Parking fees at the 2026 World Cup are... more expensive than ticket prices, FIFA's new golden goose

Over the past month, as 2026 World Cup ticket sales began to pick up thanks to record prices, FIFA also launched an “official parking website” for ticket holders, another platform used to commercialize the biggest football festival on the planet.

Americans are used to driving to games. All 11 World Cup venues in the country are football stadiums surrounded by parking lots. The problem is that during the World Cup, some parking lots will be in security zones, cordoned off, or used for other purposes, so parking is relatively scarce. As happened at the FIFA Club World Cup, parking and traffic become a major challenge for World Cup host cities, and a nightmare for fans.

FIFA is taking advantage of this anxiety and selling parking spaces at most stadiums, including in Canada and Mexico, something they have never done at previous World Cups.

Parking is a big issue at the 2026 World Cup.

Tickets for the 2026 World Cup went on sale last month at prices several times higher than those for previous editions. Parking is not included, however. The list price for each parking spot at the tournament is $75 for group matches ($175 for the knockout round), more expensive than a third-tier ticket for any group match at the 2022 World Cup (about $69). The price is also nearly double that of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, when ticket holders had to pay an additional $40 to park near Hard Rock Stadium on match day.

According to representatives of the host city authorities, fans are encouraged to use public transport, especially buses, which will be arranged in the master plan. The Athletic reports that detailed plans are being developed by FIFA and local authorities and will be completed by spring 2026.

Cities, police departments, stadiums and other local entities are responsible for some of the logistical issues, while FIFA, as the owner and operator of the World Cup, controls ticket and parking pass sales, as well as revenue from ticket sales.

Similar to parking, match tickets are also causing anger among fans.

World Cup 2026 has record ticket prices, more expensive than any previous edition.

To get their hands on tickets to the 2026 World Cup, fans have flocked to the FIFA Collect platform, paying for the right to buy tickets. Over the past year, FIFA and its partners have sold tens of thousands of “purchase rights” tokens, each worth hundreds of dollars, promising buyers the ability to buy one or two World Cup tickets at an unspecified date and price.

FIFA Collect has now given buyers until Thursday (November 13) to decide whether to activate their "right to buy" tickets. What's confusing is that FIFA has yet to announce exactly how much their tickets will cost, while most "right to buy" tickets are limited to tier 1 or 2, the most expensive.

What's more, FIFA Collect said that after Thursday, the tokens will become worthless, untradeable, and "will lose all value associated with the ticket" on December 1. Fans can resell their "purchase rights" before the deadline on FIFA Collect's secondary market, but will likely suffer a heavy loss. On many social media sites, those who own "purchase rights" have expressed frustration, accusing FIFA of cheating them.

As for FIFA, the organization is expected to earn more than $13 billion from the 2026 World Cup, making the tournament the most profitable sporting event ever.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/tien-do-xe-o-world-cup-2026-con-dat-hon-tien-ve-con-ga-de-trung-vang-moi-cua-fifa-post1795438.tpo