FIFA has introduced new, higher-priced tiers of tickets for this year’s World Cup, with front category 1 seats for the United States’ opening match against Paraguay in Inglewood, California, on June 12, priced at up to $4,105.
Previously, FIFA had set a maximum price of $2,735 for category 1 tickets for the same match, but has since added new “front category” pricing.
Additionally, FIFA has included a front category 2 tier on its ticket sales website without prior announcement, with prices ranging from $1,940 to $2,330 for tickets to the U.S. opener. These new categories were first reported by The Athletic on Thursday.
The World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 across 16 cities in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
In its September 9 information regarding “ticket products and categories,” FIFA described category 1 as “the highest-priced seats, located primarily in the lower tier,” but it seems that some seats in this category may have been withheld.
Category 2 was defined as “located outside of category 1 areas, available in both lower and upper tiers.”
FIFA did not reply to an email sent to its media office requesting comment.
The governing body of soccer also introduced seats priced up to $3,360 in front category 1 for Canada’s opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto.
For the round of 16 matches, it added seats priced at $905 in Philadelphia.
Last week, FIFA increased the maximum ticket price for the World Cup final to $10,990 during a sales reopening that faced technical issues. The previous price was $8,680 when tickets were sold following the tournament draw in December.
FIFA’s category 2 tickets for the July 19 match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, were priced at $7,380, up from $5,575, while category 3 tickets cost $5,785, an increase from $4,185.
No tickets appeared to be available for the final on Thursday on FIFA’s ticketing website.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has consistently stated that all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup will be sold out. Following initial criticism from fans regarding high prices, a “supporters-tier” category of tickets was introduced in December.
Information from The Associated Press was utilized in this report.
