World Cup Ticket Prices Leave Fans Stunned as USA vs Paraguay Opener Tops $4,000

With less than six weeks until the World Cup kicks off, organizers are facing a surprising problem: plenty of unsold seats for group-stage matches, even as prices remain sky-high. Fans hoping to catch the United States’ opener against Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12 will find tickets starting at $1,120 and climbing to $4,105. Hospitality packages push that figure up to $6,050 per seat.

The sluggish sales contradict FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s earlier prediction that demand would be historic. Instead, many fans say they’ve been priced out. Sports executive Peter Moore, former CEO of Liverpool FC, called out FIFA’s approach. “Taking a 30 percent cut of dynamic pricing is outrageous,” he told Al Jazeera. “FIFA is using the U.S. market’s legal resale system to maximize revenue. Infantino expects $11 billion from this tournament. Why not aim for $8 billion and make it more accessible?”

While American sports fans are used to Super Bowl-style pricing, international visitors are less familiar with dynamic pricing and legal ticket scalping. FIFA’s official site still has seats for all 104 matches through a last-minute sales phase. Seven group-stage games offer general admission tickets for $380, including matches like Austria vs. Jordan and Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia.

The USA vs. Paraguay match is the priciest group-stage game, followed by Argentina vs. Austria at $2,925 and Ecuador vs. Germany at $2,550. Seventeen group-stage games are sold out, including the Mexico vs. South Africa opener in Mexico City and Turkiye vs. USA in Los Angeles. But for many fans, the dream of attending the World Cup remains just that—a dream, blocked by a price tag that feels out of reach.