Going to North America '26: tickets, accommodations, etc. (non-politics)

So I paid a lot for better access to Canada matches, and will use that access to buy cat 3 tickets at reasonable prices. But for sure I feel ripped off, because at the prices being listed, it won't be hard to buy tickets. I might be wrong, but I think FIFA has collapsed demand. My guess is when we get to the FCFS phases, cat 2 and 3 tickets will be very hard to get for Canada's matches, and maybe even for all matches played in Canada. The Cat 1 ticket prices are outrageous, so those are the tickets that will remain.

 

England fans not happy:-

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/dec/11/world-cup-2026-ticket-prices-fifa

 

Although I have no evidence, I doubt FIFA will want to drop ticket prices too much, and so what they will do is transfer tickets to lower categories. Thus they sell more cat 2 and 3 to match the level of demand. This will save face and those buy cat 2 might be pleasantly surprised that they get a decent seat.

 

no fan is happy, you do not have to have 150 IQ to figure out that

 

This will happen. Try Cat 2 and Cat 3 this window if not available we should wait for last minute sales phase.

 

Hey guys, saying this , Who can help me ?
Route houston to miami , which are the places I cant really missed, remember 8 guys in 2 motorhomes, want to see the "hidden" america, good barbecues and beer. Which are the places we should not miss ( south luisiana, missipi and alabama) ?
Thx for the intel if you can give it to me

 

Anyone have a link for portal please

 

Hi
is the ticket transfer process suspended or open at the current time?
Thanks in advance.

 

USA bid document ticket prices:-

 

Locals should wait. Not really an option for international travellers due to the need for flights and accommodation. Those that have some tickets and might want matches to fill gaps can also wait. Effectively it is a negotiation. Those that are prepared to walk away are most likely to get a good deal.

FIFA controls the resale portal. They can cut prices through the backdoor by dumping them on there.

 

Am I correct in that this window will be open for a while, so may as well wait for info and timing from US soccer insiders for US games?

 

Very interesting. More reasonable but even that is a bizarre list of prices. No consistency in the ratio of prices between the various categories. Cat 1 tickets for group games only 6% higher than Cat 2. Then 50% higher for semis and final. Cat 3 still too expensive in the early rounds, unless there was a significant allocation of Cat 4s, which was always unlikely.

It is the actual prices for the final that are very bad PR. If FIFA had made final tickets available at lower prices, especially for supporter groups, they could still have shifted loads through the resale portal at extra high prices but managed public perception. The final prices are creating negative headlines and emotions that are putting people off attending earlier matches too.

 

I get that the final is insanely overpriced. Very few supporters of the teams are going to pay $4000, so the final will be played in front of a wealthy neutral crowd. Just like the Super Bowl every year. We need to get over that and move on.

But are people actually going to abandon their trip because a group stage ticket costs $250 instead of $110 (2018 price)? If England fans can afford the flights, $150+/night in a hotel, and $20 beers, they can afford the extra $100 on the match ticket. If that $100 is going to be make-or-break for the budget, then yeah they just can’t afford the trip.

 

This is my 9th World Cup I'll have been lucky to go to and Six Times I got a final ticket, no tout, and never paying big bucks. We got lucky in the first phase for 26 with 4 games in the knock out, but most of my group don't have a ticket yet. I booked travel etc both Semis and the Final as if I had a ticket (but have none) and my son and I will go and watch in the fan zone if needed. I'm reasonably affluent and WC is my thing but the Final price isn't worth applying for! It will be odd as it will be a match only for the rich. All travel now booked NY- Philly- Kansas City - Dallas (and a week in the Wild West) - Atlanta - NY. I'll get him to one of the Semis... Atlanta is my pref... Let's see what happens now with these crazier prices.

 

Every 4 years… they always find something to whine and complain about. It’s the national past time over there. Whine, whine , whine… they have the strongest currency on the planet; but whine, whine and whine.

The same articles every 4 years. They just change the date and update the — [Insert Reason Here] — field.

 

I think there has been a visceral reaction to the prices. Group game ticket prices are still a moderate proportion of the cost once you include travel and accommodation. However, they are the headline figure and the final is leading the headlines. It is still possible to do things on a relative budget, by staying out of town and using motels, etc. However, the feeling for lots of people is an alliterative two word phrase, the second of which is FIFA. Especially as many people were waiting for ticket prices through national associations, so had not had time to acclimatise to prices that regulars on here have had.

Objectively the prices are not worth it. If you're a multimillionaire then no problem. Most England supporters are not wealthy. As someone interviewed on the radio put it, at these prices a trip is going to cost enough that it means raiding life savings. The sensible choice is to say no. An alternative is to book time off work and watch from Spain or somewhere else sunny. I'm likely to do that for some of the tournament as a friend has a villa in Andalusia.

Some people that have reacted in anger will change their minds. Others won't. I expect few will travel from Europe as a whole with the exception of those nations that haven't qualified for some time. There will probably be plenty of Scots. Some England fans dream of following the team all the way to the final. They're aware that the dream probably won't happen but if they can't afford to do the whole thing they don't want to settle for a few group games. Time will tell.

There are ex-pat English in New York and elsewhere, some of those will apply for tickets but they won't be eligible for the supporters section. Mick Jagger might attend so that the cameras can focus on him. There are obviously loads of South Americans in the USA. It just isn't a tournament for large numbers of travelling supporters.

 

Yup. Pretty much.

 

Agreed, but are they going to do it 3 times at full scale? Maybe only M1 is a full blown ceremony?

 

The non final games are priced ok. Expensive, but doable. Up until the semi finals at least. But FIFA went crazy with the opening games for all three host nations (including Mexico, which is not as rich as its northern neighbors), and then was consumed by greed for the final. Cat 1 tickets in Qatar for the final were $1,600. That's still a lot of money, but understandable. Wanna make more money? Ok, I think we all could have understood $2,000 or even $2,500. But $8,000? That's Super Bowl pricing, and the whole thing about fútbol is that it's not like those elitist North American sports that cost a fortune. It's the beautiful game and the accessible game.

 

LA never tones down things.

 

I agree EXCEPT it's not really the opener. M1 is the opener. It's the 3rd opener. By the time we get past the 2nd opener in Toronto, people will have seen enough flags and listened to enough bad music. At least I will have. Actually, I'll be so drunk from celebrating Canada's win over Italy that I'll likely miss M4

 

Rumors I have heard ore Lady Gaga and/ or Sabrina Carpenter will be acts for the opening ceremony. If you think that is not full scale then I have no idea what is.

 

That match could very well be USA vs Canada.

 

FOX probably won’t even televise those opening ceremonies. Only the one in California.

 

really? you think they'll be broadcasting re-runs instead of the event they paid $425 million dollars to broadcast.