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

Exhausted. Just laid in my bed all day. Thanks for a great world cup guys. Enjoyed the Banter!

 

where in the mall was the hospitality area? What kind of food did they give?

 

Again, the point being that many, maybe even most, Argentinian “fans” don’t seem to be able to accept that others cheer for their opponent in a match. The fact that you felt the need to make a post like you did here saying that you know “what type of person” I am because you assume that I was supporting Argentina’s opponent, I mean do you not see the irony? Or more simply, WTF?

 

I agree mostly, with a few points to make. I’ve been to Morocco during the AFCON opener, expecting the worst price wise. I ended up paying £100 for a 3 night stay (2 in Rabat, 1 in Tangier, both WC cities), on Airbnb. Hotels were indeed pricier because of the occasion, but given how hyped that game was (basically first official game in the new stadium), it was great. Everything else in Morocco was dirt cheap compared to average Western Europe levels. I can do a more detailed guide on Rabat/Casa/Tangier on a dedicated forum.

Ticket prices for Morocco games will be high and also sell very easily at inflated prices. I was offered £500 for a £30 ticket for the opener of the AFCON, so they’ll definitely be willing to spend. However, other non Morocco games will be relatively easy to get

Flights will be an issue only when moving between Europe and Morocco. Take the train in Portugal and Spain, they’re amazing! And the train in Morocco is honestly incredible, £8 for a 1h 200 mile journey between Rabat and Tangier. Best yet, Morocco plan to extend the high speed railway to Fez and Marrakech. So the only issue is crossing the strait. Don’t attempt swimming lol!

I’m sure there’ll be loads more people on here with more great tips but that’s my initial thoughts. This WC has the potential to be an all timer!

 

Is Las Palmas, Canary Islands, confirmed as a host venue? That will be another reason for flights.

 

Yes Las Palmas is a host city (I'm actually from there).

 

Time to focus on the next tourney... is there a thread for the LA Olympics? or any discord channel discussing ticketing. Thanks

 

The registration deadline for ticketing Draw 2 is today at 11:59pm PT! Get those accounts in.

 

Damn wish I saw this 12 hours ago

 

The most overpriced tickets at this WC were for Argentina, Portugal, and the 3 host nations. For most other games, prices weren't massively above FV, although still higher than what I've seen at previous WCs.

With Messi and CR7 likely gone from international football by the next WC, I don't expect prices to reach the same absurd levels again. Mbappé, Haaland, Bellingham, Yamal, etc. are all huge stars, but I don't think any of them will have the same pull on ticket demand that Messi and CR7 have had.

 

Not just because of Messi and Ronaldo, the US's median salary is 60k usd, 2.5x spain's, 4x portugal's and 20x's Morocco, and triple the population of them combined. Mexico and latinos in the US love the world cup more than anyone else and by a lot. Prices have to go back to somewhat around 2022 levels or they just won't be filling up 104 games, it's just literally impossible.

 

Averages don't really work though. The stadiums will have a slightly smaller average size. European fans will show up in droves to their teams with how accessible this World Cup is. I assume North African teams will show up in great numbers. Argentina and Mexico will sell out and be high demand like they always are. That gets us close to half the teams having great support.

I think post-draw we will see some massive variations in ticket pricing between games. Something like Austria vs Algeria will sell out. Probably at the Cat 1/2/3 prices we had in the US. On the flip side, something like Canada vs Qatar is going to have to be cheap to fill the stadium. Maybe $150 Cat 1?

 

I will admit first i was totally wrong this time re prices. I expected cheap tickets for less attractive games.

Having said that there is not history of these price levels in Europe (or indeed Morocco).

Group games for Afcon in Morocco a few months ago were available for less than $11. Only Morocco and Algeria sold out. Tickets for the euros in 2 years time will be available for $40. Now they will sellout but they will be much more available than the $60 WC tickets.

I paid less than $100 to attend 2 La Liga games in May. One was lower tier on the side (didn't fancy the climb in the Mestalla), the other was in the cheap seats.

There isn't the history here of paying several hundred if not thousands of dollars for events.

Concerts here do not sell for the prices they make in the U.S.

Time will tell. Will FIFA try it ? Maybe.

 

Hi All, Just wanted to drop by now everything has settled down and say that the US completely surprised me in a good way!!!

My Schedule was absolutely packed, as i attended 8 games in 14 days across 2 countries during the R32 all the way to the QF! I ended up selling off my M100, M101 & M102 Tickets as the Prices were too good and allowed me to put that towards Euro 2028. Thought id just drop a little review of each match and city, as id like your experiences as well, so i know if it was only me or not!

