Ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup have skyrocketed on FIFA's official resale platform, with seats for many matches listed at several times their face value even though most tickets have only recently been distributed following the end of the main sales phase in January. Weeks after FIFA President Gianni Infantino warned that tickets made available on resale sites were likely to come with an exorbitant price tag, those fears have come to pass on world football's own platform. 

As of Wednesday, a "category three" seat -- the highest section of the stands -- for the tournament's opening game between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on June 11 was listed at $5,324, compared to an original price of $895. One category three seat for the World Cup final on July 19 at East Rutherford, New Jersey, meanwhile, was being advertised for an eye-watering $143,750 -- more than 41 times its original face value of $3,450.

The cheapest available ticket for the final on the resale site was listed at $9,775.In a few rare cases, though, some ticket prices have actually decreased. One ticket for Austria's group game with Jordan at the Levi's Stadium in California -- which hosted Sunday's Super Bowl -- is being offered at $552 despite costing its original buyer $620. For football fans around the world, some of the prices on FIFA's resale site are confirmation of what they have railed against since the tournament draw in December. 

"These exorbitant prices unfortunately don't surprise me. It reflects what we know and what we fight against: many people buy to resell," Guillaume Aupretre, spokesperson for the France national team supporters group "Irresistibles Francais", which has nearly 2,500 members. "In the end, who pays the price?

The passionate fans who end up with outrageous offers. We would prefer that this benefit real fans who come to support their team, but unfortunately, that's not the case." Yet despite the steep price tag, sales remain brisk, reflecting a global clamor that has seen some 500 million requests for tickets according to FIFA.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)