Game On: Sports News, Highlights & Commentary
- Demand spikes for matches like Colombia v Portugal and Scotland v Brazil due to stars, diasporas, and Miami's affluent, tourist appeal.
- The Fifa expansion to an 48-team format diluted group-stage stakes, making many matches harder to sell without focused marketing.
- Secondary market shows group-stage resale prices falling approaching the tournament; prices usually decline unless genuine scarcity drives late increases.
It’s no surprise that the most expensive World Cup resale tickets are for the final. But the next priciest is a group game between two nations who have never reached that stage.
A ticket to the Colombia v Portugal group game in Miami on 27 June is the tournament’s second-most expensive seat on the resale marketplace, with a cheapest asking price of $2,254 as of 17 May, according to TicketData.com, an analysis site.
That is far less than the “get-in price” of $7,734 to the final, but more than the semi-finals in the Dallas area ($2,170) and Atlanta ($2,117). The second-costliest group game is presently Scotland v Brazil, also in Miami, with availability for $1,641. Demographics, geography, star power and the south Florida city’s seductive reputation are combining to make Colombia’s clash with Portugal especially attractive.
“It’s clearly the last time to see Ronaldo so people are excited about that, the Colombian population is significant there, and Miami has become kind of the party central for this event,” says Jim McCarthy, a ticketing expert whose company, Impresario Strategic Growth Service, works with football clubs to grow their attendances. “Also, it’s a good match. As group stage matches go there aren’t that many with two really good teams.”
It may seem unusual that leading European powers – Spain, Germany, France and England – are not the biggest draws, at least by this metric, which is a strong indicator of market dynamics set by supply and demand. But Fifa’s expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams has diluted the group stage by mixing in more minnows and reducing the stakes, since eight third-place teams will progress in addition to the top two in each group.
“They’re all priced with the presumption of very high demand for them and I think the reality is that with the group stage changing the way that it has, there are lots of games that were always going to require some real marketing and some real thought to get them sold,” McCarthy says.
So Colombia’s clash with Portugal stands out especially in a touristy city that’s often dubbed the gateway to Latin America. Flights between Colombia and Miami are relatively affordable, and there are an estimated 1.8 million people of Colombian origin in the US, according to census data, including over 310,000 in the Miami area. There are an estimated 1.4 million people of Portuguese origin in the US, including more than 90,000 in Florida.
It’s also fair to assume that many Americans without a rooting interest are keen to see a match between two of the world’s best teams, especially if Cristiano Ronaldo is involved. With about 6.4 million residents, greater Miami is the eighth largest metropolitan area in the country. The city is home to a large number of wealthy people: nearly 15% of households are estimated to earn $200,000 or more according to census data. Another study puts the number of Miami millionaires at almost 39,000.
While prices are astronomical across the board, the data suggests that group stage resale prices are falling as the tournament approaches: down 23% on average in the past 30 days, though essentially unchanged in the past week. “The secondary market of course is a pretty good X-ray, down-deep, snapshot of what value people place on these tickets,” McCarthy says.
“As you approach the last weeks before an event the tendency is downward in terms of ticket prices. Unless there’s true scarcity, ticket prices don’t tail up at the end, they tail downward, and sometimes they tail downward rapidly. So we’re going to see where things really are, which is kind of fascinating.”
Most expensive group games
(Figures exclude Mexico and are the cheapest available single ticket resale price according to ticketdata.com as of Sunday 17 May)
Colombia v Portugal
Cheapest resale price: $2,254
Date and location: Saturday 27 June, Miami, 7.30pm local time
It’s 34-year-old James Rodriguez against 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s two of the globe’s best teams in a glitzy city. And as this is their third group game, it’s possible that everything could be on the line for one or both of these nations. Though since they will have already played DR Congo and Uzbekistan, and given the forgiving qualification format, it’s likely both will have advanced to the knockout rounds before kick-off.
Scotland v Brazil
Cheapest resale price: $1,641
Date and location: Wednesday 24 June, Miami, 6pm local time
Florida has a large Brazilian population and Brazil hold eternal appeal for neutrals, no matter that they haven’t won the trophy since 2002 and have only gone beyond the quarter-finals on one occasion since (a 7-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 semis). The Tartan Army mobilises in numbers for big tournaments and rarity is also driving demand among Scottish fans given that this year is the team’s first World Cup appearance since 1998.
Brazil v Morocco
Cheapest resale price: $1,383
Date and location: Saturday 13 June, New York/New Jersey, 6pm local time
Another metropolitan area with a significant number of Brazilians. As well as a lot of rich people habituated to paying exorbitant prices: premium tickets to Broadway shows can cost in excess of $1,200. This is also a helpful kick-off day and time for families and fans travelling long distances; even the 15 or so miles from Brooklyn can seem like a serious trek when trying to reach this venue. And facing the 2022 semi-finalists should prove a stiff challenge for Brazil.
Argentina v Austria
Cheapest resale price: $962
Date and location: Monday 22 June, Dallas area, 12pm local time
There are substantial Argentinian communities in Dallas and Houston and the centrally located Dallas area is convenient for many (as long as you aren’t hoping to take a train), with a major airport and well over 25 million people within day trip driving range. Since Austria’s other two group games are among the cheapest, it’s fair to say that desire to see Lionel Messi’s reigning champions is what’s fuelling the prices.
USA v Paraguay
Cheapest resale price: $937
Date and location: Friday 12 June, Los Angeles, 6pm local time
The co-hosts kick off their campaign at glitzy Sofi Stadium, where they’ll also face off against Turkey in their third group game. In-between they will meet Australia in Seattle. The US beat Paraguay 2-1 in a friendly last November, but this time it’s not only about the football. Likely driving up prices is the opening ceremony, which Fifa promises will be a “high-energy spectacle” that will “bring the sound of the Fifa World Cup 2026 to life”. That sound is not, in fact, the beep of payment machines registering transactions, but the music of stars including Katy Perry.
Least expensive
Cape Verde v Saudi Arabia
Cheapest resale price: $156
Date and location: Friday 26 June, Houston, 7pm local time
Cape Verde has a population of about 525,000, and is the third-smallest nation by population ever to qualify for a World Cup after fellow debutants Curaçao and Iceland (who made it in 2018). They’re a good story, but their modest size implies a limited quantity of travelling fans. The US diaspora is thought to be roughly as large as the islands’ population, though it’s centred far from Texas in New England. Saudi Arabia don’t lack rich fans but they are unlikely to attract many neutrals.
Austria v Jordan
Cheapest resale price: $180
Date and location: Tuesday 16 June, San Francisco Bay area, 9pm local time
It’s the World Cup debut for Jordan, an improving regional force who were runners-up to Qatar in the 2023 Asian Cup and are benefiting from the expansion to a 48-team format. Austria, often a tad underrated and underachieving, finished above France, the Netherlands and Poland in their group at Euro 2024 and play an energetic pressing brand of football under their influential veteran German coach, Ralf Rangnick. Neither country has a large population so are unlikely to attract crowds of traveling fans.
Uzbekistan v DR Congo
Cheapest resale price: $180
Date and location: Saturday 27 June, Atlanta, 7.30pm local time
Italy have missed out on the World Cup for the third time in a row but at least Uzbekistan are coached by the great Fabio Cannavaro, who captained the Azzurri to victory in 2006. They are making their World Cup debut 35 years after becoming an independent country and are also the first Central Asian team to qualify. DR Congo are back on the big stage for the first time since 1974 and impressively overcame Cameroon, Nigeria and Jamaica to reach this point.
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