The 2026 World Cup officially began on Thursday as Mexico faced South Africa at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca. But the opening of the largest tournament in FIFA history was overshadowed by two things: tickets that cost as much as $30,000 and US visa denials that blocked a Somali referee from entering the country.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the tournament's setup during a Wednesday appearance in Mexico City. He pointed to limited $60 tickets and an average price below $500, insisting these were the lowest among major American sports in playoff stages. But some tickets have exceeded $30,000, and fans have complained loudly.
This is the first World Cup where FIFA moved away from largely fixed prices used in previous editions like Qatar 2022 or Russia 2018. Instead, it applies variable pricing: prices are reviewed and adjusted across multiple sales phases based on real-time demand, match importance, participating teams, venue, seat location, and remaining availability.
After early backlash, FIFA introduced a limited Supporter Entry Tier at a flat $60 per ticket available for all 104 matches, including the final. These are allocated through national federations primarily to loyal supporter groups and fans following their teams. They typically represent about 10% of each association's ticket allocation, with another 40% in a slightly higher Value Tier. General public prices start higher at $120+, and premium packages reach tens of thousands.
Ticketing and hospitality are central to FIFA's record financial targets. The overall 2023–2026 cycle aims for about $13 billion in revenue. Matchday income is projected to roughly triple previous levels, potentially reaching $3 billion. That's thanks to more matches (104 vs 64), larger venues in North America, and variable pricing.
US immigration enforcement has created further complications. Somali referee Omar Artan was blocked after arriving in Miami. US authorities cited alleged links to suspected terrorist organizations. Iranian team officials and fans have also been affected. Infantino called the referee's exclusion unfortunate, noting FIFA can't control every factor and must stay calm while working through problems.
He described Iran's participation despite its military conflict with the US as a significant achievement for the organization.
Infantino credited President Trump with making the event possible in the United States, saying his involvement was essential. Trump, who spoke with Infantino, confirmed plans to attend some matches and said nothing close to this level of success had been seen before.
The expanded 48-team competition is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. It will run for nearly six weeks and end with the final in New Jersey on July 19. South Africa coach Hugo Broos warned his players to block out the wall of noise inside the Estadio Azteca, the iconic venue that hosted World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986.
High demand—hundreds of millions of ticket requests for roughly 7 million seats—has been cited as validation of FIFA's pricing strategy. But the debate over accessibility versus revenue isn't settled, especially as fans and officials from certain countries face barriers to entry.