After years of build-up, planning, qualifying and of course twists of controversy that always precede a major sporting event, the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks-off next week ahead of 104 games featuring 48 teams which all lead to the final match on July 19th when the world champions will be crowned.

The cost and feasibility of securing a match ticket has dominated global headlines over recent months with many fans angered by FIFA’s ticketing policy and the ‘dynamic pricing’ strategy that has seen many fans priced out of watching the action at first hand.

Despite a recent trend over recent weeks that has seen prices for many games drop, watching the Mexican national side at home remains an affair for the deep pocketed.

Ticketdata.com have been monitoring World Cup ticketing trends over the past few months and El Tri and games at the Mexico City Stadium (Estadio Azteca) remain top of the most expensive listings.

Why is the cost of watching ‘El Tri’ so high?

The astronomical ticket prices for the Mexico National Team (El Tri) and matches at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City boil down to a perfect storm of historical prestige, stadium scarcity, and massive demographic demand that no other host country or venue can replicate for the 2026 World Cup.

While matches in the US and Canada are expensive, Mexico matches—especially the opening game at the Azteca—have completely broken the secondary market.

Out of the 104 matches in this expanded tournament, Mexico was only allocated 13 matches in total, with Mexico City hosting just 5 of them.

Mexico plays all three of its group-stage matches on home soil (two at the Azteca, one in Guadalajara). For Mexican fans, this tournament represents a once-in-a-generation cultural festival.

At present, according to TicketData, the average ‘get in’ price to see Javier Aguirre’s men in action is $1848 with the ‘get in’ price alone for the tournament opener now well over $2,000.

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