FIFA has announced the availability of tickets for the World Cup match featuring the United States and Paraguay, with prices reaching as high as $4,105 (approximately $5,763). This new pricing marks an increase from earlier ticket offerings, which had already faced criticism due to their high costs.
The Australian national team is set to begin their World Cup journey on June 14 against Türkiye, followed by a match against the US on June 20.
For the upcoming World Cup, FIFA has introduced additional, pricier ticket tiers, including a premium category one seat for the US opener against Paraguay in Inglewood, California, scheduled for June 12. This premium ticket price was previously capped at $2,735, but FIFA has since added a “front category” pricing option.
Furthermore, without any formal announcement, FIFA has introduced a front category two tier, which ranges from $1,940 to $2,330 for tickets to the US opener.
The World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 across 16 locations in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Australia has been placed in the same group as the US team.
According to FIFA’s ticket guidelines released on September 9, category one tickets are described as “the highest-priced seats, located primarily in the lower tier.” However, it appears that some seats classified under this category were not made available for sale. Category two tickets were defined as being “positioned outside of category one areas, accessible in both lower and upper tiers.”
FIFA did not provide a response to inquiries sent to its media office regarding these developments.
In addition to the US match, FIFA has also priced front category one seats for Canada’s opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto at up to $3,360. For the round of 16 matches, tickets priced at $905 have been added for the event in Philadelphia.
Recently, FIFA increased the price of the top ticket for the World Cup final to $10,990 during a problematic resale event, up from the previous price of $8,680 following the tournament draw in December. The category two tickets for the final match on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, have also seen a price rise to $7,380 from $5,575, while category three tickets now cost $5,785, up from $4,185.
As of Thursday, no tickets appeared to be available for the final on FIFA’s ticketing platform.
Moreover, there are reports indicating that public transportation prices are expected to increase. New Jersey Transit plans to charge over $100 for round-trip rail tickets from Penn Station to MetLife Stadium for the World Cup matches, a significant rise from the usual fare of $12.90.
