Football fans who are committed followers of their national teams attend FIFA World Cup matches regularly, but for many, it's a once-in-a-lifetime trip that takes years of planning in advance. With fans and families now looking to support their nations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Flashscore has looked into what it would cost a family of four to attend just the group stages of football's greatest spectacle this summer.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has no doubt been marked in calendars for football fans all over the globe ever since the United States, Canada, and Mexico were confirmed as co-hosts of the tournament. However, with prices on just about anything from petrol to hotels and food soaring, you will need deep pockets to follow your team in the group stage matches of the World Cup, let alone for the entire tournament.
The number of countries participating in this summer's tournament has increased from 32 to 48, meaning the two teams who reach the final will play eight games in North America, up from seven.
As it is always difficult to predict how far your country will go in a tournament, Flashscore has used the group stage as a starting point to calculate what the costs would be for a family of four to spend 10 days at the World Cup and attend the first three group matches, regarding flights, accommodation, transportation, tickets, and food.
The example has been made using England, who play their first three matches in Arlington (Texas) on June 17th, Foxborough (Massachusetts) on June 23rd, and East Rutherford (New Jersey) on June 27th.
Estimated flight costs for English fans travelling from London to Dallas for the group stages are approximately €1,490 per person for a multi-city itinerary that includes the team's later matches in Massachusetts and New Jersey.
Accommodation for England fans during the group stage is estimated to cost nearly €3,670 for a 10-day trip for mid-range hotels (three-star).
For England's group-stage games at the 2026 World Cup, Category 3 'Supporter Value' tickets officially cost between €188 and €204.
Transportation from hotels to the venues is expected to set back a family around €200 per person.
Daily expenses for food and drink are estimated to be around €669 per person for 10 days.
Total calculation for 10-day trip for four people:
Return flights from London to Dallas, plus flights to Boston and New York: Approx. €5,960
Accommodation: Approx. €3,670
Tickets for three group stage matches: Approx. €2,400
Transportation from hotels to venues for the three matches: Approx. €1,100
Expenses for food and drink: Approx. €2,676
In total: Approx. €15,806
For those European fans who choose to stay home, they can take pleasure in the fact that they only have to wait two years until they have the chance to witness the European Championship finals, where ticket prices will be offered at a much lower price.
UEFA has chosen to freeze ticket prices for EURO 2028 - meaning supporters will allegedly be able to buy around five tickets for the price of a single parking space at a World Cup stadium in the United States this summer.
For EURO 2024 in Germany, the cheapest group stage tickets cost around €60. UEFA aims to keep these below €68 for EURO 2028.
