Oh, how times have changed.
A recently discovered dusty stack of 1994 World Cup tickets is serving as an unexpected reminder of how the price to attend soccer’s biggest spectacle has dramatically exploded over the past three decades.
32 years ago, fans could watch some of the world’s best teams compete for as little as $45 — the price of a few Whole Foods groceries today.
Today? Depending on the match, soccer aficionados likely need several hundred dollars to just get through the gates — and for the 2026 final, FIFA’s highest-priced tickets have climbed to an eye-watering $32,970, according to USA TODAY.
Among the vintage finds uncovered by a Post staffer was a $45 ticket in Gate 7, Section 107, Row 28, Seat 10 for a Germany vs. Spain match on June 21, 1994, at Soldier Field in Chicago.
To add insult to (today’s wildly expensive) injury, the staffer’s father, who attended the match, paid only $10 to park outside the stadium, which would cost at least $50 to $60 today.
Even after accounting for inflation, the difference is striking. $55 to park and watch your favorite country play in 1994 would equate to roughly $104 today.
The aged World Cup collection included several other bargain-by-today’s-standards tickets:
- A $45 ticket for Bulgaria vs. Greece on June 26, 1994, at Soldier Field in Section 107, Row 31, Seat 39.
- A $65 ticket for Bolivia vs. Spain on June 27, 1994, at Soldier Field in Section 24, Row 34, Seat 10.
- A $45 ticket for Brazil vs. Sweden on June 28, 1994, at Detroit’s Pontiac Silverdome in Section 337, Row 26, Seat 21.
- An $85 ticket for Germany vs. Belgium on July 2, 1994, at Soldier Field in Section 110, Row 30, Seat 1.
Trying to score a World Cup quarterfinal ticket for that price today would be almost unimaginable.
StubHub resale prices for the 2026 tournament have severely fluctuated as kickoff, which takes place on June 11, approaches.
But even the cheapest group-stage matches available recently generally start around $170 to $220, while many marquee games, premium matchups between national or rival teams, are several hundred dollars or well over $1,000 per ticket, according to Business Insider.
The fluctuation is due to prices dropping by roughly 11% over 60 days before rebounding 9% in the following week, illustrating just how volatile the secondary market has become, according to the outlet.
Meanwhile, FIFA’s 2026 dynamic pricing model has sent the cost of premium tickets soaring, USA Today reported.
The organization listed Front Category I, which are premium, up-close seats, tickets for the 2026 World Cup final at $32,970 each after previously pricing them at $6,370 in October and $10,990 in April, sparking backlash from fans over affordability.
To put things into perspective, the average full-time American worker earns roughly $1,235 per week, meaning a single $32,970 ticket would equal about 27 weeks of wages.
It’s safe to say that the 2026 World Cup is supersizing everything as the tournament will feature a record 48 teams, up from 32 in previous years, split into 12 groups of four.
In all, the tournament will span 16 host cities across the US, Canada and Mexico and feature a staggering 104 matches, culminating with the championship at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, 2026.
The mega-tournament is arriving just as travelers are already getting squeezed by sky-high airfare, stubborn inflation and increasingly eye-popping event prices, according to a recent report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
It’s a pinch that’s only been intensified by geopolitical turmoil overseas, according to Jan Freitag, national director of hospitality analytics for CoStar.
Previous World Cups called just one country home but the 2026 edition is turning a soccer pilgrimage into a three-country trek that could leave fans shelling out even more for flights, hotels and transportation.
“Now you have a war going on, and with oil prices up, airfare is more expensive. So even if you thought, ‘Oh, I can make a last-minute decision,’ the airfare suddenly plays into your calculation,” Freitag said.
Even President Trump has balked at the sticker shock.
In an exclusive interview with The Post, he blasted the sky-high prices for the 2026 World Cup, saying he wouldn’t shell out the roughly $1,000 needed to attend the US opener against Paraguay in Los Angeles.
Critics say the pricing spree — fueled by dynamic pricing and a red-hot resale market — is edging out everyday fans, even as FIFA boasts “record-setting” demand and more than 5 million tickets already snapped up.
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