2026 World Cup: Ticket prices for US games surge after 4-1 win over Paraguay

Tickets for the upcoming USA group match against Australia on Friday in Seattle have also climbed noticeably. According to TicketData figures from Saturday, the cheapest tickets there now cost $1,908, roughly 1,650 euros. On Saturday evening, tickets for this match were still available on the FIFA secondary market for $1,980, though in better seating categories.

Price comparison: USA games versus underdog matchups

The backdrop is the biggest win by a US men's national team at a FIFA World Cup, which the team celebrated on Friday with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay. Following the biggest win by a US men's national team at a FIFA World Cup, ticket prices for the remaining group-stage matches involving the USA have risen sharply. Success is driving up demand — and with it, prices.

The high ticket prices and the dynamic pricing model are a major topic at the tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. FIFA operates its own secondary market platform on which sellers can freely list their tickets. Particularly controversial is the FIFA secondary market, on which sellers can set prices freely. On every sale through this platform, the world governing body collects a 15 percent fee from both the buyer and the seller.

FIFA secondary market: 15 percent fee on both sides

For comparison: on the official FIFA ticket portal, tickets for group-stage matches between underdogs such as Haiti and Scotland or Ghana and Panama are already available starting at 330 and 440 euros, respectively. This means the prices for matches involving the USA are many times higher.

The development illustrates just how strongly sporting results influence the secondary market at major events. With every win by the host nation, the willingness of fans to pay significantly higher sums for tickets apparently grows. Critics see this as a sign that the dynamic pricing model favors excessively high profits for individual middlemen and for FIFA itself.

Outlook: Further price increases possible

In the group stage, following the match against Paraguay, the US team still faces Australia on Friday in Seattle and Turkey on June 26 in Inglewood. Should the team reach the round of 16, further price increases are to be expected. The exact modalities of the FIFA secondary market and the role of 15 percent fees on both sides remain part of the public debate.

The world football governing body has so far not commented on the specific price increases. TicketData and "The Athletic" consider their data to be snapshots of a highly volatile market. What is certain is that the match against Turkey is already one of the most expensive group-stage matches of the entire tournament — and sales have only been running for a few days.