The Men’s World Cup is just around the corner, with hosts Mexico set to kick off the tournament on the 11th of June. 17 cities across Mexico, Canada, and the USA will welcome fans from 48 nations to the world's largest sporting event.
While international travel is never cheap, the 2026 World Cup is already set to be the most expensive tournament in history. At nearly every conceivable touchpoint, from transport to tickets, prices have been raised to unforeseen levels: the assumption being that someone, somewhere, will be willing to pay.
With this in mind, it’s a smart move to save money where possible while attending the 2026 World Cup. By now, most fans have already planned their journey to at least one of the host nations, booked accommodation, and packed their scarves. From travelling to matches to downloading a travel eSIM, we offer straightforward, route-one advice on keeping costs down while enjoying the world’s largest sporting event — and avoid scoring an own goal with your finances this summer.
Why is the 2026 World Cup so expensive?
Fuelled by dynamic pricing, the most expensive ticket for next summer’s World Cup will be almost five times the equivalent cost at Qatar 2022. In response to the news that some resale tickets for the World Cup final are currently priced at over $2 million, the organizers claim the pricing for the 2026 tournament is “aligned with industry standards across North American sports and entertainment sectors” and that they simply "apply market rates”.
Supplementary costs, such as accommodation and transport, are also climbing to reflect demand – a single parking space at Dallas’s AT&T Stadium can now cost up to $175.
What about Mexico and Canada?
While US cities have seen the most dramatic price rises in accommodation, transport, and ticketing, spiralling prices have been recorded across all three host nations. At the time of writing, access to the semifinal in Mexico City’s Azteca range from $420 USD to over $9,000 (this could still climb before the tournament). The following tips apply to every host nation.
World Cup Travel eSIMs
How to save money during the 2026 World Cup: from transport to travel eSIMs
1. Transport
Even if you were able to secure a ticket for face value, making it to your seat in time for kick-off is another financial hurdle. Fans were left reeling after the New Jersey Transit Authority implemented a twelve-fold price increase on public train tickets between New York City and the MetLife Stadium. Boston shares a similar story – a commuter train from central Boston to the Gillette Stadium will cost $80, while an express bus will set you back $95.
Most host cities are maintaining their regular transit prices throughout the tournament. Others, like Vancouver or Atlanta, have stadiums located within walking distance of the town centers.
2. Last-minute tickets
Some fans maintain that ticket prices could drop dramatically in the days before the opening ceremony: if enough seats fail to sell at the current rate, the theory goes, FIFA may slash prices just before games to avoid empty stadiums. At the time of writing, thousands of tickets remain unsold even for high-profile fixtures like the USA team’s opening match. Waiting until the last second may yield cut-price deals, provided buyers aren’t picky about the choice of seats. There is some precedent to this: sluggish sales during last year’s Club World Cup prompted FIFA to reduce some tickets by up to 97% just before kick-off.
However, this remains a risky strategy: FIFA rarely releases ticket sales figures, and there’s no guarantee that seats will be available, let alone cheaper, later. Any possible savings on last-minute tickets could also be offset by the higher cost of transport and accommodation booked at short notice. Reselling is also rife this World Cup, with a recent poll of Canadian ticket buyers finding that most respondents purchased tickets with a view to reselling for profit, rather than attending a match.
3. Official jerseys
Accommodation booked, ticket in hand – now what will you wear to support your team at the 2026 World Cup? Ticket prices aren’t the only spiralling cost – in recent years, the price of an official national team jersey has skyrocketed, with fans increasingly exploring other options with varying degrees of legitimacy.
While we wouldn’t condone the ordering of counterfeit merchandise, unbranded, generic national jerseys can be found for a fraction of the price of the real thing, while companies like Score Draw offer officially licensed recreations of iconic retro kits. Official kits from every nation can also be found on the second-hand market, providing a cost-effective and stylish alternative to a 2026 jersey. Failing that, any t-shirt in roughly the right shade and a dab of face paint is more than enough to show your support.
4. A travel eSIM for the USA, Mexico, or Canada
From hailing a taxi to viewing a match ticket, mobile internet is an essential requirement for international travel. However, using a domestic carrier abroad often incurs steep roaming fees, while getting a mobile signal in the midst of World Cup crowds can be unreliable at best.
Avoid roaming fees and enjoy fast, low-cost, and reliable mobile internet this summer with 20% off all BetterRoaming eSIM plans for Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
Over the last few years, eSIMs have become a travel essential. An eSIM functions just like a local SIM card: they allow the user to access mobile internet abroad, without roaming fees. Unlike SIM cards, travel eSIMs can be downloaded ahead of time and used to get online the moment you arrive at your destination — no more queuing up in the airport or keeping tabs on several tiny plastic cards. They can be downloaded in seconds and stored for as long as needed before being used. Modern smartphones can store multiple eSIMs at once – travellers heading to more than one country (such as Mexico and the USA) can book eSIM mobile plans for each of their destination countries beforehand, and roam uninterrupted during their journey.
World Cup Travel eSIMs
BetterRoaming World Cup eSIM offers
To celebrate the World Cup, BetterRoaming is offering discounted eSIM plans for Canada, Mexico, and the USA. Customers purchasing plans for these countries between June 1 and July 31, 2026, will receive 20% off – download your eSIM today.
An eSIM plan allows you to get online with a local network – these can be downloaded in seconds, for a single one-time price: no subscriptions, no hidden fees, and no plastic SIM cards.
Download yours ahead of time and use it to get online the second you arrive at the World Cup.
