There is a paradox that explains the new commercial geography of global football well: attending a 2026 World Cup match can cost less than 90 euros, but a single ticket can reach over 17 thousand euros. It depends on where you look, who plays, the host city and above all on how much the secondary market has already started to move.
According to a study carried out by SeatPick on the ticket resale market for the 2026 World Cup, the average price requested for tickets has fallen by 65% since the beginning of the season, settling at 1,362 euros. A figure that is still high, of course, but much lower than the first prices. What is pushing prices down is above all the gigantic increase in supply: the tickets available on the large global resale hubs have gone from 16 thousand to almost 886 thousand, with a growth of more than 5,500%.
The World Cup expanded to 48 teams, the first with this formula and distributed between the United States, Canada and Mexico, thus produces a double effect: on the one hand much more accessible matches, on the other matches already transformed into luxury goods for collectors, wealthy fans and enthusiasts willing to pay extreme sums.
The cheapest match costs 86 euros
The most obvious surprise concerns the low cost matches. According to SeatPick data, the cheapest match of the group stage is Saudi Arabia-Cape Verde, scheduled at the NRG Stadium in Houston, with a minimum price of 86 euros.
Cape Verde, making its debut in the competition, thus becomes the symbol of a World Cup that opens up new spaces not only on a sporting level but also on an economic level. The national teams lower in the FIFA rankings or in their first world participation, such as Uzbekistan and Jordan, appear in six of the ten most convenient matches of the group stage.
For many international fans, this means being able to attend a World Cup match at a relatively low cost, especially when compared to the now usual prices of major global sporting events. In cities like Monterrey and Vancouver, some entrances remain under 130 euros.
The World Cup without Italy, but with more on offer
For Italy, left out of the World Cup for the third consecutive time, the tournament will once again be a sporting wound rather than a national celebration. But on a global level, the 2026 edition promises huge numbers.
The expansion to 48 teams increases the overall number of matches and broadens the pool of fans involved. More teams mean more national markets mobilized, more cities interested, more potential audiences. But they also mean a greater dispersion of demand: not all matches have the same commercial weight, not all national teams generate the same pressure on prices, not all markets react in the same way.
It is precisely this difference that creates a very stratified market. On the one hand there are the more accessible matches, often linked to less popular teams globally. On the other there are the intersections between large national teams, highly attractive cities and fans with strong spending capacity.
The case of tickets worth over 17 thousand euros
If Saudi Arabia-Cape Verde represents the cheapest gateway, Spain-Uruguay has already become the opposite case. According to SeatPick, the match set the confirmed sales record for the group stage: 17,199 euros for a single ticket.
This is not a simple asking price, but an amount actually paid by a buyer. An important detail, because in the secondary market the highest prices often remain sellers’ attempts, wishes or bets. Here, however, the data indicates a real transaction.
Colombia-Portugal in Miami also stands out among the average asking prices, reaching an average of 3,247 euros. A figure that even exceeds some of Mexico’s opening matches, the host country and traditionally capable of mobilizing a huge fan base.
World football is increasingly a global market
The most interesting data is not only how much the tickets cost, but what these prices tell us. The 2026 World Cup is preparing to be both a sporting competition and a huge commercial experiment. The value of a match no longer depends only on its technical importance, but on the intersection of television appeal, purchasing power of fans, host city, diaspora, tourism and desire to be there.
Miami, Houston, Vancouver, Monterrey: each location becomes a market in itself. Each national team brings with it an audience, a history, an economic weight. Each ticket tells not just a match, but a global demand for experience, belonging and entertainment.
Resale, in this scenario, becomes the most brutal thermometer. When supply explodes, prices fall. When a match attracts strong national teams, desirable cities and fans willing to spend, the figures can rise to levels that are difficult to justify with football passion alone.
The opportunity for those who want to be there
However, the average drop in prices and the enormous increase in available tickets indicate a favorable window for fans. Those who want to attend a World Cup match without necessarily chasing the big matches can find opportunities that are much more accessible than what one might expect from a World Cup organized in North America.
Of course, the secondary market remains variable by definition. Prices can change quickly based on the draw, team performance, fan demand and proximity to the event. But the current picture shows a clear trend: the 2026 World Cup will not just be the tournament of crazy prices. It will also be one where some games become surprisingly affordable.
Football, once again, travels on two tracks. On the one hand, the popular promise of a stadium accessible even to those who don’t want to spend a fortune. On the other hand, the transformation of major sporting events into premium products, where the rarity, the city and the name of the teams can transform a ticket into an object worth thousands of euros.
The 2026 World Cup hasn’t started yet. But his market, yes, is already playing.
