For as long as he can remember, football has been an intrinsic part of Lawrence Yee’s existence. Growing up in a Canadian town dominated by hockey, he discovered a sense of community and enthusiasm through the beautiful game. This passion—along with the emotional highs and lows of being a fan—has intertwined with his adulthood. Nearly four years ago, when FIFA announced that Toronto and Vancouver would be among 16 cities hosting the World Cup, Yee was overjoyed.
“When I heard that the biggest tournament in the world was coming to Toronto, I was in disbelief,” he expressed. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for someone like me, living in the city and able to bike to the venue. I was ready to be first in line for tickets.”
However, as Canada prepares to face Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12, marking the first men’s World Cup match ever played on Canadian soil, Yee finds himself absent from the stands. His initial enthusiasm, shared by countless others across the nation, has been overshadowed by FIFA’s new ticket pricing strategy, which many fans deem exorbitant.
With less than two weeks until the games in Vancouver and Toronto, a significant number of tickets for each of the ten matches in Canada remain unsold. This stands in stark contrast to earlier reports claiming overwhelming demand. Furthermore, hotels are operating at only 80% capacity, a level typically seen during the summer months.
In April, FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed attendees in Vancouver, asserting that ticket demand was tenfold that of the last two World Cups combined.
“We received 500 million ticket requests. In the last two World Cups together, we had 50 million requests. Here, it’s 500 million. We sold out around 90% of the tickets available so far,” he stated.
Yet, this supposed demand appears to have faltered due to ticket prices. The lowest-priced tickets for Canada’s opening match start at over C$1,000 (£535).
Infantino defended the pricing model, stating, “We are consistently offering tickets to the market. While there are expensive options, there are also affordable ones available.”
However, Moshe Lander, a sports economist at Concordia University, noted that FIFA’s goals of maximizing revenue and filling stadiums are misaligned. Under the current approach, selling high-priced tickets rather than filling seats becomes the priority.
“FIFA has complete control over the World Cup. There’s no competition, so they can act in any unethical way they choose unless fans are willing to walk away. This means not just avoiding their financial support but also not watching the matches at local pubs. If enough people do that, maybe they’ll reconsider their approach,” Lander commented.
A FIFA spokesperson claimed that, “Never before in the tournament’s history have more tickets been sold directly to fans,” highlighting the organization’s choice to allocate at least 1,000 tickets at a price of US$60—considered “a very competitive price for a major global sporting event.”
Fans recall past World Cups where FIFA made tickets more accessible to locals, a strategy now replaced by the more lucrative idea of dynamic pricing models.
FIFA justified its approach, stating that the variable pricing system “aligns with industry trends across various sports and entertainment sectors, where price adaptations are necessary to optimize sales and attendance while ensuring a fair market value for events.”
Ontario has attempted to regulate ticket reselling, passing laws that prevent World Cup tickets in Toronto from being sold above face value. Consequently, FIFA was required to adjust its resale marketplace for matches in Toronto to comply with these regulations. Nevertheless, Yee expressed frustration over his attempts to secure tickets through lotteries, numerous portals, and access codes, ultimately feeling that the chance to attend was slipping away.
“I’ve given up, and honestly, I don’t want to give my money to FIFA anymore,” Yee lamented. “I’m finished with them. While they have control over pricing, it feels like an insult to the essence of football: it should be a sport accessible to all. Fans—especially those in host cities—should find it easier to attend the games.”
Increasingly, skeptics, including city councillors and officials who initially supported bringing the World Cup to Canada, are highlighting that cities shoulder the heavy financial burden of hosting, while FIFA reaps the rewards from ticket sales and broadcasting without paying taxes. Residents are funding the games, yet many cannot attend. In some instances, officials and FIFA planned to charge for public events promised to locals before retracting those plans.
Originally estimated to cost as much as C$45 million in 2018 to host the event in Toronto, expenses are now projected to exceed C$380 million. In Vancouver, the cost for seven games was initially pegged at C$240 million in 2022 but now is expected to rise to at least C$624 million. According to the parliamentary budget office, Canada will spend over C$1 billion to host the matches, equating to C$82 million per game. Other Canadian cities, faced with the initial cost estimates and FIFA’s stringent regulations, have expressed reluctance.
Despite these challenges, Yee remains hopeful for the teams and their supporters. “It will be a magical experience for those who get to attend, and I genuinely hope they have an amazing time,” he remarked. “Now that I’m relieved of the ticket stress, I’m looking forward to reconnecting with friends. Perhaps I’ll host gatherings at my home or join local watch parties organized by neighborhoods. The sense of community I cherished while growing up playing soccer is what I’m truly excited to rediscover.”
