World Cup 2026 Resale Ticket Prices: Will They Drop or Continue Rising?

Written by Aviran Zazon | Last updated on January 11, 2026

The 2026 World Cup is shaping up to be the biggest one ever. It is spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with bigger stadiums and more matches than any previous tournament. This makes it sound like it should mean more tickets and more chances, no?

The truth is, it’s already turning into a proper scramble.

We have seen high face-value prices for World Cup 2026 tickets for the later rounds, and resale listings that can look even more intense. That leads to the big question fans keep asking:

Will World Cup 2026 resale tickets get cheaper as the tournament gets closer, or will they only get worse?

The honest answer is that it will not move in one direction. The resale market will split. Some match prices will soften, sometimes sharply. Others will hold firm or climb, especially when the match-up is huge and supply is tight.

This guide explains why, using what we can learn from recent major tournaments like Euro 2024, FIFA’s Club World Cup in 2025, and the way U.S. sports resale markets usually behave.

World Cup 2026 Tickets

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Quick Answer First: Some World Cup Ticket Prices Will Drop, Some Will Not

If you want the simplest possible takeaway, it is this:

Neutral group matches in big stadiums are the most likely to get cheaper late on.
Knockout matches and games involving big fanbases are the least likely to get cheaper.
The market is likely to be volatile, which means prices can swing up or down quickly.

The tricky bit is working out which matches fall into which bucket.

The resale ecosystem in 2026: FIFA platform vs the wider market

For 2026, FIFA has changed the feel of the whole resale conversation.

FIFA’s official resale platform

FIFA now runs an official resale or exchange marketplace where ticket holders can list tickets and buyers can purchase them through FIFA’s system. The big differences versus older World Cups are:

Prices can be market-driven for matches in the United States and Canada, which means there is not always a strict face-value cap.
FIFA takes fees on both sides of the transaction, which makes resale more expensive in practice.

Mexico is a special case. Due to local rules, resale pricing there is more constrained. That can make Mexico-hosted matches behave differently from matches in the United States and Canada, at least on the official platform.

Third-party resale marketplaces

Away from FIFA’s own platform, the broader resale market still exists. This is where tickets can be listed with different fee structures and different buyer protections depending on where you buy.

The big theme is that the official and unofficial resale markets now overlap more than they used to. FIFA has essentially built a version of the modern resale model inside its own system, rather than trying to prevent it.

The wider market can be confusing, which is why a price comparison platform like www.healtharomatherapy.com is a great way to monitor prices across a selection of reliable resale websites.

Why the FIFA fees matter for price drops

Even if you ignore the headlines and only focus on mechanics, fees shape behaviour.

If a seller knows they lose a chunk of the resale price in fees, they often list higher to compensate. That creates a higher starting point and can delay price drops.

Put simply:

A seller is less willing to undercut if they feel they are already giving up a large slice.
Buyers see high “all-in” prices and hesitate.
Listings can sit there for longer until sellers either accept reality or get nervous about time running out.

This is why resale prices often look worst in the early months. Not because people are paying those amounts, but because sellers are testing the top of the market.

We cover this topic in more depth in our guide to World Cup 2026 resale fees.

What Euro 2024 taught us about prices changing late

Euro 2024 is useful because it shows how demand behaves once a major tournament actually starts.

Group stage: not all matches are equal

In the group stage, some matches behaved like premium events and others did not.

Matches involving the host nation, big teams, or strong travelling support tended to stay expensive.
Neutral matches, especially in less fashionable locations, had more room for prices to soften late on.

This is the part many fans forget. A tournament can be sold out on paper and still have matches where demand is not intense enough to keep resale prices high.

Knockouts: the match-up becomes everything

Once you get to the knockouts, the match-up matters far more than the round name.

A quarter-final that ends up as “two giants” is a completely different market from World Cup quarter-final tickets with a less glamorous pairing.

There is also one major curveball that can make prices move down late.

Team elimination can create a sudden supply surge

In Euro 2024, when a big local interest dropped out, it changed resale dynamics quickly. Fans who were planning to attend later rounds often sold up when their team went out, especially if travel plans no longer made sense.

That can cause a real short-term dip, not because the match is suddenly unpopular, but because supply spikes overnight.

This matters for 2026 because the host nations (especially the United States and Mexico) are likely to influence local demand in a huge way.

The Club World Cup 2025 in the United States: a warning about overshooting demand

The 2025 Club World Cup was not the World Cup, but it is still a very useful reference point because it exposed something important:

Big stadiums plus ambitious pricing does not automatically mean full crowds.

There were matches where ticket prices dropped hard closer to kick-off. In some cases, prices fell dramatically because the organisers and sellers were staring at empty seats.

Two key lessons came out of that event:

If demand is weaker than expected, prices can fall quickly.
Early buyers can end up paying far more than late buyers.

Of course, for World Cup 2026, the overall demand will be far higher. But the structure of the tournament makes it very likely that some matches will still feel “oversupplied” at the prices being asked.

There are 104 matches. Not all of them will feel like a must-see occasion, especially for local buyers.

U.S. Sports Resale Behaviour: Why Late Drops Are Common

Because so many matches are in the United States, it is worth understanding the typical resale pattern in American sport.

In many U.S. leagues, it is normal for resale prices to:

Start high
Drift down as the event gets closer
Drop most sharply in the final 24 to 72 hours, especially if the event is not fully sold out

The reason is simple. An unsold ticket becomes worthless at kick-off. Sellers who still have inventory late on often reduce prices quickly to salvage something.

However, there is an important exception.

If the event is truly in the “hot ticket” category, prices do not always fall. They can remain flat or rise, because buyers keep arriving and sellers do not panic.

