When FIFA had first revealed ticket prices for the 2026 World cup final, fans were flabbergasted. Upper-deck seats started at $4,210, seats closer to the pitch were priced at $6,730, and a Category 1 ticket came with a hefty $10,990 price tag. But looking back now, those prices seem like a bargain.

The resale market has pushed prices to staggering heights, putting the match on course to become the most expensive sporting event ever. Not just fans, even players have come out to criticize the prices, like Spain striker Borja Iglesias Quintas.

Quintas shared a Complex post on Instagram showing resale prices, captioning it: “una vergüenza (shame).”‘

According to SeatGeek, the average World Cup final ticket sold on its platform cost $12,751, topping the previous record set by the 2024 Super Bowl by more than $2,000. Meanwhile, resale prices at MetLife Stadium stretch from about $9.3K to a staggering $49.4K. Seats closer to the pitch range between $10.6K and $38.8K, while midfield and club sections command between $12.3K and $36.4K.

On the other hand, TicketData reported the cheapest World Cup final ticket climbed to about $10,000 on Saturday after Spain and Argentina secured their places for the showdown. By 5 p.m. ET Sunday, FIFA’s platform still had seats: lowest accessible at $8,050, cheapest standard at $9,775. Some listings even soared to an astonishing $2.3 million.

Now, it is not surprising that prices have been swinging for the big day. In fact, this has been going on for months. Entry cost topped $13,000 last October before falling to about $6,500. It hovered near $8,500 between December and May, reached roughly $12,000 in late June, slipped back to around $6,500 earlier this week, rose again on Friday, and settled near $9,000 by Saturday evening.

TicketData founder Keith Pagello explained: “At this stage, you’re dealing with a thin market where it doesn’t take a huge number of transactions to move the get-in price.”

Pagello also noted that buyers eventually stop waiting for cheaper deals and decide to secure their seats, much like last year’s College Football Championship. At that time, the prices briefly dipped on game day before climbing again. Moreover, the urgency, or rather the 4-year gap between each FIFA World Cup, has helped make the final pricier than every post-pandemic Super Bowl, or the two recent NBA Finals games at MSG.

The only comparable exception came in 2015, when the New England Patriots faced the Seattle Seahawks. Ticket prices briefly topped $11,000. Pagello blamed broker activity and a severe ticket shortage, not fan demand.

Well, MetLife offered FIFA the biggest financial advantage. With an official World Cup capacity of 80,663, the stadium gives FIFA the chance to generate millions more in ticket revenue. That extra capacity turned New Jersey into the clear choice for football’s biggest night.

But it has also drawn criticism from fans and players like Borja Iglesias Quintas. Because, again, at the end of the day, the prices aren’t affordable to many.