World Cup ticket prices plummet ahead of Round of 16 matches

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the event of the summer, and ticket resellers knew it would be.

Prices for World Cup matches throughout the United States have been expensive because of scalpers purchasing millions of tickets and reselling them for double or triple the price.

In one week, Round of 32 tickets have drastically dropped by 39%, per Front Office Sports. The get-in price has gone from $2,040 to $1,245 in days. The only World Cup knockout match that didn’t drop in price was Mexico versus Ecuador.

The match only saw a 1% decrease in ticket price to $2,849. This falls in line with the popularity of the showdown as fan celebrations created an artificial earthquake in Mexico City.

Round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals ticket prices have seen double-digit decreases on secondary markets, per TicketData.

Ahead of the World Cup, FIFA announced 5 million tickets had been sold for the tournament. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed most tickets were purchased primarily by scalpers.

Over the weekend, FIFA released tickets on its own resale site in batches of a few thousand. Given the uncertainty of the knockout stages, international fans are likely reluctant to purchase tickets at such high prices.

There has been significant turnout at most World Cup matches throughout the United States and Mexico. With the Mexican national team advancing to the Round of 16, there should be continued fan attendance at Estadio Azteca for the squad’s showdown against England on Sunday.

The U.S. men’s national team can also advance with a win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday.

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