Quarterfinal ticket prices drop as Portugal, US crash out of World Cup
Shafaq News- Washington
Ticket prices for a FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal fell sharply after Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, and tournament co-host the United States were eliminated from the competition, according to Forbes.
Friday's quarterfinal had been widely anticipated as a potential showdown between Portugal and the United States, offering the prospect of Ronaldo facing the host nation. Instead, Spain will meet Belgium after both expected contenders were knocked out in the round of 16.
Portugal exited the tournament with a 1-0 defeat to Spain in what was widely described as Ronaldo's final World Cup appearance, while the United States suffered a 4-1 loss to Belgium.
Citing ticket marketplace TickPick, Forbes reported that the lowest resale price for Friday's quarterfinal dropped from $2,950 to about $1,200, a decline of nearly 60%. The fall extended across the tournament's quarterfinals, with average resale ticket prices dropping 31.5% over the past day and 50.4% over the previous three days.
The number of tickets listed on the secondary market also increased from about 28,000 to more than 49,000, suggesting weaker demand following the elimination of Portugal and the United States.
Despite the decline, the 2026 World Cup remains the most expensive in the tournament's history for ticket buyers. The cheapest available ticket for the final was still priced above $9,000, with prices expected to fluctuate depending on which teams advance.
Forbes also reported that Thursday's quarterfinal between Morocco and France in Foxborough, Massachusetts, had the lowest entry price among the last-eight matches, with tickets starting at $989.
