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

I am european and I'm not used with these high prices for the hotel rooms. I bought tickets (cat. 3) for 2 games in Kansas City (on 25.06 and 27.06). I was preety happy that I will attend 2 decent games (Netherlands- Tunisia and Austria- Algeria) at decent prices. Only after that I realised how expensive are hotels in Kansas City (very unpleasent surprise). As a consequence, I will resale those 2 tickets. I will lose something, that's it, but I won't pay so much for a hotel room in Kansas City (with all my respect, Kansas is not Manhattan).

To be honest, I checked hotels in all the host cities (excepting LA and SF). I found decent prices only in the suburbs of Dallas and Houston. For this reason I will attend many games there (rented car for Dallas-Houston)

P.S I guess majority of hotel rooms are booked with free cancellation. Prices should crash prior to the tournament (I'm preety sure that many fans have double or triple reservations). That was the case in Paris 2024.

 

26 is a locals tournament. FIFA knew this going in and priced tickets based on locals pocketbooks. Touts bought most of the tickets with the hope of flipping them onto locals. We really don’t know what the real floors are since FIFA’s been manipulating supply. But clock is ticking and About 25 of them are clear losses for touts.

This could change fast tho; if locals get hyped as the tournament progresses this could go the other way; specially for knockouts. Local economies in all of US cities can support 500 - 700 ticket prices. No doubt about it; they drop thousands on all types of entertainment weekly.

 

That makes sense. But I wonder if match fatigue for locals will set in for the knockouts. There are so many more matches this time. And the knockouts cost more, or much more, than $500-$700. We’ll see.

 

good point. Locals wont be able to do multiple games. probably 1 or 2 max at these prices. each venue only has 5-9 matches tho. The World Cup cup is really just that; 5-9 opportunities to see a World Cup game.

 

Unless you're in Santa Clara... These tickets are slowly making their way down to us. I think if you wait all 5 group matches can be had for $500 total

 

you guys are "lucky". Those games are stinkers. Let's see what floor the market sets. I'm going to guess $100 for a cat1.

 

Hehe yeah . I'm lucky this soccer lover boy likes "extra anchovies" on my pizza

Qatar Switzerland opening match on a weekend: $100

Austria Jordan 9pm on a weekday... $50

Paraguay Turkey 9pm ... Let's see if people who get up at 6 am really want a piece of that... $150

Jordan Algeria lol it's already $116... $50

Paraguay Australia... Aussies always show up no matter where you are in the world $150

 

Im surprised Turks arent jumping all over the games. They havent qualified since 2002. Maybe they'll jump in late lift ticket prices.

 

Floor went all the way up to $659 on stubhub when they qualified.

Now hovering around $280.

 

I talked to many friends in the us, some were very much looking forward to going to a couple of games other were more in the “maybe” category. Both groups said prices are a no go.”soccer” seems to be really a family entertainment in the us and for a family the whole thing is just completely nuts. I think eventually prices will have to come down big time, market economy works that way….the fact the most games resell at a loss right now seems to be strong evidence of that,

 

Yeah....Everyone I know is saying the exact same thing. but im old enough to remember the 1996 "Tickle Me Elmo" spending craze. (google it)

When America gets a viral spending craze; they go all out.... the latest was the 2024 "Stanley Cups" craze (google it). Inner city families were dropping hundreds of dollars so their kids could have a 30 dollar cup. Ridiculous! But This is America! if America catches the "World Cup craze"; oh boy.

US winning game 1 will feed into it. (so expect US getting some help lol)

FIFA spent millions studying the American consumer and they know americans jump on board late. Surely FIFA has a marketing plan in the next 15 days. I will go out and guarantee stadiums will be full like they were in 94. Stadiums will be packed. It's all about hype and pricing. This is America; not Europe ... totally different paradigm.

 

The strategy just better be to drop prices because it’s pretty clear that Americans are no longer paying top dollar for mid-tier performances (see the mass cancelations of concerts for mid-tier performers recently). The post-COVID rush for everyone to go to live events has dissipated.

And as much as Gianni claimed there will be 104 Super Bowls it’s very clear the vast majority of group stage games are “mid-tier” at best.

