100 days before the start of the tournament, interest in tickets for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada is reaching its peak, despite exorbitant prices that have caused protests from fans in the midst of global turmoil after the US attack against Iran.
In addition to the attacks against Iran - a country that plans to play its group stage matches in the United States - fans are concerned about the harsh repressive measures of the staff of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service and the violence that broke out near the host city of Guadalajara after the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), "El Mencho".
"I'm afraid they won't let me into the country, so I've decided to fly to Canada at most, but not to the United States," Tom Roeder, a German fan, told Reuters. "
I hope that at least the issue of the war with Iran does not reach North America. At least not in a way that affects us personally."
FIFA, which did not immediately respond to a request for comments, has said that almost two million tickets were sold in the first two phases of sale, with such intense demand that tickets were subscribed more than 30 times.
Attention to security
The political and social tensions surrounding the host countries are nothing new for the World Cup.
The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, said that there is "no risk" for fans who come to the country, and Adrián Núñez Corte, leader of Unipes, an association of fans in Spain, said that he had not affected the willingness to buy tickets.
"Fans who are in the area have reassured us that things also seem to be relaxing during the week," Corte said.
"People are raming up papers and safety recommendations in Mexico. But well, beyond having more precautions (...), if we go out in Madrid today, no, it's not that there's a hysteria or there are people thinking about not traveling," he added.
"Big inconvenience"
The stir around the tournament in North America is unprecedented.
"The demand for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is the strongest I have ever seen," said Michael Edgley, director of the Australian firm Green and Gold Army Travel. "I think FIFA will get record revenue. There is no doubt. This World Cup will be a great financial success and the beneficiaries will be the member federations."
However, so much popularity has a price.
Geography adds another layer of complexity, since the tournament will be held in 16 cities in three countries, which makes it more difficult and expensive for fans who want to follow their teams.
"I believe that FIFA has looked only at its collection and not at the ability of the fans to follow their teams. In the end, passion can do everything and people will adapt. It will look for cheaper accommodation or reduce other types of expenses, Corte said.
Secondary market boom
The impact of the price is even more pronounced this year, especially with a huge resale market in which tickets are sold above their nominal value, which is legal in the United States and Canada.
FIFA defended the secondary market model.
"Unlike the entities that are behind the for-profit third-party ticket markets, FIFA is a non-profit organization," a spokesman said.
"The income generated by the 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket sales model is reinvested in the global development of football (...) FIFA expects to reinvest more than 90% of its budgeted investment for the 2023-2026 cycle in soccer," he added.
Mehdi Salem, vice president of the French association of football fans Les Baroudeurs du Sport, indicated that they are seeing an increase of more than 200% compared to what the French federation and FIFA told them in 2018.
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