World Cup final ticket listed at $143,750 on FIFA resale site

World Cup Ticket Prices Surge on FIFA Resale Platform

Ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup have skyrocketed on FIFA’s official resale platform, with one seat for the final listed at $143,750—more than 41 times its original face value of $3,450. The surge comes just weeks after most tickets were distributed following the end of the main sales phase in January.

According to Agence France-Presse, the cheapest available ticket for the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was listed at $9,775 as of Wednesday. Meanwhile, a category three ticket for the tournament’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium on June 11 was listed at $5,324, compared to an original price of $895.france24

FIFA Takes 15 Percent Cut

While FIFA’s resale platform carries the organization’s endorsement, the governing body specifies in its terms of sale that it acts only as a facilitator in this fan-to-fan marketplace, with resellers setting their own prices. FIFA collects a 15 percent fee from both buyers and sellers on each transaction.espn

The steep prices validate concerns FIFA President Gianni Infantino voiced at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. “In the U.S. it is perfectly legal to resell tickets on resale platforms. There is a law for that, so we have to of course allow that,” Infantino said at the time, adding that tickets would likely be resold “at even steeper prices”.nypost

Fan Groups Criticize FIFA

Football Supporters Europe has accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal” over its pricing strategy. Executive director Ronan Evain told the Associated Press he believed “a significant proportion of tickets that are sold and put on the resale platform are there just for profit”.espn

Guillaume Aupretre, a representative of French supporters’ group “Les Irresistibles Francais,” expressed frustration to AFP. “These exorbitant prices unfortunately don’t surprise me. It reflects what we know and what we fight: many people buy tickets to resell,” he said. “In the end, who pays the price? The fans who end up with outrageous bills”.france24

Despite the high costs, FIFA has reported receiving approximately 500 million ticket requests during the month-long ticket sales period. In a few rare cases, some ticket prices have actually decreased—one ticket for Austria’s group match against Jordan at Levi’s Stadium in California is being offered at $552 despite costing its original buyer $620.philstar

A final “last-minute” sales phase will commence in April and continue through the end of the tournament on a first-come, first-served basis.france24