The 2026 World Cup is nearly upon us, yet there are still well over 100,000 tickets left unsold on the resale market.
Despite being one of the host nations for this summer’s tournament, even the USMNT are struggling to sell out for their matches.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side first take to the field on June 12 with a Group D opener against Paraguay, but there are still over 4,000 tickets left unsold for that match.
Almost 180,000 World Cup tickets still on resale market
The Financial Times have done a deep dive into the World Cup ticket prices and how the resale market is shrinking despite the tournament kicking off in around 48 hours.
It is said that almost 180,000 tickets can still be purchased on official resale platforms, while the average ticket price on those platforms has declined by 20 per cent in the last month.
That is perhaps not that surprising when you consider how much some of the cheapest tickets are being listed for.
Around 4,400 tickets are yet to be sold for the US’s clash with Paraguay later this week, but anyone who fancies a last-minute trip to the game will currently have to pay $800 on average.
Meanwhile, should supporters buy a ticket for the USA vs Paraguay directly from FIFA, the lowest price they can pay is $1,120.
But the US are not the only team struggling to sell out their group stage matches this summer.
About 3,900 tickets are still available for all of Saudi Arabia’s upcoming group games.
Elsewhere, there are nearly 16,000 tickets still on the market for all of Iran’s scheduled fixtures.
This comes despite those prices ($138 for the cheapest ticket) paling in comparison to matches involving the USA and others.
But for fans outside of North America, the struggle to get people into stadiums is probably not that surprising.
While Americans may be accustomed to paying over the top to watch other sports, most non-American football fans are used to much lower prices.
For example, a season ticket to watch every home Arsenal Premier League game in 2026/27 can be bought for as low as £1,291.
That is less than half of what it is expected to cost to purchase one ticket for the World Cup final next month, with prices starting at $4,185 for the showpiece.
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