Dynamic pricing is coming to the 2026 men’s World Cup. So what is it exactly?

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The men’s World Cup coming to the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer will feature dynamic ticket pricing, a tool with the potential to send ticket prices soaring.

As reported by The Athletic on Wednesday, FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, will use the automated system to set the prices for the 104 games being staged across 16 host cities. With 48 teams competing, this will be FIFA’s largest edition of the event and it’s the first time the tournament will feature dynamic pricing.

The pricing tool reacts to ticket demands in real time, so prices fluctuate in sync with the growing or waning interest of games. The tool, used widely in the United States for major sporting events and concerts, has become, to some, a loathed American tradition because it seemingly values profit over access for the average fan.

Still, dynamic pricing has become the go-to option for professional soccer, especially across the many international tournaments in the U.S. staged in the lead-up to 2026. The Club World Cup this summer, for example, will also feature dynamic pricing.

So, what exactly is dynamic pricing? And why did FIFA opt to go this route?

Let’s look at some of the pros and cons.

Is dynamic pricing common?

In the United States, dynamic pricing has become common practice for major sporting events and concerts, and is also seen in the hospitality and travel industries.

Its prevalence is why the get-in price for some of the most popular events, such as UFC pay-per-views, are usually so expensive — and why some of the world’s biggest names, including Taylor Swift and Oasis, have reportedly declined to use Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing tool for their tours.

UFC events, such as the 2018 battle between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, routinely use dynamic pricing. (Stephen McCarthy / Sportsfile via Getty Images)

As it pertains to soccer, the tool was used by CONMEBOL for Copa America, which led to widespread criticism last year. Critics believed that cheaper pricing could have brought more fans into stadiums, an important step to help drum up the popularity of the sport and South American football ahead of 2026.

While some Copa matches were sellouts, such as Argentina’s group stage game against Chile at MetLife Stadium (the tournament’s most-attended match), some games featured visibly empty stands on game day broadcasts.

Has FIFA used dynamic pricing before?

This will be the first time FIFA uses dynamic pricing for World Cup tickets, which are expected to be allocated through a ticket lottery. The practice remains relatively new in European football, too.

FIFA has opted, however, to use dynamic pricing for the Club World Cup, which begins June 14, and we are seeing its impact in real time. Fans who purchased tickets early through their teams are now seeing cheaper options crop up online, with some fans suggesting that they are considering returning their tickets to purchase cheaper ones.

FIFA confirmed to The Athletic that it released “new batches of more affordable match tickets” but did not clarify what this bracket refers to. Tickets, though, are now showing up much cheaper compared to the lowest prices available to fans earlier this year.

That sounds like a downside for fans. What about the benefits?

It’s true. Fans who plan ahead could end up paying more for tickets compared to fans who wait and purchase tickets at the last minute. But it’s a gamble because prices could shoot up in the days leading up to any given match.

Tickets can fluctuate depending on which players are available for selection ahead of certain games — something famously seen across Major League Soccer with the arrival of Argentina’s Lionel Messi to Inter Miami. Whenever Inter Miami is traveling, and it’s then reported that Messi will not be traveling with his team, ticket prices for Inter Miami’s away games usually drop sharply. For a major tournament like a World Cup, this could happen depending on which team advances to any given knockout round.

Lionel Messi’s presence — or absence — can have a significant effect on ticket prices for Inter Miami games. (Megan Briggs / Getty Images)

The obvious benefit for an organizer such as FIFA is it stands to profit regardless of whatever factors play out in real time during a tournament, especially when fans buy early.

So, how much do World Cup tickets cost?

That remains unclear, but it’s safe to assume tickets will cost a pretty penny.

Despite tickets appearing for sale online, FIFA has not released regular tickets for the men’s tournament yet. The best way to avoid scams is to begin your purchase directly through FIFA’s ticketing portal. While tickets are expected to go on sale later this year, eager fans with deep pockets can purchase hospitality packages for the 2026 tournament that are currently on sale. These range from $3,500 per person to an eye-popping $73,200.

There is little doubt that the World Cup in 2026 will draw potentially record-breaking crowds, with FIFA leveraging that interest to help drum up interest in the Club World Cup. Last month, they released ticket packages offering a guaranteed option for one World Cup ticket for fans who purchase tickets for and attend two Club World Cup games.

Wait, are tickets in the U.S. always so expensive?

Yes, and that’s the point.

FIFA has circled the United States as a prime market to expand its global soccer footprint, as have several other football clubs, federations and sports promoters. Let’s not forget that Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber famously described the U.S. as “the ATM of the soccer world” in an interview with The Athletic last year.

That’s because American fans are willing to spend money, no matter the get-in price. Let’s consider how the get-in price for the NFL’s Super Bowl in 2024 was a whopping $2,612 before fees, which was a 62% drop from the title game the year prior. (The World Cup, for context, has significantly more reach than a Super Bowl, drawing a global audience of 1.5 billion viewers in 2022 compared to the Super Bowl’s international record of 62.5 million last year.)

Let’s also consider that the 1994 World Cup in the United States remains FIFA’s most attended World Cup, despite the sport still in its infancy in the U.S. then. The cumulative attendance, according to U.S. Soccer, totaled 3,587,538 — breaking the previous record by more than 1 million, and the average attendance for the 52-game tournament was 68,991.

Considering the rising popularity of the sport in the U.S. in the 30 years since, and there being twice as many games, it’s fair to assume the 2026 edition will topple that record.

So, what should we expect?

The conversation around dynamic ticket pricing will certainly be top of mind in coming weeks as the Club World Cup unfolds. Some may argue Copa America last year was an underwhelming step toward 2026, but that tournament was organized by CONMEBOL. Any failures that arise from this summer’s Club World Cup, though, will land squarely on FIFA, including any casualties from the use of dynamic pricing.

(Top photo: Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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