This year’s World Cup sees FIFA introducing new, pricier ticket tiers, with front category 1 seats for the United States’ opening match against Paraguay in Inglewood, California, priced at up to $4,105. The match is scheduled for June 12.
Previously, FIFA had set a maximum ticket price of $2,735 for category 1 seats; however, they later introduced the “front category” pricing.
Without prior announcement, FIFA also included a front category 2 tier on its sales site, with tickets ranging from $1,940 to $2,330 for the U.S. opener. These new categories were first reported by The Athletic last Thursday.
The World Cup is set to take place from June 11 to July 19 across 16 cities in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
In its September 9 announcement regarding ticket products and categories, FIFA designated category 1 as “the highest-priced seats, primarily situated in the lower tier,” suggesting that some seats were withheld from this category.
Category 2 was described as “located outside category 1 areas, available in both lower and upper tiers.”
FIFA did not respond to inquiries from its media office for comments on the ticket pricing.
Additionally, FIFA has introduced front category 1 seats for Canada’s opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto, priced at up to $3,360. Tickets for round-of-16 games in Philadelphia are now available for $905.
Last week, FIFA raised its highest ticket price for the World Cup final to $10,990 during a glitch-afflicted reopening of sales, an increase from $8,680 after the tournament draw in December.
For the July 19 game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, FIFA’s category 2 tickets have risen to $7,380 from $5,575, while category 3 tickets increased to $5,785 from $4,185.
No tickets for the final seemed available on FIFA’s ticketing website as of Thursday.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has consistently asserted that all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup will be sold out. Following initial criticism from fans regarding high prices, a “supporters-tier” of tickets was introduced in December.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.