The luxury World Cup evolving into a Super Bowl: Watching the final match costs 30 million won [Lee Jong-seong's Sports Culture & Industry]

*This content was translated by AI.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, opening on June 11 (local time), is expected to be the most expensive World Cup in tournament history.

On the World Cup ticket resale site that opened last week, the price for a final match ticket soared to $20,000 (approximately 29.5 million won).

For fans attending the final match at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the sharply rising public transportation costs, in addition to the enormous ticket prices, are expected to be a heavy burden.

This is because the New Jersey Transit Authority announced that round-trip train tickets from New York Penn Station to MetLife Stadium will cost $150 (approximately 220,000 won).

Considering that train tickets on the same route to watch New York Giants or New York Jets games on days when National Football League (NFL) matches are held usually cost $13 (approximately 20,000 won), this is an incredibly high price.

Fundamentally, the World Cup in North America has seen ticket prices surge due to FIFA's introduction of a dynamic ticket pricing system based on real-time demand. The U.S. World Cup organizing committee has also imposed astronomical prices for special events on match days.

The reason for the New Jersey Transit Authority's decision to raise train ticket prices is clear. Eight matches, including the World Cup final, will be held at MetLife Stadium. The New Jersey Transit Authority expects the number of train passengers on match days to increase by about four times compared to usual. This is because FIFA plans to close the parking lot at MetLife Stadium during the World Cup period. However, the New Jersey Transit Authority's position is that it has no choice but to raise train ticket prices because there is no financial support from FIFA for this.

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, in an interview with "The Wall Street Journal" on the 18th, stated, "The New Jersey Transit Authority must bear the cost of $48 million (approximately 70.9 billion won) to safely transport fans to the stadium, while FIFA is earning $11 billion (approximately 16 trillion won) from the World Cup," and urged that "FIFA should cover the round-trip transportation costs for fans."

However, regarding this, FIFA stated, "We are not aware of any cases where the organizers of events held at MetLife Stadium, such as major sporting events or concert tours, have borne the transportation costs for fans," and deliberately ignored the New Jersey governor's claim.

The rise in transportation costs in U.S. World Cup host cities is not limited to New Jersey. Boston is the same. During the World Cup period, bus fares from Boston to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, are expected to rise to $95 (approximately 140,000 won). This is four times the usual fare.

Meanwhile, the soaring World Cup ticket prices, which were criticized not only by football fans worldwide but also by U.S. politicians, have become an investment target for private equity funds.

Eagle Point, a U.S. private equity firm, invested $50 million (approximately 73.8 billion won) in a World Cup ticket resale company. An Eagle Point official explained the background of the investment through "The Financial Times" on the 17th, stating, "World Cup ticket prices have a value up to three times the face value."

The ticket resale company in which Eagle Point invested is Sports Illustrated Tickets, a subsidiary of the U.S. sports magazine Sports Illustrated.

Sports Illustrated signed a 13-year contract with Major League Soccer's (MLS) New York Red Bulls last September, and the Red Bulls' home stadium was named Sports Illustrated Stadium. The company also plans to host viewing parties at this stadium during the World Cup period.

Sports Illustrated Tickets is known as a company that handles the resale of tickets not only for sports events like the World Cup but also for concerts by famous musicians and theater performances. Among these, the asset that Eagle Point values most is concert tickets for the K-pop group BTS, which can be sold in the resale market at prices about four times higher than the face value.

FIFA can also earn significant revenue through the resale of World Cup tickets. This is because it collects a 15% fee from both ticket buyers and sellers.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has frequently mentioned that this North American World Cup will become "104 Super Bowls." This means that all World Cup matches, significantly increased due to the expansion of the number of participating countries, will be as profitable as the Super Bowl of the NFL, the most profitable professional sports league in the United States.

The cheapest ticket price for the 2026 Super Bowl match was approximately 6 million won. However, the average ticket price sold on ticket resale sites approached 15 million won.

FIFA is pleased with the soaring ticket prices for the North American World Cup. In fact, halftime shows are even being prepared for the North American World Cup final, just like the Super Bowl.

However, it remains to be seen whether FIFA's plan to develop the World Cup into a Super Bowl will succeed. This is because many football fans are showing signs of giving up on watching World Cup matches due to high ticket prices and anti-American sentiment. This is the reason why hotels in major U.S. cities where the World Cup is held are significantly reducing room rates on match days.

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*This content was translated by AI.