 

I expect the refs to give a North American team the Mahomes 24/25 treatment and get one of the hosts to the semis or final through cards, penalties, and other dubious VAR interpretations of the rules.

USA will get a 3rd placer for the r32

Then Belgium for r16. They already probably consulted with Henry and Roberto Martinez on how best to play against them if that's the matchup.

Qfs:

If it's Spain @ Sofi, USA will need some special on field/ off the field tricks.

Mexico vs England in the Azteca will be wild.

Canada vs Portugal/Colombia in Vancouver

or

Canada vs Netherlands/Japan in Houston

 

Seems to be a big IF in there. We've been told repeatedly that the big demand will come from immigrant communities in the US. We also know that the overpriced USA matches have a lot of tickets left over, currently. If demand for the US opener doesn't come through before that match the headlines will be the low prices that the tickets eventually sell for. You won't get a positive price response or hype from that. It will need a lot of hype for non-USA matches to be affected. Obviously nations with a lot of support are a different paradigm but that applies only to their matches.

We will know soon enough.

 

Hotel prices are always ridiculous with the world cup, especially in the months leading up. Qatar prices were so absurd we (or at least I) had to stay in modified shipping containers for God's sake! Lol. I also remember brazil rates were crazy high for apartments in Rio a month or so before but then came crashing down for those unsold. That being said, some areas like LA, NYC and the bay area can accommodate much more hotel rooms than Kansas City. It's not surprising KC supply is tighter and a bit more expensive simply because there are fewer rooms. But I also suspect some deals will be available later even there

 

I'm assuming this is a visa / money issue, they qualified 3 months before the tournament, visa appointments take well over that and most probably didn't get tickets because turkey hadn't qualified yet so no way to rush their visa requests.

 

It's not just that, though. People not from the US dont realise just how far the stadia are from downtown. The 'Boston' stadium is not even in Boston and the same for Dallas. The sheer hassle of getting to and from matches will not excite the casual fan.
The hotel situation is the best indicator. The traveller is voting with his/her feet/

 

Not sure exactly what terms it has but there is a fast track-VISA for fans from non ESTA-countries that holds tickets. It is in the information from FIFA when you buy tickets.

 

Chain hotels aren't helping themselves by only offering non-refundable bookings (on top of high prices) in some cities for the knockout phase. Difficult if you are a fan following a team through the tournament - you need the flexibility.

 

It is, but only in theory. If your normal appointment is before 21.05, than your FIFA Pass is useless.

 

I don't live in the US right now, but my family has lived there for a long time, so I visit almost every year for vacation. Except for New York, I usually rent a car for most cities. Instead of paying for expensive downtown hotels and parking fees that often exceed $50 a day, I always choose to stay in the outskirts. The only downside is that one person in the group can't drink beer during the trip, but besides that, it saves a lot of money. Honestly, there aren't many cities in the US where you can sightsee without a car anyway. My only concern is that parking at the stadiums might be restricted during the World Cup, so I'm not sure if this strategy will work perfectly.

As for me, S.Korea will play all their group stage matches in Mexico, so I probably won't be renting a car there. I expect to spend most of my time at the Fan Fest, drinking tequila and beer all day long.

 

In Qatar, it was a very interesting situation where the government controlled all the bookings and prices. Thanks to the tips I got from this community, especially about point bookings, I was able to secure great accommodations throughout the tournament. I'm still very grateful for that. Russia was a different story, one of my friends had their booked hotel literally disappear. I also remember staying in a terrible hostel and an Airbnb that I would normally never even consider.
I've been looking at LA and SF, and the prices have definitely spiked compared to before. I'm not sure if the rates will drop as the tournament gets closer, but I'm certainly hoping they do, just like you mentioned.

 

Exactly. It is a family thing in the USA for those casual local fans that FIFA and the resellers need to fill the stadiums. So, multiply those ticket prices by 4 and you can see the problem. Not a lot of locals willing to drop $2,000 to $3,000 to take the kids to a World Cup match, no matter who is playing.

 

I'd be happy offer my place in KC at a reasonable price. We arent putting it on Airbnb but more than willing to help fellow BS fans out. 2 bed apartment in between the airport and downtown. You'd have the place to yourself.

Send me a message if you want.

 

Love to see this my brother bless your soul!!