I considered going to USA-KOR in NJ an but (resale) ticket prices, and several other factors discouraged me that day. One of which was the quality of the team. It's been pretty hard to get excited about USMNT these days. Even underperforming England can pull a 5-0 away win out of the hat once in awhile I think if we were better... as good if not better than the sum of our parts, then people like you & I would not sneeze at those ticket prices quite as much?
Friendlies shouldn't cost more than like, $20. The prices people pay to see Premier League preseason friendlies in the US blow my mind. Like, I just happily paid $400 per ticket to see Oasis, so I'm willing to spend for something I think is worth it. But If the US was the #1 team in the world, playing in a friendly against the #2 team in the world, I still wouldn't pay the prices they ask for. It's an exhibition match, it barely counts! Why is anyone paying serious money for it?
Maybe because opportunities to watch the team are few and far between? And the chances for most people to see them live in WC’26 are slim to none? Not to mention that Americans are conditioned to paying higher prices to watch mainstream sports, compared to other countries? Ps. That said, I hate the level of pricing and fairly often skip out on seeing games because of sticker shock. WC’26 may be the next example… we shall see.
This is not me making a political statement but what is the reality. I suspect that the turn out for the World Cup next year will be low because of the issues with ICE deportations being in the news, as well as people who are legally in. Also, there are random visitors questioned at major international airports. I am overseas a lot and have been asked about if its okay to visit by non Americans. I don't think ticket sales will be as good as anticipated because the current issues.
After seeing what happened in the Hyundai factory, I assume the WC next year is going to be a complete and utter shitshow under Mango Mussolini and I am hoping Australia's group matches are in Canada.
I'm going to see the All Blacks and Ireland play rugby at Soldier Field on November 1st. Was able to get pre-sale tickets, $110 for decent seats, and the number 1 team playing the number 2 team so honestly, I'd have paid more.
Let's also not forget that the Olympics are coming in 2028. How much you wanna bet that may also be under attended? We 'air quotes' may have killed off the success of the World Cup and Olympics that America is hosting. Talk about bad timing?
Also, have to assume attendance by fans from Central and South America, as well as Africa and SE Asia maybe may be very low.
The Club World Cup had 2.5 million attendees for a tournament that allegedly no one cared about. This World Cup is going to have insane attendance.
A tournament in North America doesn't need fans to travel in from other continents. There are enough native fans to fill stadiums for most countries that will be there.
Really don't want to interject politics on this thread because, honestly, that belongs in other threads purpose-made for it. One, WC USA 1994 shattered every attendance record for all WCs previous (IIRC total attendance was over 3 million and avg. attendance was over 60K. It probably will break those two records because of the number of matches that will be available and that the venues will include the Azteca, the new stadium in Monterrey and BC Place in Vancouver. Had it been held just in the US I'm not sure it would've broken the record because a lot of the newer venues are smaller in capacity than the venues that held the games in '94. Two, I think the current situation in Las Vegas is going to be a microcosm of the issues that will surround the WC in '26 (and, potentially, the Olympics in '28): tourists not showing up in the numbers that would usually balance the books if not earning a profit at the various sites in and around LV. Now, would I see FIFA tell the president to suspend any immigration enforcement under the threat of pulling the tournament out of the US? Possibly. Would I see the president himself suspend it not to get a black eye and a PR nightmare out of people not showing up? Doubt it. Could I see him die before the WC even begins and his successor suspending the efforts? Possibly; there have been photos and clips of his current physical state and how he's gotten more feeble in the last few months. Three, all of it is conjecture at this point but, on the face of it, it seems like next year's WC may go off without a notable hitch. Between now and the first match, we'll see.
Average in 1994 was about 69,000 and only one of the US stadiums for ‘26 (Miami) has an expected capacity below that. Vancouver, Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Toronto are the four smallest venues for this tournament, with Vancouver the largest of those 4 with a capacity of 54,500.
Being caught on video saying he hates Liverpool was the least of his problems, disgusting. Former Premier League referee David Coote has been charged for making an indecent video of a child, Nottinghamshire Police have confirmed. pic.twitter.com/Tq3B8y4evv— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 10, 2025
Maybe because its a different era but that wasn't the case when America hosted the WC in '94. In fact, can anyone think of any huge international event like the World Cup, Olympics, that America hosted where we didn't need other countries. America is the 3rd most populated country but it doesn't mean its peoples will fill arenas. We dont' fill the arenas of many of our own sports. If we do, it will be a first....for any country. Even ones that 4 times our population like China when they hosted the Olympics.
Anyone made a attempt at WC26 tickets yet? I entered the Visa Presale Draw this week, see if that leads to anything. I've gotten emails about the Right-To-Buy, which feels too NFT-ish and like a scam. Like I'm going to pay to have the right to buy nosebleeds for Uzbekistan vs Paraguay for $300 a pop or something.
AFAIK the Visa Presale is the only legitimate thing right now besides paying $1,400 per person for hospitality tickets.
I was trying to follow some WC-related threads on this site, but over the summer they got too voluminous for me to keep up with. So when the 9/10 Visa pre-sale was announced, it caught me off-guard and I was busy on other fronts so I've done nothing. Also, from what I've heard of the whole process it's very byzantine (no surprise I'm sure for WC-attending veterans) and with many recommendations to create numerous email accounts under your control to spam FIFA and increase your odds. So I kind of punted for now, sadly. Thinking that maybe there will be some reasonable tickets to lesser matches available on the secondary market (e.g. StubHub). Am I dreaming?
I'm too lazy to create multiple email accounts and then check them regularly to see if they hit. I had to enter a Visa credit card, I wonder if spamming even works if they all link to the same card? I use SeatGeek and that will be my plan if I can't get tickets any other way. I can see a mid-day game with lesser opponents being available at a good price but I don't think I'm willing to deal with the heat. Might just have to pony up.
That's my thinking as well. Just not up for super duper rigmarole. At this point I'm thinking I'd be willing to pony up. But typically I chicken out once I see how much the pony costs. Let's see.
Very palpatable differences between America in 2025 and America is 1994. Stating the obvious: 1. America is very unpopular globally. Literally, there are weaponized tarriffs against every country whose citizens may visit. 2. The random targeting of anyone coming into the country is known globally. The random targeting of those who are seen as non Ameican domestically is known globally. 3. America is seen as far more violent as a society now than in 1994. Therefore, I think using 1994 as a base of what should happen now is 'apples and bowling balls' as Phil Leotardo told Tony Soprano. Is it a possibility it will be a wild succes? Sure. And Tottenham can win the treble. Lastly, the attendance is tied to politics. Unavoidable.
At this point, why bother? Back in 1994 we were watching these games through the haze of a 4:3 screen; so I could understand why people would want to see it live. Now, in the age where we have OLED, QLED, and mini LED TV screens with resolutions approaching 8K (and jeez, if one had told me we would have this level of tech back in '94 I would call them insane), why spend even the minimum in the nosebleeds when you can sit in the comfort of your ACed home, use the money to get the best possible TV at that price and still have some leftover for snacks, et. al.? EDIT: Honestly, I felt the same way about attending events like a big boxing fight, the Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA finals, et. al. Now it's like, "Why should I spend a minimum of $5-10K plus airfare and hotel reservations when I can use that money to buy the best screen at that price range plus my OTT/cable service and still have enough for food and have this all in the comfort of my living space?"
the right to buy tickets from like a year ago were legit but expensive. These ones are legit too but for rnadom games