Less than 30 days before the biggest sporting event on the planet arrives in North America, ticket prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are currently in a freefall.

For months, soccer fans from across the globe have been complaining about the eye-watering cost of admission for World Cup tickets. FIFA has defended these astronomical prices by saying that’s the price of admission for entertainment in the United States. 

“We have to look at the market – we are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino, pointing to the price of other large sporting events like the NFL, NBA, MLS, and College Football. 

But fans don’t care about the reasons, they want affordable prices. 

According to new TicketData analysis released on Monday, the average price for group-stage tickets have plummeted over 23% in the past month and are currently at the lowest prices they’ve seen since January 17. The average get-in price for a group-play match peaked at $737 and is now down to $550. That $168 price drop is a stunning shift with less than a month before the June 11 kickoff game in Mexico City. 

However, that’s good news for fans who may have waited patiently to buy their tickets, hoping the prices would drop. There’s been growing concern inside FIFA headquarters that the games might be played in half-filled stadiums. That’s a bad look for a tournament expected to redefine soccer in North America. 

For fans in Los Angeles, the opening match between USA and Paraguay at SoFi Stadium on June 12 has finally dipped below four figures for the first time in five months. The average price to “get-in” the stadium has dropped to $938. Reports indicate only around 40,934 tickets have been sold for a venue that can hold nearly 70,000 fans.

Meanwhile, the most expensive group-stage ticket currently belongs to Colombia vs. Portugal at Hard Rock Stadium, with an astonishing get-in price of $3,212. Colombia also owns the highest average ticket prices of any country across all three group-stage matches, ahead of Brazil, Portugal, Scotland, the United States, Argentina and England. 

If you’re thinking of traveling to the U.S. to watch the World Cup, or happen to live in the Bay Area, the best bargain out of any city on the continent is currency at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, where the average get-in price for all matches is around $225. 

Infantino pointed out that the re-sell market is not only permitted in the United States, it’s how most people in the country purchase their tickets. That means supply and demand will dictate the costs and with prices dropping over the last month, we only expect them to get cheaper closer to kick off. Especially if the games aren’t sold out. 

The one match everyone wants to see and is holding steady in price despite the precipitous fall of all other tickets, is the World Cup Final match on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Despite not knowing the matchup, prices to watch the championship game are currently at $7,734 just to get-in the stadium. 

So if you’ve been thinking about attending a World Cup match this summer, now might be the time to purchase tickets with prices at their lowest. 

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will kickoff on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City. The tournament will take place over six weeks in 16 different cities in three countries (Mexico, USA, and Canada).

---

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters