Consumer group Test-Aankoop challenges dynamic pricing as FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket prices soar
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is on track to become the priciest tournament ever for spectators, De Standaard reports. Belgium’s consumer organisation Testaankoop warns that FIFA’s use of variable - effectively dynamic - pricing is driving match-day tickets to what it calls “scandalously high levels.”
With 48 teams, 104 matches and 16 host cities spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada, the level of demand is already unprecedented. Almost two million tickets have been sold so far, and FIFA expects this figure to reach six to seven million in total. However, as soon as the first two sales phases opened through Ticketmaster, supporters encountered the sharp price increases typical of yield management systems.
Prices surged within weeks. A Category 1 ticket for the final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium increased by 24 per cent, rising from 6,300 to 7,875 US dollars compared with the previous round. Even Category 3 seats in the upper tier climbed from 2,790 to 3,450 US dollars. Semi-final tickets in Dallas increased in price from 2,780 to 3,295 US dollars.
Traditionally affordable group-stage tickets increased by an average of 10 to 25 per cent and frequently exceeded 400 US dollars, according to The Guardian. Tickets in the lowest-priced Category 4 bracket remain scarce.
Sport for the elite
The consumer backlash has been intense. Fans have described the prices as "absurd", pointing out that the most expensive tickets for the 2022 Qatar final were below 1,500 US dollars. In Belgium, Test-Aankoop has launched a petition arguing that FIFA’s approach is turning football into "a sport for the elite".
Testaankoop spokesperson Laura Clays told De Standaard that FIFA is playing semantic games. "They claim they do not use dynamic pricing because the adjustments are made manually, not automatically. In reality, these are variable prices tied to demand, and the effect is exactly the same.”
The organisation is calling for a Europe-wide ban on dynamic pricing for major cultural and sporting events, citing comparable price spikes during high-profile concert ticket sales, such as for the recent Oasis reunion tour.
The draw for the tournament begins on Friday evening at 6 p.m. Brussels time at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. It will determine the group allocations, while the full match schedule, host cities and kick-off times will only be unveiled on Saturday evening in a second instalment. For Belgium, the event marks a seventh consecutive major tournament, which is a national record.
Whatever the outcome of the draw, supporters hoping to attend matches in the United States, Canada or Mexico next summer (11 June–19 July 2026) will have to brace for substantial costs.
© AFP / GETTY