World Cup ticket prices plunge as hundreds of seats remain unsold
Canada's June 12 match resale tickets dropped from $1,300 to $534 in days. An expert says prices could fall "dramatically" more to fill stadiums.
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FIFA World Cup tickets for Toronto's inaugural match are plummeting, and one soccer expert predicts they could drop even further before game day.
Canada's opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina is June 12 at Toronto Stadium. On Monday, the lowest resale ticket price on FIFA's official site fell to $534—down from just over $1,300 earlier this month. Hundreds of seats remain unsold across multiple price points.
Fans have been frustrated. Harp Patel, a Greater Toronto Area soccer fan, told CBC Radio she and her family entered multiple lottery draws but haven't secured a single ticket. In 2022, her family of five scored 24 tickets to Qatar matches for about $5,500. Now, they're priced out at Toronto prices five times that.
"We can barely afford two or three tickets for the price that we were to pay for 24 tickets back then," she said. "It feels like it might be completely out of reach."
Simon Kuper, a soccer writer who's covered eight World Cups, told Metro Morning that prices will fall "quite dramatically" in the coming days. FIFA knows U.S. audiences typically pay higher prices for sports, but the organization also knows empty stadiums hurt the brand.
"In the end, they are going to try and get people into the stadium. So prices must fall," Kuper said.
Kuper also noted that once the tournament actually starts, public grumbling about ticket prices tends to fade. For now, though, families like Patel's are watching and waiting—counting down the days until they can afford to get their kids to a live World Cup match.
With the tournament kicking off this Friday, the next few days could be the sweet spot to grab a reasonably priced seat.