World Cup 2026 will contain both types of events at the same time.

Table 1: Matches most likely to drop vs matches most likely to rise

Match type	Price trend most likely	Why
Neutral group match in a huge stadium	Down	Lots of seats, weaker urgency, sellers may panic late
Group match with a host nation	Up or stable	Strong local demand, travel demand, heavy emotion
Group match with a global giant	Up or stable	Travelling fans, big diaspora demand, strong interest
Early knockout with uncertain match-up	Volatile	Prices can swing once teams are known
Quarter-finals onwards	Up	Scarcity, bucket-list demand, fewer tickets available
Semi-finals and final	Mostly up	Global demand for World Cup Final tickets, with limited supply

The five Big Factors that Decide Whether Prices Soften

If you are trying to predict whether resale prices will come down for a specific match, these are the levers that matter most.

1. Who is playing (and who is still alive)

This is the big one. Demand changes the moment a match-up becomes clear.

If a host nation or a huge travelling nation is involved, prices can jump quickly. If a big team is eliminated, prices for future rounds can soften because fans stop travelling and start selling.

2. Stadium size and city appeal

World Cup 2026 uses very large venues. That increases supply, which can help prices, but only if demand keeps pace.

Some cities will attract neutral fans and tourists. Others will rely more on local interest. That difference often shows up on resale.

3. Timing and travel planning

International fans tend to buy earlier because flights and hotels hinge on having a ticket.

Local fans are more likely to wait, especially for neutral matches. That creates a classic “late drop” pattern for some games.

4. Pricing strategy and late ticket releases

Ticket sales happen in phases. More inventory can appear later, which sometimes takes the heat out of resale.

Even rumours of new releases can impact behaviour because buyers stop panicking when they think more supply is coming.

5. Fees and friction on resale

Higher fees make sellers reluctant to undercut early. But fees do not prevent panic selling later. If people need to shift tickets, they often lower prices anyway, especially close to kick-off.

6. Qualification play-offs can swing resale prices

One easy thing to forget is that a chunk of World Cup 2026 demand is not finalised until the qualification play-offs finish.

That matters because when a big country books its place late, fans do not just celebrate, they panic-buy flights, hotels and tickets.

UEFA play-offs (late March 2026): This is where major European nations can still be fighting for a spot. If a heavyweight like Italy has to come through the play-offs, the moment they qualify you can see an instant knock-on effect on resale pricing for their likely group matches (In Group B, vs Canada, Qatar and Switzerland).

Italy is also a great example of a team with wide neutral appeal and a strong Italian-American fanbase, which can amplify demand in certain US markets (starting withLos Angeles and Seattle in Group B).

Inter-confederation play-off tournament (late March 2026): this decides the final two qualifiers.

These teams arrive with very little lead time, which creates a very specific market pattern: late surges on group matches featuring the newly-qualified sides, and sometimes softening elsewhere as buyers switch budgets.

Table 2: A realistic timeline for how prices usually behave

Timeframe	What tends to happen
12 to 6 months out	High listings, lots of testing the market
6 to 3 months out	Weak matches soften slightly, premium matches stay high
After the group draw	Clear divergence by match-up and city
Group stage begins	First genuine bargains appear for unpopular games
Knockouts begin	Premium matches become more expensive fast
72 to 24 hours before kick-off	Biggest drops for unwanted tickets, fastest buying for hot ones

This is not a guarantee. It is the most common pattern we see across large events.

When it Makes Sense to Wait for World Cup 2026 Tickets

Waiting can be a smart move if you are flexible.

You might benefit from waiting if:

You want a neutral group match
You are happy to choose a match based on value
You are buying locally, without expensive travel bookings
You are targeting matches in very large stadiums
You can handle uncertainty

If you are playing the value game, the sweet spot is often the final few days, when sellers start worrying.

When it makes sense to buy early

Buying early is often smarter if the match is emotionally important to you.

You should lean towards buying early if:

You want a match involving a big team or a host nation
You want any later knockout match
You are travelling from abroad and need certainty
You have a specific match date and city locked in

If you are going anyway and the match is non-negotiable, holding out for a price drop can backfire.

A practical approach for fans who want the best shot at value

Here is a balanced plan that works well for most people:

Pick your “must-have” matches and your “nice-to-have” matches.
For must-haves, set a maximum price and be ready to move if it appears.
For nice-to-haves, stay flexible and watch the market closer to kick-off.
Keep a close eye after the group draw, because that is when pricing becomes real.
Do not ignore total cost. Flights and hotels can dwarf ticket savings.

Conclusion: Expect Plenty of Volatility Across Multiple Markets

World Cup 2026 resale prices are not going to behave in a single, predictable line.

Instead, expect a split market:

Premium matches will often stay expensive and may get worse.
Lower-profile matches may soften, and some could drop sharply late on.

If you want the best chance of paying less, flexibility is your friend. If you want certainty for a huge match, paying earlier can be the safer move.

Either way, the smart play is to understand what kind of match you are buying, because that is what decides whether prices come down or go up.

You can check those fluctuations with www.healtharomatherapy.com, instantly comparing World Cup ticket prices through the leading resale websites.

All websites on our platform are carefully checked for reliability, and offer a 100% guarantee on all sales, for extra peace of mind.

Right now there are 117 tickets in our inventory for World Cup 2026, with prices starting as low as €333.

A matchup in high demand right now is Poland vs Albania at €366 but www.healtharomatherapy.com still has plenty of seats available.

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World Cup 2026 Resale Ticket Prices: Will They Drop or Continue Rising?

Quick Answer First: Some World Cup Ticket Prices Will Drop, Some Will Not