When Brian Rizzo attended the 1994 World Cup as a teenager, he was overwhelmed by the allure of the planet's biggest sporting event. Rizzo's mother bought him a ticket in the lower stands of Soldier Field in Chicago for $85 to watch Germany play Belgium in the Round of 16.
Now, as the tournament returns to the US for the first time in 32 years, Rizzo is determined to give his 8-year-old daughter the chance to experience the football festival just like he did. But he never imagined that much of his 2026 World Cup experience would be spent queuing online for a chance to buy tickets at prices ten times higher than usual.
Rizzo, 48, a construction supervisory engineer living in the suburbs of Houston, spent hours staking out FIFA's website for tickets, only to be repeatedly hit by system errors or shocked by the exorbitant prices. After overcoming technical obstacles, he had to settle for tickets in less desirable seats than in 1994 for a less dramatic match, at a still very high price.
Three mid-range tickets to a group stage match of the US national team cost him $2,910. FIFA's ticket sales methods for this year's World Cup have angered many people, even prompting the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey to subpoena FIFA for investigation.
FIFA says they set ticket prices at market rates and that revenue from the World Cup will help fund the development of football worldwide . But for fans like Rizzo, this year's World Cup has been a real test of their passion.
Rizzo quickly realized that FIFA didn't have a fixed price list. Instead, they capitalized on the sky-high demand and the wealthy American market to implement a floating price policy, combined with releasing tickets in small batches.
This adds to the pressure on fans, as they have no idea whether the tickets they see online are about to disappear or whether prices will increase or decrease.
Rizzo had repeatedly failed in the draws to secure early ticket rights. So in April, when FIFA opened the final ticket sales, he went on a frantic hunt. He kept a tab open on every device, spending hours each day monitoring the FIFA website to check prices.
At one point, Rizzo had selected three tickets in his online shopping cart to watch the opening match between the USA and Paraguay in Los Angeles. These were Category 3 tickets, priced at $1,232 each. He realized that with the money he would spend on three tickets for a single World Cup match, he could buy VIP tickets to watch all 18 season games of the Houston Dynamo in the MLS, including food and drinks. So Rizzo didn't buy them.
Rizzo shifted his focus to finding tickets for the USA vs. Australia game in Seattle at a more affordable price. According to the ticketing platform Ticombo, Class 2 tickets for the game were priced at $405 in early sales for Visa cardholders last October, then increased to $470 in November.
But by April, the price had skyrocketed to $570. Rizzo said he tried to select tickets and pay, but the FIFA website malfunctioned and wouldn't let him proceed. He tried again, patiently queuing online for 2 hours and 15 minutes, only to be pushed back into the queue.
It wasn't until April 29th that Rizzo got lucky when FIFA released another batch of tickets at $970 each. Even so, he decided to bite the bullet and buy three tickets for himself, his wife, and his daughter.
A few weeks after securing his ticket, Rizzo faced another harsh reality. FIFA released another batch of tickets for the USA vs. Australia match, offering better seats at the same price he had paid. "I felt relieved not to have to wait in line for tickets anymore. But thinking about the money I spent, I still feel a pang of regret," Rizzo said.
According to data from the global ticket exchange Ticombo, the average listed price for a World Cup group stage match is currently $877. Ticket prices have fluctuated significantly throughout the sales periods, with first-class tickets for the final now costing $10,990, a 72% increase from the initial listed price. On official resale channels, the average listed price for a group stage match is currently $1,233.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/ac-mong-san-ve-world-cup-234080.html
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