A Lifelong Fan's Warning: The World Cup Is Getting Too Expensive
For millions of football fans around the globe, the FIFA World Cup is more than a sporting event — it is a once-in-a-generation pilgrimage. The tournament brings together people of every nationality, language, and background under a single, unifying passion. But as the 2026 World Cup approaches, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, one veteran attendee is sounding the alarm: the rising cost of attending could shut the door on the very fans who make the event so special.
Michael McCready, 57, has attended four World Cups — in the United States in 1994, South Africa in 2010, Russia in 2018, and Qatar in 2022. He has watched the tournament evolve from a relatively accessible gathering into an increasingly exclusive experience, and he worries that 2026 may be the most expensive yet.
From Chicago to the World: A Lifelong Love of Football
McCready's relationship with the beautiful game started before he could even read. Growing up loving soccer from the age of five, he spent decades following international football with the kind of dedication that only true fans understand. When the 1994 World Cup landed in Chicago — practically his backyard — he seized the opportunity without hesitation.
What struck him most was not the quality of the football itself, but the atmosphere surrounding it. Fans from dozens of countries filled the streets, stadiums, and local restaurants with color, song, and an infectious sense of brotherhood. It was, in his words, a moment when the world felt genuinely small in the best possible way. That experience set the standard for everything that followed.
What Makes the World Cup Truly Special
Those who have only watched the World Cup on television often underestimate what it feels like to be there in person. The tournament is not simply a collection of football matches — it is a cultural festival that unfolds across an entire host nation for nearly a month. McCready describes the atmosphere at each of his four tournaments as electric in its own unique way.
- USA 1994: The novelty of football arriving in a country where it had not yet taken deep root created a sense of discovery and shared excitement. The crowds were enthusiastic and welcoming, eager to embrace something new.
- South Africa 2010: The tournament's African debut brought an emotional depth that was impossible to ignore. The sound of vuvuzelas, the pride of an entire continent hosting the world's biggest event, and the warmth of South African hospitality combined into something unforgettable.
- Russia 2018: Despite geopolitical tensions in the headlines, the Russian people proved to be gracious and enthusiastic hosts. McCready recalls being pleasantly surprised by the accessibility and organization of the tournament.
- Qatar 2022: The most compact World Cup in history, with stadiums clustered closely together, delivered high-quality football — but also the highest price tags McCready had ever encountered at a World Cup.
Why 2026 Is Shaping Up to Be the Most Expensive World Cup Ever
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest in history, expanding to 48 teams and spreading across 16 host cities in three countries. On paper, this sounds like great news for fans — more matches, more cities, more opportunities to attend. In practice, however, the sheer scale of the tournament is being matched by an equally dramatic escalation in costs.
Ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup have already raised eyebrows among supporters' groups and fan advocates. Accommodation costs in major American cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Miami are notoriously high even outside of major events. Add to that the cost of flights, ground transportation between host cities, food and drink, and official merchandise, and a World Cup trip for an ordinary fan could easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars.
McCready's concern is not simply financial. He worries about who gets left behind. The magic of the World Cup, he argues, comes specifically from the diversity of the crowd — the Argentine grandmother in full kit sitting next to the Nigerian student who saved for years to make the trip, next to the American first-timer who just fell in love with the sport. When prices rise high enough, that diversity disappears. What remains risks becoming a corporate hospitality event dressed up in football colours.
Practical Tips for Fans Who Still Want to Be There
Despite his concerns, McCready is not telling fans to stay home. He wants people to find ways to participate in the tournament in whatever capacity they can afford. Based on his four World Cup experiences, he offers the following advice.
- Embrace fan zones: Official and unofficial fan zones offer a genuine World Cup atmosphere without the cost of a match ticket. Large screens, food vendors, and thousands of fellow supporters create an experience that rivals being in the stadium itself for many fans.
- Use public transportation: In major host cities, match days will bring enormous crowds. Public transit is almost always the most cost-effective and time-efficient way to move around, and it is often where some of the best spontaneous fan interactions happen.
- Arrive early on match days: The pre-match atmosphere outside stadiums is a significant part of the World Cup experience. Arriving several hours before kickoff means more time to soak in the energy, connect with other fans, and secure better food and drink options at reasonable prices.
- Book accommodation far in advance: With 16 host cities, there are options at various price points — but they will disappear quickly. Staying slightly outside the city center and using transit to reach venues can dramatically reduce accommodation costs.
- Consider smaller host cities: Cities like Kansas City and Seattle are likely to see less extreme price inflation than New York or Los Angeles, and may offer a more intimate and accessible World Cup experience.
The Stakes Are Higher Than Just One Tournament
McCready's concerns reflect a broader conversation happening across the football world about the future of fan culture at major tournaments. FIFA and host organizations have a responsibility not just to deliver a commercially successful event, but to preserve the spirit that makes the World Cup worth watching in the first place.
If the 2026 World Cup becomes a tournament where the stands are filled primarily with corporate ticket holders and wealthy tourists rather than passionate supporters who have followed their national teams for years, something essential will be lost. The noise will be quieter. The color will be dimmer. The sense that football truly belongs to everyone will feel a little less true.
For fans who are still planning to attend, McCready's message is clear: it will take more planning, more budgeting, and more creativity than any previous World Cup. But the experience of being there — of standing in a crowd of thousands united by a single shared passion — remains worth fighting for. The World Cup is, at its best, proof that people from radically different backgrounds can come together in joy. That idea is too important to price out of existence.