For the average soccer fan, the quest for 2026 World Cup tickets started last year when FIFA opened its Kafkaesque lottery system. Millions submitted bids as fast as their fingers could type in hopes of securing a reasonably priced seat to the sport’s world’s biggest tournament, then waited months to learn the outcome of their applications.
The process has been far less stressful for the event’s wealthier fans. According to travel planners for the ultrarich, there’s no rush to secure tickets or book trips when money is no object.
“They know that at their level they can get the top, top tier kinds of tickets and a private heli-transfer there and all the VIP access,” said Jackie DeAntonis, a private relationship manager for the higher-end division of luxury travel company Scott Dunn, which requires clients spend a minimum of $100,000 per year on trips. “And a lot of that seems to come at the last minute.”
Stuart McNeill, founder and CEO of Knightsbridge Circle, a global luxury lifestyle management service, said the price tags of their clients’ World Cup itineraries vary considerably. But they can easily run into the six figures and “increase quickly” between tournament hotel rates, private aviation, bespoke experiences and dedicated security arrangements.
Then there are the tickets.
Attending this tournament is costing fans exponentially more than previous editions. The most expensive ticket for the 2022 Qatar World Cup Final was about $1,600; the BBC reported the equivalent ticket to this year’s final in New York City went on sale for more than $10,000. Attendees can upgrade the experience further with VIP access, luxury suites, hospitality packages and more.
Many are willing to pay the exorbitant prices — and not necessarily because they love soccer.
“It’s a definite status symbol,” said Erica Jackowitz, co-founder of Roman & Erica, a lifestyle management company for the ultrawealthy.
Let’s go country-hopping
Unlike other high-profile events — such as the Super Bowl, which takes place on one day in one location — this year’s month-long, multicountry World Cup has travelers pushing to attend multiple matches.
“The most common is what I want to call the ‘triple threat,’” said Jack Ezon, founder of the luxury travel firm Embark Beyond. “Go to Mexico City for the opening … Vancouver for the knockout round and, finally, the July 19th [championship match] in New York City.”
Nicole Janoff, who leads the leisure division of Magma Global, a luxury travel concierge, said many of the company’s clients are making games “the centerpiece but not the entire reason for travel.”
She has couples spending $25,000 on five-night trips, but “it goes up,” she said. For ultrahigh-net worth travelers, World Cup trips are costing “$250,000 to $500,000 for family groups.” Many have opted for spending a week or two between games in more relaxing destinations — from a game in Los Angeles to Napa, say, or from a match in Dallas to the beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
For those attending games in Miami, a relaxing getaway is just a private seaplane ride away, if you book with the St. Regis Bal Harbour. For $187,000, guests will receive a two-night stay in the hotel’s presidential suite, followed by four nights in a presidential suite at the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort, plus perks like a private chauffeur to the Hard Rock Stadium to attend a World Cup game, massages, meals, yacht tours and butler service.
Of course, guests don’t need to book the package to splurge. Carlo Javakhia, the hotel’s general manager, said the property has families coming to stay for a week or two. Nightly rates for a deluxe room start from $3,500.
For one of DeAntonis’s clients, a British couple, a World Cup game in Dallas inspired a larger 22-day vacation through the United States. The trip will begin on the East Coast, with private tours (food, whale watching, Paul Revere) and stays at properties where rates can easily top $1,000 per night during peak season. Then it’s off to Texas for the match.
“That’s the shortest part of their itinerary,” DeAntonis said.
The trip will continue west for more Americana adventure: national park visits with private guides; whitewater rafting; 5-star all-inclusive luxury ranch stays and mountain retreats. The cost for the hotels and guided tours bookending the World Cup game alone — excluding transportation — “is coming in around $130,000,” DeAntonis said.
Airports? No thank you!
To dodge the masses at busy airports, much of the World Cup’s well-heeled clientele will fly private. Paul Malicki, CEO of the private jet service Flapper, said the charter industry is anticipating demand to surge around games — from roughly double the normal levels of business during quarterfinal games and up to 10 times higher for the finals.
Kolin Jones, founder and CEO of Amalfi Jets, said Los Angeles has been the most popular city requested for private charters. The cheapest charter to the World Cup will run Amalfi customers about $6,950 an hour, while the average booking is about $47,000. Longer trips from Europe to the U.S. are $165,000 on average. Jones said some bookings come with requests for extra touches like team merchandise and champagne on board.
Regular private jet travelers might notice an uptick in price. Janoff said this summer’s high fuel costs have translated to higher private jet rental costs. Malicki also said private terminals that facilitate private jet travel are charging thousands of dollars in additional event-related fees on top of operational costs.
That doesn’t mean many will be downgrading to commercial. “For travelers who are already considering private aviation, the decision isn’t about fuel costs,” Janoff said. “It’s about convenience.”
They’ll pass on traffic, too
With tens of thousands of fans descending on a stadium at once, game-day congestion is inevitable.
Some travelers will make do with private chauffeur services to make the ride more comfortable.
“We did have a request for a limousine service throughout their two-week stay from the moment they arrive in Miami to the moment they depart, and definitely to go to the stadium,” said Javakhia, the St. Regis Bal Harbour general manager. The cost of a private car for 12 hours per day for a week ranges between $9,000 and $12,000.
Other travelers will skip gridlock and take helicopters to games instead.
The Raffles Boston is including a private helicopter transfer that will transport guests over the bulk of the traffic to Gillette Stadium as part of a larger $75,000 package that includes four tickets to the Brazil vs. Morocco match. Malicki said his charter company has gotten a few chopper bookings, and he expects the service to be particularly popular in Los Angeles, Mexico City and New York. A ride from Manhattan to Teterboro Airport, the closest drop-off to the New Jersey stadium will cost between $3,200 and $15,500 depending on helicopter size, plus a landing fee around $1,000.
One final splurge
The tournament will end July 19 in New Jersey, where the high stakes and proximity to Manhattan are fueling what the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey have called “impossibly high prices.” They announced an investigation of FIFA’s pricing last month.
Nothing is impossible for the event’s wealthiest fans, though. McNeill has a package that includes front-row seats at midfield for the final in New Jersey, plus on-field access to the trophy presentation, among other perks. The cost for six attendees: $4 million.
DeAntonis said this week that a client of the company inquired about booking the Mark Hotel’s “World Cup Extravaganza” package, which includes a four-night penthouse stay at the Manhattan property that can accommodate six — plus two additional guest rooms to house personal staff — and pitch-side premium seating to the final match (and helicopter transfers there and back, naturally).
The package is priced at $1,000,000.
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