Football fans in the UAE are preparing to spend up to Dh65,000 ($17,700) for a round trip to catch World Cup matches in the US next summer – if they can get their hands on tickets, which are expected to sell out in record time.
According to Football Supporters Europe, fans hoping to follow their team through all three group stage matches, then on to the final should expect to pay a minimum of $6,900 – almost five times the cost of watching the same number of games in Qatar in 2022.
While Fifa has introduced a small number of “more affordable” $60 tickets for all 104 matches following criticism of its pricing structure for the tournament, these will only be available to a certain number of “loyal fans” of the countries that have qualified.
These are also likely to be subject to dynamic ticket pricing, further increasing the cost of attending matches in the US, Mexico and Canada.
In 2022, football fans based in the Gulf were treated to a World Cup on their doorstep for the first time.
With its proximity to the UAE, airlines laid on extra flights to meet demand. Some fans were even able to watch two live games a day because of the distances within Qatar and efficient travel between stadiums.
The 2026 World Cup is a different proposition, with some venues almost 5,000km apart.
Monty Guhathakurta, 43, is a project manager in Dubai whose visit to the Qatar World Cup in 2022 inspired him to plan a trip to the US in 2026 – if he can buy a ticket.
“When the World Cup was in Qatar I was quite confident of getting there,” he said. “Logistics play an important role, and obviously the cost factor. Because of that, I may not go to USA, Mexico or Canada, as a lot will depend on the ticket prices which look very expensive, and their availability.
“I've done a feasibility study, but if you're looking at everything from flight tickets to and from the UAE, and for hotel and tickets you have to budget at least Dh50,000, maybe even Dh65,000.”
Flight prices
A return flight from Dubai to Dallas, Texas, in June 2026 can be picked up for Dh5,400, with 26-hour two-stop flights to Mexico City on sale for a similar price.
Fans heading to Canada can expect to pay slightly less, around Dh4,400, for one-stop flights to Toronto, but those prices are expected to climb as demand spikes closer to the summer.
Mr Guhathakurta attended three matches in Qatar; Belgium against Morocco, Spain versus Germany, and Portugal versus Uruguay.
For those three games, he paid about Dh3,000 in total, with two games part of hospitality packages.
There is also concern about political unrest in the US during the tournament. President Donald Trump is threatening to strip host cities of matches if crime rates escalate or local leaderships fail to comply with federal government directives.
Fans may also have to disclose information from social media accounts to qualify for a visa.
“Tickets are not easily available via the Fifa site, so a lot of people will try to look for tickets from other secondary markets,” said Mr Guhathakurta, who is from India but follows Argentina.
“We have to be careful who we approach for tickets because going all the way there, if you find you don't have tickets then that becomes a huge problem.
“The political environment in the US is not that great. Even now there are talks [that] venues might be shifted, in particular San Francisco and Seattle.
“If anybody wants to watch a game they are at risk of potentially seeing those cities being dropped at the last minute, which is a bit concerning.”
Argentine fan Emanuel Castelli, 35, from Buenos Aires, told The National he wanted to follow his country by going to some of their World Cup matches but could not justify the expensive prices.
“I’m not planning to travel to watch the matches as it's a very expensive trip,” he said. “I saw the prices and I thought it's impossible for me.
“If we book a travel package, which includes three tickets for the group stage, hotel and travel, it will cost around $10,000 per person.”
Mr Castelli travelled to Qatar with his father to support Argentina in 2022, attending matches against the Netherlands and Croatia.
“For the Netherlands match I bought two tickets for me and my father from the Fifa official page and it cost me $30 per ticket,” he said.
The further a team progresses in a competition, the more expensive a ticket is likely to cost. Mr Castelli was stunned to see group games for next year's World Cup costing the same as tickets bought on the black market for the semi-finals in Qatar.
“For the Croatia match I bought them from the black market for $700 each, now the official price for the group stage games next year is $700 per ticket,” he said. “It was a great experience back then in Qatar but I don’t think I can make it this time.”
Hospitality packages
Despite potential challenges ahead, tour companies are expecting huge demand from the Gulf region. Hospitality packages and corporate trips could mean businesses and high-paying executives fill the void left by priced-out fans.
Alan Holt, managing director at sports tourism agency ES Sport, expects a huge presence of fans from Mexico and South America to intensify the clamour for World Cup tickets.
“Ticket prices are something we've considered in terms of how involved we're going to be, but of course it's in a completely different location with a far bigger population and also very close to South America,” he said.
“A lot of South Americans travelled over to Qatar, so we expect them to travel in even greater numbers this time, placing further pressure on tickets.
“We're very involved on arranging flights, and for the accommodation, we've contracted a lot of rooms already throughout the US and Mexico.
“This time, because of the distances involved, we have put a lot more attention into the travel side of things than before.
“That's going to be a big part of this. It’s not just about buying a ticket. Fans will need all the logistical support, particularly for corporate clients.”
The tournament gets under way at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on June 11, when Mexico take on South Africa.
“If you look at the basic entry level of hospitality, flights and accommodation, you're going to be looking at a minimum of $10,000 to cover those costs,” said Mr Holt.
“It might not be suitable to everybody's pocket, but certainly real fans who have waited four years just to experience that will be happy to pay.”
Iraqi Ali Khayat, 49, a family and aesthetic doctor and owner of Muraqabat Medical Centre in Dubai, told The National that he does not have a plan yet to travel to the World Cup.
“I want to go but it's very far and match tickets are really expensive,” he said.
“With accommodation and expensive travel tickets, it will cost me a fortune to go with my wife and son.”
Dr Khayat enjoyed the Qatar tournament in 2022 but he doubts the next World Cup will live up to that.
“If Iraq qualify it will be very difficult for fans to attend the group matches,” he said.
He said his brother in the US has already applied for Fifa tickets through the website for different matches in the group stage, quarter and semi finals but he was shocked by the cost.
“The total quotation for the matches he picked will cost him close to $60,000. It's too much. I paid $200 for Tier Two category to watch a match in the quarter final in 2022,” he added.
“The other difficulty is getting a visa to the US. I checked and the first available appointment slot to submit documents for a US visa in the embassy was one year away. They said they will facilitate the visa but until now there is no update.”
