If there is one word to describe this upcoming 2026 World Cup, it’s “exclusionary.” If you wanted the right to buy tickets to the matches, you had to first win a lottery. As with all lotteries (an exercise that Voltaire called “a tax on stupidity”), a very VERY low percentage of entrants actually won. Which means you must turn to the secondary market, where ticket prices are so astronomically high, you could honestly buy a solid used car for the amounts being charged for some of the good seats to the games that are in higher demand.
Are you a media member who wants to apply for credentials to cover the 2026 World Cup?
Can’t wait for a writer somewhere to call this “late stage capitalism” instead of what it actually is- egregious price gouging.
It’s like when you get those “let’s collaborate” emails, but “collab” actually means I’m trying to sell you something you don’t need https://t.co/bWz2rO3ZBG
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) May 8, 2026
Did you see the email notification about it? It was about 4,000-5,000 words. TLDR.
Actually, I did read it, and the process is…seven, eight different steps, and looks more complicated than applying for college. Are you in the Midwest? Do you want to attend a game that’s driveable?
Sorry, you’re out of luck, the closest destination is Kansas City, Missouri and that is not Midwestern.
The Midwest is the NFC North/old school Big Ten region- Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. And we’re excluded this time around. Missouri is the south and Kansas is the plains.
FIFA charging $16k for World Cup final ticket ‘outside the stadium’https://t.co/tcgm6E0rzo
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) May 11, 2026
FIFA Greed and Corruption Worse Ever, and it has Domino Effects
FIFA recently “read the room” about ticket prices being too high and decided to…wait for it…tripled the price of its top-tier World Cup final tickets. Premium seats are now listed at $32,970 for the July 19 match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
FIFA president on the World Cup ticket prices: “You cannot go to watch in the U.S. a college [football] game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300… and this is the World Cup.” https://t.co/GaMuBCPV54
— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) May 7, 2026
Travel/Commute Price Gouging
Bear in mind that this is all happening while stagflation is running rampant, the cost of living is surging at a rate that we haven’t seen in a generation, and we have a true affordability crisis on our hands in this country right now.
The 2026 World Cup will be an event for the 1%ers only.
New Jersey Transit will reduce their round-trip rail prices for World Cup events by 30% from $150 to $105 after securing support from “sponsors and other sources,” per @TheAthletic.
NJ Transit usually charges $12.90 for a return ticket from New York Penn Station to MetLife… pic.twitter.com/bjiPe9UY8M
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 7, 2026
Hotel Industry Greed Went Too Far as Well
The biggest flaw in capitalism is the egregious exploitation of anything and everything that has any level of consumer interest. Of course, the exploitation can go too far, and then a market correction occurs. All the hotels that jacked up their prices for this World Cup are now in the “find out” portion of the “f&* around and find out” paradigm.
Nearly 80% of U.S. hoteliers in 11 World Cup host cities say bookings are tracking below original forecasts, with some describing the tournament as a “non-event,” according to an American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) survey of members released Monday.
Read more:… pic.twitter.com/NIYulUYmi4
— Forbes (@Forbes) May 5, 2026
Honestly, this is shaping up to be the worst World Cup of all-time, from a business and public relations stand point. The lack of enthusiasm for the prospects of the home team (we’ll cover that in the next post) in the tournament itself doesn’t help things. Of course, it feels like every Olympics and World Cup are destined to be a disaster, in the media coverage leading up to it.
Certainly, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio were actually nowhere near the s#$tshows they were made out to be.
Maybe this won’t actually be so bad after all?
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.