World Cup Loses Fans With Expensive, Hard-to-Get Tickets, Study Says
A Seton Hall study shows a decline in interest in the 2026 World Cup in North America due to incredibly inflated prices. The study surveyed fans who looked to purchase tickets in Oct. 2025 and asked the same questions in April to see if their interest persisted.
They found that the 14% of fans willing to buy tickets dropped to just 10% in six months. Mar 28, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere (17) reacts Wirth teammates after scoring a goal on a penalty kick against the USA at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Among subgroups, soccer fans fell from 40% to 30%, sports fans fell from 21% to 16% and avid sports fans fell from 33% to 25%.
“Across three lotteries and a general sale, FIFA has made buying tickets to the World Cup incredibly difficult,” said Daniel Ladik, Ph. D. , Methodologist of the Seton Hall Sports Poll .
“Beyond the complexity of purchasing tickets, there are many group stage tickets priced at Super Bowl levels—something most Americans cannot afford. ” The prices are definitely a driving factor in the lack of interest, as single-ticket prices to get into SoFi Stadium in Inglewood to see the USA play Paraguay at the start of the tournament all cost more than $1,000. Even if fans opt to go see a team other than the hosting USA, they’ll have to pay a several-hundred-dollar get-in price.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino blamed the prices for the tickets on the American resale market. “In the US, it is permitted to resell tickets, as well. So if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price,” Infantino said .