FIFA may have received $5 billion from tickets and hospitality packages for the 2026 World Cup — Der Spiegel

FIFA may have received around $5 billion from the sale of tickets and hospitality packages for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. This was reported by Der Spiegel, citing the British newspaper The Times.

Comparison with the tournament in Qatar

According to the publication, the revenue amounted to approximately €4.49 billion. The Times estimates that this is more than five times higher than ticket revenue from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which stood at $929 million.

FIFA did not confirm the stated amount of revenue in response to an inquiry. A representative of the organization said that official figures would be published in the next annual report after the necessary verification procedures are completed.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

There were 64 matches played at the 2022 World Cup. At the 2026 tournament, 104 matches took place after the number of participants was expanded by 16 teams.

Criticism of prices and the secondary market

High prices and ticket-selling practices for the tournament in North America drew significant criticism and attracted the attention of judicial authorities in Germany and the United States. Due to dynamic pricing, ticket prices changed substantially. On FIFA's official secondary market, FIFA charged a 15% commission to both the seller and buyer of each ticket.

FIFA emphasized the availability of cheaper tickets and increased payments to the organization's member associations. A FIFA representative told The Times that tournament revenue would give these associations unprecedented resources to invest in football.