The FIFA World Cup is one of the largest sporting events on the planet. The tournament brings in billions of views worldwide, with last year’s world cup final being watched by over 1.5 billion people worldwide.

Due to the captivating nature of the games, the price to watch them in person is expensive. In the past, FIFA took this into account and gave discounts to locals of the host countries. 

Discounts were given in the last three World Cups, but the greatest of these were at the latest World Cup. In the 2022 tournament held in Qatar, residents were given a discount for tickets in category 4 of the stadium. The residents were required to give valid address information before they got the discount, and with the provided discount, the price for residents went from $60 USD to as low as $11 USD.

The World Cup organizers designed this discount to provide a more reasonable price for locals who may not have enough money to pay the full price of World Cup tickets. 

However, for the 2026 World Cup in North America, the discounts have suddenly vanished.

For soccer matches held 30 minutes from Brimmer, Gillette Stadium seat prices range from $500 to 70,000.

Long time soccer fan and Upper School Physics Teacher Chris Hardman, agrees that the ticket prices of the best seats at Gillette are “outrageous”.

“If I went and took my son only, and chose not to take my wife and daughter, which I would never do, that would mean an entire year’s salary has gone to watch a 90-minute soccer match,” Hardman said. “That’s not right. Nobody should ever pay that kind of money for a single soccer game.” 

Hardman, born in England, grew up with a different soccer culture.

“Growing up in the northwest of England, where many of the best teams in the world are, Manchester, Liverpool, Everton, that’s the neighborhood I’m from,” Hardman said. “It’s a working class game. This was something where the stadiums were built in the working class neighborhoods, and a lot of people would work Saturday morning, and then get out of work and go straight over to the stadiums to watch the games. That’s the tradition that I grew up with, and that is not what soccer is today.”    

Hardman feels very strongly towards the increased prices but also acknowledges that the competition needs to bring in money.

So far, Gillette Stadium has sold 94% of tickets, with the last few tickets being in the VIP lounge areas.

Although the prices for this World Cup are expensive, there are enough fans willing to pay the price to see the tournament.