World Cup Ticket Prices Crash After USA, Cristiano Ronaldo Exit

Ticket prices for Friday’s FIFA World Cup quarter-final in Los Angeles have plunged after the elimination of hosts the United States and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal from the tournament.

According to a Forbes report, the cheapest resale tickets for the match dropped by almost 60 per cent following Monday’s Round of 16 matches. Prices on the secondary marketplace TickPick fell from $2,950 to around $1,200.

The sharp decline came after Belgium thrashed the United States 4-1 in Seattle, ending hopes of a home side featuring in the last eight.

Portugal also bowed out after a 1-0 defeat to Spain in Arlington, Texas. The result brought Ronaldo’s World Cup career to an end and removed one of the tournament’s biggest attractions from the Los Angeles fixture.

Forbes said the exits of both the hosts and Portugal had a major impact on demand.

“Spain defeated Portugal 1-0 on Monday, ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career and removing a significant amount of star power appeal from the quarterfinal match in Los Angeles, which would have likely had far higher ticket prices if the U.S. and Portugal faced off instead,” the report read.

The report also said average resale prices for all World Cup quarter-final matches have dropped by 31.5 per cent over the past day and by 50.4 per cent over the last three days, citing ticket marketplace SeatPick.

SeatPick added that the number of tickets available on secondary markets has increased to 49,415 from 28,285 at the start of the tournament.

Among the quarter-final ties, Thursday’s meeting between France and Morocco in Foxborough, Massachusetts, is currently the cheapest, with resale tickets available from $989, according to TickPick.

Despite the fall in quarter-final prices, demand for the World Cup final remains strong.

Forbes reported that the cheapest resale ticket for the July 19 final in New Jersey was priced at $9,346 as of Tuesday, although that figure is expected to change depending on the teams that qualify.

The report added that the 2026 FIFA World Cup has become the most expensive edition in the tournament’s history, with ticket prices reaching levels several times higher than those seen at previous World Cups.