The United States have sailed comfortably into the World Cup Round of 32, but a seat to watch them has never been harder to justify.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side topped Group D to set up a last-32 meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, July 1st at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
A home knockout tie was always going to be a coveted ticket.
But in perhaps the clearest example yet of the kind of ridiculous money involved in this World Cup, one seat for the game has been listed on FIFA’s own resale platform for more than $4 million.
The USMNT World Cup ticket listed for $4 million
Ticket prices have been one of the defining controversies of the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA’s dynamic pricing model pushed plenty of seats into the thousands of dollars, and the governing body’s own US-based staff reportedly pushed back against the approach before being overruled by senior leadership.
The latest example, though, goes further than anything seen so far. According to The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel on X, a single ticket for the USMNT’s Round of 32 tie was listed on FIFA’s official resale platform for $4,025,000.
It is an extreme case, but the real issue is that FIFA puts no ceiling on resale prices on its own site — leaving sellers free to ask for whatever they like. That policy has handed opportunists a clear run.
Many are treating the tournament as a business venture rather than a celebration of the game, cashing in at the expense of supporters who simply want to be there.
Gianni Infantino has defended FIFA’s pricing by arguing cheaper tickets would only be resold higher elsewhere — yet here is a seven-figure listing sitting on his own platform.
What surging prices mean for USMNT fans
For American supporters, the squeeze is real even at normal prices.
One reporter paid $468 for a group-stage seat at Levi’s Stadium earlier in the tournament. The same section for the USMNT’s knockout tie was listed at $4,488 — ten times the price of a group-stage seat.
A home World Cup should be the once-in-a-lifetime chance for any football fan. It looks more like an experience reserved for the wealthy at the moment.
READ MORE:
FIFA confirm ‘record-breaking’ number of people who attended World Cup group stage
