The highest price for a North Korea-Central America World Cup ticket is approximately 12.8 million won.
The Athletic “The World Cup has changed from a pure festival to a commercial event.”
‘Floating pricing system’ introduced for the first time in a World Cup… Prices may rise further
At least 860,000 won to watch all three Korean group matches
‘Category 4’ areas for low-income and student fans have also been significantly reduced.
FIFA’s promise to create a World Cup for the common people suddenly disappeared, and soccer fans were angry at the increased entry barrier.
On the 12th (Korean time), FIFA revealed ticket prices for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, which opens next year.
The highest ticket price for this North and Central American World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the first time in history, is $8,680 (about 12.8 million won).
Tickets for the group stage range from $180 to $700 (about 260,000 to 1.03 million won), and for the finals, they range from $4,185 (about 6.16 million won) to a maximum of $8,680 (about 12.8 million won).
This is an increase of up to 5 times compared to $69 to $1,607 at the time of the 2022 Qatar World Cup four years ago.
The $21 (approximately 30,000 won) tickets that the North and Central American World Cup hosting committee said they would offer are nowhere to be found.
The ticket price for the final is more expensive than the Super Bowl, the final of the National Football League (NFL), which is considered the quintessential capitalist sports event in the United States.
The price of a regular ticket to the Super Bowl held in New Orleans last year was about $4,500 (about 6.6 million won). The lowest price for World Cup final tickets has become similar to Super Bowl economy tickets.
The Athletic, a sports media outlet, analyzed, “This is evidence that the World Cup has transformed from a pure sports festival into a thoroughly high-profit commercial event.”
For the first time in history, the North and Central America World Cup will apply a ‘floating price system’.
FIFA explained that the price fluctuates depending on the demand for tickets under a flexible pricing system, so the actual price will vary.
In the case of the finals, where demand is concentrated, there is a high possibility that the price will rise further than the currently set price.
In fact, as the matchup was confirmed after the group drawing ceremony on the 5th, the prices of 80 of the 104 games changed.
The rate for matches between England and Croatia and Brazil and Scotland rose by nearly 70%.
Additionally, tickets to the finals are already being sold for over $10,000 (approximately 14.73 million won) on some resale sites.
The lowest price for a seat in the Mexico game is $365 (about 390,000 won), and the highest price is $700 (about 1.03 million won).
A minimum of $585 (approximately KRW 860,000) is required to watch all three group stage games of the European Playoffs (PO), starting with the first match against Pass A, the second match against Mexico, and the third match against South Africa.
If you only watch the game from the best seats, you will have to pay $1,650 (about 2.43 million won).
Even considering that, excluding the match against Mexico, there is not much demand for Group A matches in which Korea is a member, a considerable amount of money is needed.
‘Soccer closing price’ In the case of English soccer fans, if they watch all eight games from the group stage to the final, they have to spend at least $7,000 (about 10.15 million won) on ticket prices alone.
If you include airfare, lodging and food expenses that reflect the extremely high prices in North America, the total amount becomes much higher.
There is further evidence that FIFA is blinded by money.
At the time of the last Qatar World Cup, the price of this ticket was about 11 dollars (about 16,000 won).
However, in this North and Central America World Cup, the number of seats grouped in ‘Category 4’ has decreased significantly. There are no ‘Category 4 seats’ at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, and BBVA Stadium in Monterrey, where Korea will be playing the group stage.
Fans who want to see their country play must purchase allocated tickets, which start at $180 for the group stage, or enter a drawing for a limited number of Category 4 seats.
Soccer fans were angry after North and Central America World Cup ticket prices were revealed.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE), which represents European soccer fans, said in a statement, “This pricing is an unprecedented betrayal of the World Cup tradition,” and said, “The pricing policy must be completely reviewed.”
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