With the 2026 World Cup kicking off on Thursday, FIFA is scrambling to fill more than 176,000 seats still listed on its resale portal for the group stage, according to figures that emerged on Tuesday. The ticket glut marks an embarrassing reversal for an organisation that earlier this year boasted of “robust demand” and 500 million booking requests on its website.
The collapse in sales follows widespread anger over ticket pricing, with the introduction of a dynamic pricing model that raised and lowered costs based on demand. Seats for the final were reportedly listed at close to $33,000 (£24,600). Even after discounts, the average ticket price for the United States’ opener against Paraguay still exceeds $800 (£597) on official channels, while the cheapest remaining tickets directly from FIFA cost $1,120 (£836). New York and New Jersey authorities have launched investigations into the “impossibly high” prices.
“Nearly 180,000 World Cup tickets remain unsold days before kick-off, forcing FIFA to slash prices amid investigations.”
Security concerns have added to the unease. A shooting close to England’s training camp was reported, and top referee Omar Artan was refused entry to the United States this week. The tournament’s 48 squads have all been confirmed, and fans have been urged to download the official wallchart to track fixtures, but many may be watching from home.
FIFA, which is legally registered as a non-profit organisation, had anticipated raising more than $3 billion (£2.24 billion) from ticket and hospitality sales – over three times the revenue from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Despite functioning “primarily for financial gain and systematic profit generation”, as critics note, the organisation has maintained that its ticketing approach covers “a broad range of price points”. A limited number of cheaper tickets have been released in response to the backlash.
With more than 4,400 tickets still available for the US opener and 15,000 group-stage tickets on FIFA’s official platform, the risk of empty seats looms large. For a tournament that was meant to showcase American hosting, the sight of vacant stands would be a profound disappointment – one the governing body can ill afford.