USMNT Legend Clint Dempsey Rips World Cup Ticket Prices

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is less than two months away.

But affording a ticket to witness the world’s most glorious footballing event in person feels light-years away for most people in North America.

Retired USMNT legend Clint Dempsey stuck up for the average American soccer fan while appearing on “The Cooligans” on Friday.

“You can’t price out the working class from games, right?” Dempsey said. “When you think about soccer, or football, you think about all you need is a ball to go play, right? You could be barefoot, and all you need is a ball. If you don’t have the true people that are involved in the game - and it covers every culture, every demographic - you can’t price out the people that live it.”

Dempsey didn’t absolve U.S. Soccer entirely, however.

“Also, you have to inspire,” Demspey said. “You need a product on the field that makes people want to spend that money to watch you play. There was a big opportunity in Atlanta. There was big crowds for the Belgium and Portugal games, and we just didn’t take advantage of that.”

The USMNT hosted two international friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in late March. Belgium routed the U.S. 5-2, and Portugal won 2-0.

The USMNT could be the favorites to win the World Cup, which they decidedly are not, and most fans would not be able to afford to go to a game this summer.

ESPN reported in early April that FIFA added a new category 1 tier that asked up to $4,105 for the U.S.’s World Cup opener against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 12. Category 2 tickets ranged from $1,940 to $2,330.

As of April 1, NPR reported that FIFA’s price for a ticket to the World Cup final was $10,990.

The resale market, as per usual, is even bleaker. On Thursday, ESPN reported that FIFA’s resale site had World Cup final tickets behind the goal in the lower bowl listed at around $2.3 million. Luckily, the World Cup is televised.

See a full list of the 2026 FIFA World Cup host cities here.

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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 5:19 PM.