A new study from PropertyShark reveals that World Cup ticket prices in the 11 U.S. host cities have surged to levels competitive with monthly rent and mortgage payments. This financial barrier is particularly pronounced as the country continues to navigate a broader housing affordability crisis.
As the tournament prepares to kick off this Thursday, public discourse has largely centered on record-high ticket pricing. U.S. lawmakers have already intervened, with attorneys general of New York and New Jersey noting that current rates “far exceeded the prices for any previous World Cup tournament.”
According to data compiled by The Athletic, individual ticket tiers reflect unprecedented inflation:
- Category 3 (Upper Bowl): Entry-level tickets for the group stage currently range from $140 to $1,410.
- Category 1 (Lower Bowl): Premium seating reached $10,990 during FIFA’s initial ticket release in April.
Considering that tickets are only a small fraction of the total cost of attending a World Cup’s match, which can include flights, transport, parking, and accommodation, it is easy to see how thousands of soccer fans have been priced out of the tournament.
As of last week, more than 3,500 tickets for the World Cup opener (U.S.-Paraguay) remained unsold, the New York Times reported, while over 6,500 were listed on FIFA’s resale platforms.
While exact numbers are hard to gauge considering FIFA does not publicly reveal sales or availability data, we know that many soccer fans actually bit the bullet and got tickets, no matter the cost. In a statement last month, FIFA said it had then already sold roughly 5 million tickets.
For those living in the 11 U.S. host cities, buying a ticket for a World Cup match has meant being short of money that would have covered weeks—sometimes even months—of rent or mortgage payments, PropertyShark’s analysis found.
How Much Are Tickets Setting U.S. Fans Back?
Prices for tickets are fluctuating, and PropertyShark’s analysis used the lowest publicly referenced prices as of June 4 to compare them with local average rent and estimated monthly mortgage payments in the 11 U.S. host cities.
Mortgage payments were estimated based on the local median sale price and a standard 30-year mortgage with a 6.5 percent interest rate and 20 percent down payment.
Based on this data, it found that the cheapest ticket to the most expensive game in town costs at least as much as one month’s rent or mortgage in five U.S. host cities, including New York City (1.77 months of mortgage payments and 1.49 months of rent), Miami (0.99 months of mortgage payments and 1.00 of rent), Dallas (1.02 months of mortgage payments and 1.52 of rent), Atlanta (1.03 months of mortgage payments and 1.22 of rent), and Kansas City, Missouri, (1.06 months of mortgage payments and 1.17 of rent).
Against the backdrop of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recently announced housing reform initiatives, the entry-level price for a World Cup Final ticket ($7,256) represents nearly two months of average mortgage payments or six weeks of local rent.
In Dallas ($2,391) and Atlanta ($2,208), prime semi-final tickets command prices equivalent to a full month’s mortgage or five to six weeks of rent.
A quarter-final ticket in Kansas City ($1,567) requires a financial outlay greater than a month’s rent or mortgage, while a comparable ticket in Boston ($1,333) equates to roughly one-third of the local monthly housing cost.
Driven in part by the regional soccer surge following Lionel Messi’s Major League Soccer (MLS) arrival, Miami residents face a ticket cost of $2,700 for the Colombia–Portugal group match, matching the city’s average monthly housing obligations.
The financial burden remains steep on the Pacific coast. Seattle residents must spend half a month’s rent or a quarter of a mortgage payment ($1,096) to see the U.S. Men’s National Team. In Los Angeles, entry-level tickets sit at $1,564, consuming over half a month’s rent or one-third of a monthly mortgage payment.
For American fans able to spare money they could spend on rent or mortgage payments to see a World Cup match instead, tickets are still available for games being played in the U.S. (and abroad) with only days to go before the matches, though not many.
The latest figures from TicketData show that fewer than 30,000 seats can still be purchased for all 104 planned matches through FIFA’s official ticketing terminal.
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