With just over a year until the 2026 FIFA World Cup takes the United States, Canada, and Mexico by storm, fans might need to start squirreling cash away now in order to afford tickets. The first packages of World Cup tickets went on sale earlier this week in the form of hospitality packages on the higher end of the pay scale. 

While many fans likely won’t be able to afford the suites that start at $3,500 and run as high as over $70,000, the average ticket price won’t be much better.

As reported by Adam Crafton of The Athletic , the united bid for the World Cup estimated that the average cost of a group stage ticket would be around $305. Of course, non-hospitality tickets have yet to go on sale and those prices could change drastically between now and then. 

But football fans have already voiced their anger on social media over the tournament that has been a pet project of President Donald Trump.

‘305 for group stage tickets?? Weasels. Thieves. Rat bastards. Robbery in broad daylight and FIFA’s holding the flashlight,’ one user posted on X, formerly Twitter. Another remarked, ‘Hmmm that’s quite expensive.’ 

‘Made by the poor, stolen by the rich,’ said another user. ‘Way to ruin the world cup,’ one user complained. ‘Can almost see it now, half empty stadiums and terrible atmosphere. They don’t want the average working person anymore. All corpo and celebrity’s,’ predicted another.

One post read, ‘America hosting a world cup is woke nonsense and the stadium and fans are cringe.’ ‘Don’t send a world cup to the USA ever again,’ one person posted. Another remarked, ‘Pure [expletive], FIFA is literally extorting the US market.’

Among the ticket packages already on sale in hospitality includes a full eight-game package for every match in New York – including the Round of 32, Round of 16, and the Final. Those tickets start at $25,800 and balloon up to $73,200 for the higher end.

On the opposite coast, a similar package is being sold for Los Angeles – where the United States national team will play its first and final games of the group stage. SoFi Stadium is also set to host two Round of 32 games and a quarterfinal match. Tickets for LA will begin at $20,300 and go up to $35,350.

Among the full-slate ticket packages, the cheapest could be found in Santa Clara in the Bay Area – where fans can pay $8,275 for tickets to all six matches to be played at the Levi’s Stadium, including one Round of 32 match. The draw for the World Cup will take place in December.

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