29th June - Brazil vs Japan - HOUSTON - Amazing Game, Proper World Cup Vibe inside! Decent transport, just slow getting out - 8/10
1st July - England vs DR Congo - ATLANTA - Best Stadium, Proper English Support! Coke Refills and Cheap Food + MARTA was Perfect - 10/10
3rd July - Argentina vs Cabo Verde - MIAMI - Humid (Florida) - Best Supporter's and Atmosphere I've ever experienced - Bus Transfers Good - 9/10
4th July - France vs Paraguay - PHILADELPHIA - Transport Below Average - Way too Hot for a Match to been Played - Expensive Drink - 2/10
5th July - Brazil vs Norway - NYNJ - Busses ran smoothly , Norway Support Superb, Best Fan Experience Area - Class all round - 8/10
6th July - USA vs Belgium - SEATTLE - Amazing Flyover , Bucket list Stadium , Atmosphere lacked however after Belgium went in front - 7/10
7th July - Colombia vs Switzerland - VANCOUVER - Pretty Slow Game - Lovely Stadium and passionate Colombian Fans - 7/10
10th July - Spain vs Belgium - LA - Atmosphere was non existent , Quality Tactical Game, Transportation was easy - 6/10

Felt like as the Tournament went on, People still were getting priced out and Atmospheres suffered because of that - However an Amazing Experience and cant wait for Euro 2028 (or maybe a quick Brazil Trip for FWC 2027 )

Additionally, if anyone who has sold Tickets via the Resale Platform actually got their money back by now, please let me know

 

Great review thanks!

Yep more i look back the better the tournament experience was.

Thoughts on Sofi (LA) stadium?

 

I received money back a few days ago. Tickets were sold mid June. Receiced fifa email to update bank payment details mid July as they couldn't put $$ back into original CC. Then when checking bank account last week for something else noticed that Fifa had sent the money. No confirmation email funnily enough. Whole process took around 40 days. Unfortunately can't criticise fifa in this instance...

 

Tickets for this World Cup typically cost similar amounts to a Premier League club season ticket covering 19 matches. Individual match tickets for La Liga games vary hugely depending on who is playing. They're not close to the price of World Cup tickets in the USA for even Barcelona v Real Madrid. German clubs have very affordable prices partly because of their ownership structure and pushing those up would be almost as controversial as altering the beer purity laws! It is a different landscape.

UEFA has very different goals to FIFA. They're not focused purely on maximising revenue. The Euros ticket prices were announced early to make this point. A World Cup in Spain and Portugal will have to charge lower prices than the World Cup just gone. Morocco even moreso.

Ticket prices could easily become a political issue. People will ask what is the point in hosting if even well paid people cannot afford a ticket?

Of course this is why FIFA may wish to go back to the USA sooner rather than later. It is also why UEFA should get organised and use its power as the provider of most of the big name teams to push back against FIFA's greed.

 

Its totally a double edge sword. I don't doubt that FIFA will try for higher ticket prices in Spain/Portugal. We may never see higher prices, but FIFA will absolutely be paying someone to do the market research to figure out what the price will be. If the prices are substantially cheaper than USA, I do not doubt that USA will be hosting again sooner rather than later. FIFA isn't one to leave money on the table.

 

I think 2038 is nailed on for the U.S. Only question is alone or with co-hosts?

 

Overall, this World Cup turned out OK for us, even though ticket prices were ridiculous and it was a real scramble to get relatively reasonably priced tickets. By waiting until a day or a couple of days before the matches, we ended up paying below FIFA “face value” for just about all our tickets. This was my 8th World Cup, and I made it to my 8th final and 13th semifinal. Plus, we went to the USA opener and the USA R32 knockout match. If ticket prices were cheaper, we would have gone to a lot more matches. I really hope we see a return to reasonable ticket prices next time because it was a serious negative aspect of this World Cup.

 

Impressive but didn't feel like a proper Football stadium imo!

Also, even though its indoors, i feel like if you are on a higher level, the sun still can be pretty brutal through the glass roof

Overall - Nice Stadium and would happily go again

 

Agree, The cooling via natural ocean breeze idea sounds cool. But it was very warm and humid for mid day matches. Not unbearable, but uncomfortable enough to make a difference.

 

Agree.. though to be fair zero US stadiums this WC were proper football venues. Sofi for NFL is pretty awesome and for Beyonce concerts and stuff. Ha

All good thanks again for your review. Good stuff.

 

SoFi is amazing, as is AT&T or whatever it is called in Dallas. They just need to have more seating capacity. The way those stadiums are constructed, more emphasis was placed on aesthetics than maximizing seating capacity. These stadiums need to be 100,000+ like the old venerable Rose Bowl, Michigan Stadium, etc. We need to give more people the chance to attend in person. I hope we move back in that direction, and away from the VIP experience.

 

Does anyone know why they put a roof/canopy on a stadium in SoCal? Its not like it rains a lot down there.

They have a translucent roof at Red Bulls stadium in NJ too - I don't like it because the sun's intensity still gets through and the roof only helps keep the heat inside, making it hotter in the stadium than it is outside (even though the "roof" only covers the stands, not the field). Not good for a league that's played mostly during the summer.