Fame has a price - and it’s around $3,000 per ticket.
That’s how much it will cost you to buy the cheapest ticket available on resell sites to the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup knockout round match on July 1 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, according to ticket analytics site Ticket Data. The most affordable ticket was $2,805 (including fees) Monday morning, more than five times what it cost in mid-May before the tournament started.
“I see these ticket prices skyrocket because there are people who want to see it,” said Aaron Atkinson, 42, who is set to attend the match with his brother Wes. “We got in on the ground floor, and that’s really exciting...it makes him feel much better about how much he paid for the tickets, and for the amazing experience we’re going to have.”
For those who bought tickets early with plans to resell them or in hopes the USA would play, their gamble paid off. On May 13, the cheapest ticket for the match was $549, then rose to $821 when the global tournament kicked off on June 11.
Prices ticked up to $828 the day of the U.S.’s first match on June 13. Shortly after the team’s decisive 4-0 victory over Paraguay that night, everything changed.
Ticket prices soared to $1,120 an hour after the match. They continued their ascent in the following days, peaking at $3,285 on June 19, hours after the team’s win over Australia that secured their spot in the July 1 showdown in the Bay Area.
The opponent has yet to be determined.
This year’s World Cup ticket prices are significantly higher than the 2022 tournament in Qatar, with some tickets costing 10 times as much as they were four years ago, according to soccer news site The Touchline.
The median lowest-cost ticket to the remaining matches in the World Cup for all countries is $1,876, according to Ticket Data, more than double the median of matches already played ($765).
Mexico leads all teams for the highest ticket price at $2,903, followed by Portugal ($2,093), Brazil ($2,032), Colombia ($1,749) and Argentina ($1,736). The U.S. is sixth on the list at $1,609. Qatar commands the lowest ticket price at $536, Ticket Data’s analysis showed.
Atkinson’s brother paid around $8,000 for two hospitality tickets on April 2, the day FIFA’s resale and exchange market opened, Atkinson said. The tickets, which are sold out, include premium seating, a dedicated entrance for ticketholders, and unlimited food and drink and parking, according to FIFA.
“Before even knowing who was playing on July 1, I was really looking forward to the match,” he said. “Having the United States clinch that spot was phenomenal…I’ll be getting to see the United States play live for the first time at the World Cup.”
Atkinson’s brother was considering tickets to a knockout-stage match in Los Angeles, but he convinced Wes to buy the tickets to the San Francisco match.
The USA’s July 1 game in Santa Clara will be the fourth World Cup 2026 match Atkinson has seen in-person.
He watched his first match on TV in 1994, and said that this year’s squad is unlike any he remembers.
“Seeing the U.S. perform at this level is incredible,” he said. “They’re just handling their business. It’s really encouraging, and it shows we’re a team to contend with.”
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