World Cup final resale tickets listed at up to US$2.3m as fans decry ‘tournament for the rich’
World Cup final tickets are being listed for as much as US$2.3 million on FIFA’s official resale platform, fuelling criticism that ordinary supporters are being priced out.
Tickets for the World Cup final are being listed for as much as US$2.3 million on FIFA’s official resale platform, triggering fierce criticism that football’s showpiece event has become accessible only to the wealthy.
According to Reuters, resale prices for the final start at nearly US$10,000, or around 360,000 baht, and rise to an extraordinary US$2.3 million, equivalent to approximately 82.8 million baht.
Standard-priced tickets on FIFA’s main website have sold out. The final batch released directly by world football’s governing body, with some tickets priced at up to US$32,000 each, or about 1.15 million baht, was also quickly snapped up.
Ticket release strategy drives demand
Ticketing specialists attributed the surge partly to FIFA’s use of “slow ticketing”, a strategy in which tickets are released gradually in small batches to maintain demand.
FIFA has also introduced dynamic pricing for the first time, allowing prices to move in response to real-time demand.
Scott Friedman, a sports ticketing expert, said demand had far exceeded expectations despite earlier concerns over US President Donald Trump’s strict immigration policies and enforcement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Recent attendance figures showed that more than half of the group-stage matches reached 99.7% of stadium capacity, suggesting that affluent supporters from around the world remained willing to pay high prices.
The resale market in the United States has also contributed to the sharp increases, as sellers generally face fewer restrictions on how much they can charge. The system differs from that in co-host Mexico, where tickets cannot legally be resold above their original price.
Messi-Yamal showdown sends prices soaring
The prospect of 39-year-old Lionel Messi facing Spain’s teenage star Lamine Yamal in the final has added further excitement and attracted high-spending buyers.
Ticketing platform SeatGeek said tickets for the match were being sold at an average price of US$11,000, or around 400,000 baht.
That average was 8% higher than the price recorded for the 2024 Super Bowl, underlining the exceptional demand surrounding the possible clash between one of football’s greatest players and one of its brightest young talents.
The US$2.3 million figure represents a resale listing price and does not necessarily mean a ticket has been purchased for that amount.
Supporters say ordinary fans are being excluded
The extraordinary prices have drawn condemnation from supporters’ organisations and campaigners, who accuse FIFA of turning a sport traditionally associated with working-class communities into entertainment reserved for the rich.
Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, said FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s promise of a World Cup open to everyone had not been fulfilled.
He described the tournament as a “World Cup for the rich”, arguing that only affluent supporters — particularly Europeans who can enter the United States without a visa — could realistically afford the rising cost of tickets and travel.
Fans from developing countries, he said, faced additional obstacles including visa restrictions, travel expenses and the broader cost of attending matches in North America.
The controversy has intensified debate over whether dynamic pricing and unrestricted resale markets are helping maximise revenue at the expense of the supporters who have traditionally formed the backbone of international football.
