When Ty Malugani in Alabama learned the 2026 World Cup would be hosted across North America, he was ecstatic. He saw it as the perfect chance to take his four young children to their first World Cup — a family milestone and a way to pass on his love of the sport. But that excitement faded as the realities of attending sank in.
Ticket prices were the first blow. The least expensive seats for a U.S. match would cost his family nearly $1,600, and tickets for the U.S. opening game would top $6,700 — and those prices were for distant seats. Compounding the cost issue was the confusing ticketing system FIFA used, with lotteries and numerous seating categories that many fans found hard to navigate.
For Malugani, the tipping point came when FIFA awarded President Trump a new FIFA Peace Prize, honoring people who “have helped unite people all over the world in peace.” To him, the honor signaled FIFA was more interested in courting powerful figures than serving everyday supporters.
“It felt very much like we’re not going to care about the fans, or the event itself,” Malugani says. “We’re not going to care about anything other than trying to appease this one person in order in the hopes that they may benefit FIFA in some way.”
With the tournament opening in mid-June, Malugani is among a group of fans from the U.S. and abroad who told NPR they are so frustrated with both FIFA and some U.S. policies that they will not attend. FIFA insists demand is “unprecedented,” pointing to hundreds of millions of ticket requests. But evidence suggests demand — at least in the early rounds and from overseas visitors — has been weaker than many expected.
Jan Freitag, National Director for CoStar Group who analyzes hospitality trends, says he still expects demand to rise later in the tournament for knockout rounds and the final. But he notes the opening stages have been softer than projected. “It’s a confluence of, oh, there’s a war going on. Oh, airfares are high. Oh, ticket prices are high. You know, and in the first round stages, maybe those matches aren’t super interesting,” Freitag says.
Hotel bookings have also disappointed some industry watchers. The American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Rosanna Maietta says FIFA canceled a large number of reserved rooms across some host cities — a move that surprised hotel operators used to FIFA overbooking early and then scaling down. That, combined with fewer international bookings than expected, has made the hotel sector cautious. “That makes us take a deep breath,” Maietta says, though she hopes bookings will pick up as the event nears.
Beyond cost and ticketing, political and security concerns are keeping some fans away. Kieran Maguire, a Liverpool-based professor of soccer finance and longtime World Cup attendee, says he no longer feels welcome in the United States. He points to new rules allowing immigration officials to scrutinize visitors’ social media histories and to broader travel restrictions that affect dozens of countries — including four teams in the tournament.
Maguire also cites recent incidents of violence involving immigration enforcement in U.S. cities, which have made him and others wary of traveling. “Some of the measures … which are seen as being draconian, which are seen as being quite repressive, have had a negative impact upon those willing to attend the World Cup,” he says.
The White House and FIFA have pushed back against criticism. A White House spokesman said the 2026 World Cup “will no doubt be one of the greatest and most spectacular events in the history of mankind,” adding that the president is focused on ensuring a safe and secure experience for fans and visitors.
Still, many disappointed supporters like Malugani are resigned. He laments the missed opportunity to introduce his children to live World Cup matches and to foster in them the passion for soccer he enjoys. “That to me is the worst. Because I love the sport and I want future generations to love the sport,” he says. “Hopefully things can turn around and things can maybe, maybe work out. But as of right now, it just feels like it’s a missed opportunity.”