after match announcements.
Infantino projected that the 2026 World Cup would generate $11 billion in revenue for FIFA, with all proceeds to be reinvested in soccer across its 211 member countries.
He anticipated that the economic impact on the United States would be around $30 billion, considering tourism, catering, and security investments. Additionally, the tournament is expected to attract 20 million to 30 million tourists and create 185,000 full-time jobs.