18 July 2026
Reuters: Fans Paid Up and Showed Up Despite Sky-High Prices
A Reuters investigation finds that more than half of all group-stage matches were attended to capacity, even as some tickets reached extraordinary resale prices.
Despite widespread criticism of ticket costs at the 2026 World Cup, fans overwhelmingly chose to attend, according to a Reuters analysis of FIFA attendance data. More than half of the 72 group-stage matches were sold out, with most others only a small number of short of a full house, and the overall attendance rate across the tournament came close to 99 percent.
Reuters spoke to ticketing analyst Friedman of the Ticket Talk Network, who explained that a practice known as 'slow ticketing' likely contributed to the sense of scarcity that drove demand. Under this approach, organisers release inventory gradually to create urgency among buyers, rather than putting all available seats on sale at once.
By the end of the group stage, Reuters reports, nearly all seats had been taken, with a small number of remaining tickets appearing on FIFA's official sales platform at prices reaching around $32,000 each. The data suggests that however steep the cost, appetite for the tournament was not seriously dented.
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