Nothing better exemplifies today’s K-shaped economy than the unaffordability of modern sports. Without exaggeration, most people would have to skip their rent payment to watch their favorite team play at a live event.

Tickets to the Stanley Cup Final were only available for “verified resale” at $1,000 each. Last month, the New York Knicks won the NBA championship for the first time in over 50 years—but it cost New Yorkers at least three grand to get into game four. 

But when it comes to outrageous profiteering, the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, takes the cake. The planet’s most-watched sporting event is bigger and more extravagant than ever. There are 48 teams competing, 16 more than in 2022. That means 10 more days of play, 40 more matches, and approximately 3.7 million more tickets to sell. 

That may sound like more soccer for everyone. But compare 2022’s ticket prices—ranging from $70 to $1,600—with 2026’s, which rose to over $1,000 for the initial group stage. FIFA President Gianni Infantino insisted that entertainment simply costs more in the North American market. Allegedly, the price hikes were supposed to discourage scalpers—who still bought plenty of tickets for FIFA’s official resale market.

This led to the pathetic spectacle of thousands of empty seats when the US met Paraguay in the tournament’s third-most expensive match. With resellers demanding between $1,120 and $2,735 a pop, it’s no wonder Los Angelenos weren’t willing to shell out. Even Trump quipped that he wouldn’t buy a ticket at these prices.

There was public outcry when the first round of tickets went on sale in October. Rather than reducing prices, FIFA introduced dynamic pricing. The system is similar to how airlines price gouge. Between October and April, the cost of Category 1 seats went up by an average of $200. Some tickets even doubled. Despite forking up thousands of dollars, in many cases, Category 1 ticket holders were reseated to accommodate FIFA’s “corporate partners.”

On top of this, there’s the surge in public transportation costs. For example, New Jersey Transit is charging $98 for a rail line ticket from Manhattan to MetLife Stadium, a trip that usually costs only $13.

In 1994, when the US last hosted the World Cup, the average ticket cost $58, and a seat at the final cost only $475. Adjusted for inflation, those figures would be $131 and $1,069. What do equivalent tickets to the 2026 World Cup go for? $1,300 and $10,000—an incredible 1,000% increase! Meanwhile, the median household income has only risen 32% over the same period. 

Thanks to exorbitant price gouging and shameless corporate sponsorships, FIFA is poised to collect at least $11 billion in revenue, $3.5 billion more than it did in 2022. Some analysts anticipate that figure will climb as high as $15 billion. Where will the money go? As a “nonprofit” organization, Infantino claims that FIFA will plough all of it back into the “beautiful game.”

Of course, at least half a million is going straight to the FIFA president’s increased pay package. He is also allocating another $2.7 billion to FIFA’s 211 constituent member associations—just in time for his 2027 reelection campaign. FIFA’s storied history of corruption leaves little chance that these billions will be spent promoting the sport in impoverished nations.

While the world’s first trillionaire can blow $1.5 million at the UFC “Freedom 250” cage match, a working-class stiff can barely afford a beer at the ballgame. In the long run, however, “bread and circuses” will lose their effectiveness if proletarians are priced out.