The FIFA World Cup 2026 has started with a great atmosphere. In this tournament being hosted by America, Canada and Mexico, enthusiasm is being seen in the stadiums and fan zones. However, for common football lovers, being a part of the World Cup this time is proving to be much more expensive than before. High ticket prices, travel expenses and visa related challenges are weighing heavily on the pockets of fans.
According to the ET report, the effect of high ticket prices was also visible on the number of spectators in many matches. During the match between Qatar and Switzerland played in Mexico, many seats in the stadium were seen empty. At the same time, in the match played between South Korea and Czech Republic, a large number of seats remained vacant in the hospitality section. football fans say that fifa The initial ticket prices were very high, after which the tickets on the resale platform became even more expensive. In such a situation, many people could not come to watch the match even if they wanted to.
America’s immigration rules also become a challenge
There is also concern regarding American immigration rules and visa process during the tournament. Maria Price, who lives in Los Angeles, says that many people of Mexican origin are avoiding coming to public events. He believes that due to the immigration actions taken in the past years, there is an atmosphere of fear among the people. Fans from many countries have also faced problems related to visa approval and travel documents, which has affected their travel plans.
World Cup expanded, excitement increased
This time FIFA has increased the number of teams participating in the tournament from 32 to 48. Due to this, the number of matches has also increased and many such teams have got a chance which had not been able to make it to the World Cup for years. This tournament has become special for the fans of teams like Paraguay, Haiti and Scotland. In New York, Toronto and other cities, expatriate communities were seen supporting their countries in large numbers.
Fans forced to spend thousands of dollars
Morocco supporter Ayoub Musanovich said he spent about $1,700 to buy a ticket for the match. Meanwhile, South Korean fan Hyunki Jo spent about $5,000 on his travel and watching the match. However, there are many fans who could not buy tickets. Some football lovers living in Toronto were seen sitting outside the stadium watching the match on mobile phones. He said that the ticket prices were out of his reach, but he wanted to experience the World Cup atmosphere.
Inflation pales in comparison to passion
Despite the rising costs of tickets, travel and visas, the enthusiasm of football fans has not diminished. Fans from all over the world are traveling thousands of kilometers to support their countries. This is the reason that despite all the challenges, the color of FIFA World Cup 2026 is shining all over the world and the passion for football seems to outweigh every difficulty.
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