In Part 1, I covered the basics of how FIFA's official resale works.
This time, I'll share what I learned from observing the market firsthand: ticket pricing trends. are summarized below.
This was before the draw (as of 2025), with matchups still undecided,
but even so, some patterns started to emerge. There were certain pricing characteristics worth noting.
This article shares the analysis I did to inform my own purchasing decisions,
for anyone else considering attending the tournament.
(Link to the FIFA resale page is here)
Chapter 2: Pricing Trends I Found Through My Own Research
What I discovered was that prices follow clear patterns. That's what became clear.
Broadly, there are 3 key patterns:
1. Matches involving host nations (USA, Canada, Mexico) are predictably expensive
Matches that could involve the US national team are
expensive from the start even before opponents are determined. High-priced .
Characteristics:
- Host cities are NY/NJ, LA, Dallas and other major cities
- USA national team matches or routes where the US is likely to play
Price range (Cat 1):
- $2,000 to $3,500+ is normal.
- Some are over $7,000 as well.
My assessment:
These were out of my budget.
2. Prices increase as the tournament progresses (GS < R32 < R16)
This is natural, but
Group Stage (GS)
- prices rise progressively as the tournament advances.
- Here are some characteristics at each stage:
- Demand is heavily skewed, making price movements hard to predict
- Many matches available near face value
Round of 32 (R32)
- $800-$1,500
- With many matches, there are bargains to be found
- Low-tax cities make the effective cost even cheaper
Round of 16 (R16)
- $1,200-$2,500
- Likely to feature top-team matchups, so prices tend to surge across the board
3. City-specific taxes significantly change the effective price
As mentioned in Part 1, since this is held in the US, the difference in state tax rates is significant. .
(I actually only realized this after buying...)
Example:
| City | State Tax | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Houston (TX) | 0% | The listed price is the final price. The best deal. |
| Dallas (TX) | 0% | Same as above. |
| Philadelphia (PA) | Approx. 5% | Within acceptable range. |
| Seattle (WA) | Approx. 10% | For expensive tickets, the tax alone can differ by tens of thousands of yen. |
When buying pricier tickets in high-tax cities,tax alone can add 10,000 to 90,000 yenso caution is needed.
5 Relatively Affordable Knockout Matches (Based on My Experience)
Based on my own research,
here are the matches I felt were relatively affordable (Cat 1):
| Match No. | Stage | Host City (Tax Rate) | Cat 1 Reference Price | Impression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76 | R32 | Houston (0%) | $846 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| 83 | R32 | Dallas (0%) | $910 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| 71 | R32 | Atlanta (8.9%) | $820 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| 68 | R32 | Miami (7%) | $850 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| 91 | R16 | Boston (6.25%) | $1,250 | ⭐⭐⭐ |
The overall trend was:
- R32 offers affordable options
- R16 prices remain high across the board
— those were the characteristics.
After organizing these pricing trends,
where to concentrate my budget started to become clearer.
In particular,
- The uncertainty of the group stage
- The advantage of zero-tax cities
- The stability of R32/R16 pricing
- The intense host-nation price bubble
— these points provided important insights for planning my viewing strategy.
In the next Part 3, I'll combine these pricing trends with my desire to watch Japan play, and share the strategy I arrived at.
How did these numbers lead to an actual purchasing decision? Please read on in Part 3.
overpriced, Continue to Part 3: Strategy and City Selection — The 3 Fateful Cities for Watching Japan
Bonus: Complete Data List
* For those who want to see the full market picture before reading Part 3.
* Data from the day I checked (November 25)
World Cup 2026 Resale Price Overview (Cat 1 Lowest Prices)
Match No. Round Host City Cat 1Lowest Price
1 Group Stage Mexico City Sold Out
2 Group Stage Guadalajara $825
3 Group Stage Toronto $3,793
4 Group Stage Los Angeles $3,737
5 Group Stage Boston $1,083
6 Group Stage Vancouver $780
7 Group Stage NY/NJ $969
8 Group Stage San Francisco $1,319
9 Group Stage Philadelphia $891
10 Group Stage Houston $690
11 Group Stage Dallas $851
12 Group Stage Monterrey $977
13 Group Stage Miami $730
14 Group Stage Atlanta $953
15 Group Stage Los Angeles $1,030
16 Group Stage Seattle $746
17 Group Stage NY/NJ $838
18 Group Stage Boston $698
19 Group Stage Kansas City $555
20 Group Stage San Francisco $977
21 Group Stage Toronto $1,165
22 Group Stage Dallas $736
23 Group Stage Houston $650
24 Group Stage Mexico City $7,868
25 Group Stage Atlanta $811
26 Group Stage Los Angeles $989
27 Group Stage Vancouver $1,150
28 Group Stage Guadalajara $3,447
29 Group Stage Philadelphia $729
30 Group Stage Boston $690
31 Group Stage San Francisco $1,150
32 Group Stage Seattle $2,298
33 Group Stage Toronto $3,450
34 Group Stage Kansas City $747
35 Group Stage Houston $718
36 Group Stage Monterrey $730
37 Group Stage Miami $805
38 Group Stage Atlanta $1,092
39 Group Stage Los Angeles $1,148
40 Group Stage Vancouver $965
41 Group Stage NY/NJ $842
42 Group Stage Philadelphia $828
43 Group Stage Dallas $770
44 Group Stage San Francisco $977
46 Group Stage Toronto N/A
47 Group Stage Houston $623
48 Group Stage Guadalajara $1,034
49 Group Stage Miami $730
50 Group Stage Atlanta $805
51 Group Stage Vancouver $1,123
52 Group Stage Seattle $817
53 Group Stage Mexico City $5,148
54 Group Stage Monterrey $739
55 Group Stage Philadelphia $782
56 Group Stage NY/NJ $1,090
57 Group Stage Dallas $747
58 Group Stage Kansas City $727
59 Group Stage Los Angeles $2,645
60 Group Stage San Francisco $1,092
61 Group Stage Boston $759
62 Group Stage Toronto $2,792
63 Group Stage Seattle $698
64 Group Stage Vancouver $904
65 Group Stage Houston $665
66 Group Stage Guadalajara $1,377
67 Group Stage NY/NJ $1,035
68 Group Stage Philadelphia $920
69 Group Stage Kansas City $770
70 Group Stage Dallas $920
71 Group Stage Miami $838
72 Group Stage Atlanta $920
73 R32 Los Angeles $1,187
74 R32 Boston $1,035
75 R32 Monterrey $1,056
76 R32 Houston $846
77 R32 NY/NJ $1,230
78 R32 Dallas $920
79 R32 Mexico City $2,300
80 R32 Atlanta $1,378
81 R32 San Francisco $2,127
82 R32 Seattle $1,150
83 R32 Toronto $3,956
84 R32 Los Angeles $1,265
85 R32 Vancouver $1,265
86 R32 Miami $943
87 R32 Kansas City $977
88 R32 Dallas $1,552
89 R16 Philadelphia $1,552
90 R16 Houston $1,380
91 R16 NY/NJ $2,070
92 R16 Mexico City $3,593
93 R16 Dallas $1,371
94 R16 Seattle $1,322
95 R16 Atlanta $1,713
96 R16 Vancouver $1,972
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