Every four years, the entire planet stops to watch one tournament. The FIFA World Cup is bigger than the Super Bowl, bigger than the Olympics in pure viewership, and in 2026, it’s coming to American soil for the first time since 1994. With matches spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, this edition of the tournament arrives with record-breaking expectations. Behind the excitement, however, a complicated mix of politics, pricing and access has become a major storyline heading into kickoff.
Demand for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico has been described by some travel directors as the strongest they have ever experienced. Stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are set to take the field in American stadiums, and billions of fans worldwide will tune in. The economic stakes for the U.S. are significant. A joint FIFA-WTO study projected the tournament would generate roughly $30.5 billion in economic output for the United States alone. Advertisers, hotels and merchandise sellers have all been preparing for years to capitalize on the influx.
Yet, the path to the stadium has proven difficult for many fans around the world.
Ticket prices have drawn widespread attention. The cheapest ticket for the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey is listed at over $4,000, rising to nearly $8,700 for the most expensive category. For comparison, the cheapest openly available ticket for the 2026 final is more than seven times the price of the 2022 equivalent. FIFA uses a dynamic pricing model, where costs fluctuate based on demand, a system common in American sports and the music industry, but one that has drawn criticism from international soccer communities more accustomed to fixed-price ticketing. The human cost of these prices is not lost on fans closer to home, either. Ellie Wilson, a senior and women’s varsity soccer player at Millbrook High School, argues that the pricing structure creates a painful divide: “People from lower socioeconomic classes, who are some of the most passionate fans, are not able to come and support their nations at the biggest sports event in the world.”
Former Liverpool FC CEO, Peter Moore, has questioned the approach, asking, “It’s the world’s game, but who is this World Cup for if the world can’t get in?” FIFA, for its part, has defended the pricing structure, stating that revenue is reinvested into the global development of football.
Travel restrictions have added another layer of complexity. Under travel bans imposed through executive order, fans from four participating countries, the Ivory Coast, Haiti, Iran and Senegal, cannot enter the United States unless they already hold valid visas. Altogether, the White House has imposed bans or travel restrictions on around three dozen countries.
The effects appear to be extending beyond those directly impacted. Reports of immigration enforcement activity in several host cities have raised concerns among international travelers more broadly, with some observers noting a negative impact on willingness to attend. Some fans from unrestricted countries have indicated they will attend matches in Canada or Mexico, but are hesitant to travel within the U.S.
One French fan association that typically sends around 400 members to the World Cup reported that only 100 plan to attend, citing ticket prices and the political climate in the U.S. as the primary factors. Nonetheless, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has maintained that the tournament will be a success, previously stating that between five and ten million people would travel from around the world to attend. The White House has also expressed confidence, with a spokesman calling the 2026 World Cup “one of the greatest and most spectacular events in the history of mankind.” Whether attendance figures ultimately reflect those expectations remains to be seen as the tournament approaches.
What is clear is that the 2026 World Cup is shaping up to be one of the most talked-about tournaments in recent memory, both for what happens on the pitch and for the broader conversations it has sparked about access, cost and the future of international sport.
