The millions of fans preparing to attend the World Cup beginning this week are in store for eye-watering prices on everything from the transit that will get them to matches to their game tickets, and yes, even a bottle of water.
Over 5 million fans are expected to attend this year’s tournament, which is being played in cities across three North American countries – the US, Canada and Mexico. This year’s tournament will also see a larger format instituted for the first time in World Cup history, with 48 teams – up from the traditional 32 – competing in 104 games.
The longer, larger expansion is driven, in significant part, by FIFA’s desire to drastically ramp up revenue, expected this year to hit up to $11 billion. Amid the craze, fans are facing sweeping sticker shock.
An analysis from the TicketData.com website finds that as of June 9, the “get in” price for group stage tickets being sold on the resale market is sitting at an average of $636 per seat. That is triple the highest price for group stage tickets in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when Category 1 tickets sold for roughly $220, according to data from the Statista.com website.
FIFA adopted this year a dynamic pricing model, hiking prices sold directly to consumers in stages as it staggered ticket releases. That led to a gradual 34% increase in prices from October through April, The Athletic news outlet reported based on an independent analysis.
A high-end ticket originally listed for $6,730 sold for nearly $11,000 in April.
Iran war spikes jet fuel prices
Meanwhile, fans traveling to or within any of the three host countries are grappling with globally high flight prices driven by something far outside of football’s realm – the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The conflict has spiked energy prices worldwide, affecting everything from petroleum to liquefied natural gas and beyond. The International Air Transport Association, an airline trade association representing over 370 airlines, reported Sunday that a 70% rise in jet fuel prices has halved expected airline revenues.
The trade group said “some” of the additional costs are being made up by airlines “adjusting prices.” In the end, that means consumers are footing the bill for the war on Iran.
Hotel and transport prices soar
But the high prices do not end there.
Once fans make it to one of the 16 host cities – Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver – they can expect to pay dramatically inflated prices for lodging.
An analysis from The Athletic found that prices for hotel rooms in host cities are roughly 50% higher on game nights than on other summer nights. The analysis looked at each of the cities and found that while there is a significant variation from city to city, prices remained far higher on World Cup game night regardless of where the matches are taking place.
A budget hotel in New York during the night of the final match, which it will host, will cost about $430. That is more than double the average for a night in a budget room just one day later, according to The Athletic.
The New York games are actually being played in the neighboring state of New Jersey, and fans will largely need to rely on transit rail to get them to MetLife Stadium.
Al Jazeera reported that a ticket to the venue from Penn Station, one of New York’s central transit hubs, will cost $98 on Saturday when Brazil plays Morocco. That is a massive increase from a normal ticket price of roughly $13.
Al Jazeera found similar transit price increases elsewhere, including in Boston, where train tickets to Gillette Stadium on match days will cost $80, a fourfold increase from their normal $20.
Food and drink costs add another layer
Regardless of how fans commute to the venue, they can expect to be hit with sky-high prices on everything from water to food once they arrive.
A warm-up match between England and New Zealand in Tampa, Florida on Saturday included $18 large premium beers with a double cocktail costing nearly $27, according to The Sun newspaper. A bottle of water, which is going to be in high demand as high heat envelops many of the host cities, cost a whopping $7.50.
In an exceedingly rare public reversal, FIFA said on June 5 that it would no longer ban fans from entering stadiums with personal water bottles following a widespread outcry. Fans are now allowed to bring a single, soft, factory-sealed 20-ounce water bottle in to the match.
Alcohol prices are expected to vary widely across matches depending on the location. Reports have indicated that the cost of beer in Guadalajara and Mexico City is expected to be far below the World Cup average, according to The Sun.
An analysis from the FootballGroundGuide website found that food and drink is expected to be the most expensive, perhaps unsurprisingly, at US stadiums.
Levi’s Stadium ($34.24) in Santa Clara, California, MetLife Stadium ($33.22) in New Jersey and SoFi Stadium ($32.24) in Los Angeles, California are the top three most expensive.
All of the top eight stadiums are in the US.
The top three cheapest stadiums, meanwhile, are each of Mexico’s stadiums, according to the FootballGroundGuide analysis. Food and drink at Estadio Akron is expected to total $9.77, followed by Estadio Azteca with $10.77 and Estadio BBVA at $13.90.
That might prove little salve for fans coping with repeated waves of economic pain.
