With just 50 days to go until the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Los Angeles, FIFA have today released more tickets for all 104 World Cup games.
Released as part of a Last-Minute Sales Phase, the tickets will be sold on a first come, first serve basis and FIFA will continue to sell tickets up until the end of the tournament.
Fans have been left angry at the price of tickets and overall costs of attending – with this World Cup set to be the most expensive in its history.
The Athletic reported that a Category 1 ticket for the final was now costing almost $11,000 (£8,335).
The Athletic also revealed this week that prices for a train ticket from New York Penn Station to to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (where the final is being held) will be priced at over $100 (£74), over seven times its usual price of $12.90 (£9.55).
Last month, fans’ group Football Supporters Europe (FSE) and consumer rights organisation Euroconsumers submitted a formal complaint to the European Commission over the match prices, alleging that FIFA has abused its “monopoly position to impose excessive ticket prices and opaque and unfair purchasing conditions on European fans”.
Meanwhile FIFA has defended its need to make money from the World Cup, arguing that this money is invested in football worldwide in the four years between each tournament, while criticising rail prices it said were set by New Jersey.
President Gianni Infantino said “The main, and so far the only, revenue-generating event for FIFA is the World Cup.
“We generate money in one month — the 47 other months until the next World Cup, we spend that money.”
Regarding rail prices, FIFA chief operating officer for the tournament Heimo Schirgi insisted FIFA’S goal at the World Cup is “to minimise congestion, reduce reliance on private vehicles, and ensure the fan experience is positive and memorable defined by the action on pitch, not delays on the roads”.
How much would a solo fan travelling from the North-West have to pay to attend the final?
A football fan from Merseyside travelling to the World Cup final would, firstly, have to fly from Manchester due to Liverpool John Lennon Airport not accommodating long-haul flights.
A search on Skyscanner for return flights from Manchester to New York on 17 July 2026 (two days before the final) revealed the cheapest flight to be £564, returning on 20 July 2026 (the day after the final).
The lowest price hotel room for one person to stay in New York city for 3 days between 17-20 July on Booking.com is, at time of writing, £645.
When combining the £8,335 cost of a ticket to the final, costs of flights from Manchester hotel stay and train cost to the stadium, a fan travelling from the North West can expect to be paying upwards of £9,600 to attend the World Cup final on 19 July 2026 in New Jersey, New York.
Holiday-goers looking to travel this summer should also beware of the high costs of travel to the USA, Canada and Mexico this year.
A spokesperson for Perfect Getaways Travel Agents in Liverpool said: “The costs are different depending on which World Cup destination you want to go, they will all be different.
“Even general holiday prices for people who don’t want to go for the World Cup, the prices are going to be high because there are thousands of people travelling for the event.”
FEATURED IMAGE: Argentina celebrating their World Cup win in 2022
Copyright: Creative Commons, Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal
