How steep are World Cup ticket prices for locals?

The price of tickets has turned the World Cup into an elite spectacle and data shows just how costly tickets are for residents of the host cities.

While World Cup tickets are a hot commodity in many of the 16 host cities across North America, local economic disparities mean at least some fans would have to fork over weeks — or months — of disposable income just to attend a match.

Data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that in the state home to Guadalajara, Mexico, average per-capita incomes are the lowest of any host region, yet the cost of tickets on the secondary market ranks among the most expensive of the tournament, according to the price-tracking site TicketData — likely pricing out many locals.

At the other end of the spectrum, those in San Francisco, located in one of the wealthiest states in the U.S., are paying some of the lowest ticket prices because of underwhelming demand.

Using these metrics, Toronto comes in as the fourth least affordable, with average income of Ontario on the lower end compared to American host cities, but ticket prices lower as well. Vancouver offers a slightly better deal. Despite B.C. residents having a similar income average to Ontarians, the lower ticket prices make securing a seat easier.

Eye-popping prices

Perhaps the most eye-popping prices emerge when comparing final match ticket prices to those of previous years. In New Jersey, Category 4 seats, (the most affordable option available for the final) were officially priced at $2,030 US following December’s draw. Even when adjusted for inflation, that’s nearly nine times the cost of a comparable seat in 2022.

FIFA responded to fans who were furious about the cheap-seat prices by allocating a small number of $60 US tickets for each game. But recently, the governing body’s president, Gianni Infantino, defended the sky-high prices, suggesting FIFA is recapturing revenue it would have otherwise lost to ticket scalping.

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The U.S. has the most developed entertainment market in the world, “so we have to apply market rates,” he said recently. “In the U.S. it is permitted to resell tickets as well. So if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price.”

FIFA has employed dynamic pricing for this tournament, meaning prices are opaque and fluctuate based on market conditions. Back in December, the priciest Category 1 tickets were officially $8,680 US, and were quietly hiked to $10,990 in April, when FIFA also added even more expensive categories.

But a reminder, these are official prices for the final, not resale prices. The cheapest tickets to the final are likely hovering around $8,000 US, according to TicketData. It’s also been reported some are listed for more than $2 million on FIFA’s own resale site, which allows sellers to name their price while FIFA takes a 15 per cent cut from both the seller and buyer.

However, in April all Toronto tickets were removed from FIFA’s marketplace after a new price cap came into effect. Ontario legislation bans people and platforms from reselling tickets for more than face value.

Resale market in Toronto, Vancouver

That doesn’t mean tickets on the resale market will be cheap. For fans in Toronto who are simply looking to experience the atmosphere regardless of the matchup, resale data shows a fixture like Senegal vs. Iraq will cost hundreds. Those looking to support Team Canada in their clash against Bosnia-Herzegovina will have to pay up big time, with tickets pushing $1,000 as of this writing.

In Vancouver, the most accessible entry point on the secondary market is the New Zealand vs. Egypt match. Conversely, securing a seat for the high-stakes, yet-to-be-determined fixture on July 7 is currently north of $1,300.

Seeing Team Canada play seems cheap when you see the prices of other, more established teams.

At least one projection suggests these ticket prices will help FIFA take in $15 billion US.

The tournament begins June 11 with a match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City.