It just got more expensive to sit in prime seats at the 2026 World Cup.
Already facing backlash for ticket prices, FIFA has added “front category” admission to its sales website. What FIFA is calling a front category 1 seat to see the United States play Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, California, is available for $4,105.
Earlier the top price for a category 1 ticket was $2,735. These tickets have been topped by the new ticket class.
There also is a new front category 2 tier, with tickets going for up to $2,330, for the U.S. opener.
Canada’s opening-round match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto also has undergone an upgrade to availability with the addition of front category 1 tickets, selling for as much as $3,360.
ALSO READ: Inter captain Lautaro Martinez to miss weekend clash against Como with calf injury
Ticket prices for the 104 matches — to be played from June 11-July 19 across 16 host cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada — have been a major source of discussion among fans.
In early March, FIFA raised its top ticket price for the World Cup final to $10,990 during the glitch-hampered reopening of sales. The price had been $8,680 when FIFA sold tickets after the tournament draw in December.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino repeatedly has said that all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup will be sold out. After initial backlash from fans over exorbitant costs, a “supporters-tier” category of tickets was added in December.
Published on Apr 10, 2026

![Deadspin | Without star Joel Embiid, Sixers set to visit Pacers Apr 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe (77) and forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) talk with NBA referee Eric Dalen (37) during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
With an unfortunate development for star Joel Embiid looming over them, the Philadelphia 76ers will try to pull out of a three-game slide when they meet the Indiana Pacers on Friday night in Indianapolis. Philadelphia (43-37) learned that the former NBA MVP needed an appendectomy on Thursday before the team faced the Houston Rockets. “We had an unbelievable day as a team [on Wednesday]. We had a great practice, a great film session, we were getting up and down the court, and [Embiid] was a part of all of that,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Thursday. “That’s what hits you in the stomach a little bit when you get that news.” Without their standout center, who is out indefinitely, the Sixers lost 113-102 to the Rockets to fall into a virtual tie with the Charlotte Hornets for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia and Charlotte both have clinched a postseason berth and have just two games remaining in the regular season as they jockey for postseason positioning. Coming off lopsided losses at home to Detroit last Saturday and at San Antonio on Monday, the Sixers made a few late-game pushes after trailing the Rockets by as many as 28 points. Rookie VJ Edgecombe scored four of his 21 points during an 8-0 run that pulled Philadelphia within five points in the final two minutes before the team ran out of steam. Edgecombe heads into the final weekend of the regular season having scored in double figures in 10 of the last 11 games, with Thursday marking his sixth game with at least 21 points in that stretch. Edgecombe’s play in March earned him the league Rookie of the Month. Indiana (19-61) enters Friday’s matchup already doomed to the worst regular-season record in franchise history. Just one year removed from only the second NBA Finals appearance in their existence, the Pacers faced injury woes throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Depleted Indiana pulled out of a three-game losing skid on Thursday, blowing out Brooklyn 123-94. Obi Toppin scored a season-high 26 points to help power Indiana to 80 points in the paint. Toppin’s best outing since returning in late February from a 56-game absence due to a stress fracture in his right foot provides a glimmer of optimism for Indiana looking to turn the page to 2026-27. Another positive for the Pacers this week was the return of All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton to 5-on-5 activities. Haliburton sustained an Achilles’ injury in last June’s seventh game of the NBA Finals vs. Oklahoma City, holding him out this entire season and setting the tone for Indiana’s woes. The rash of injuries plaguing the Pacers presented opportunities for other players to make a mark and perhaps position themselves well for the future. One such Pacer to capitalize, Jarace Walker, will close 2025-26 with career-best averages for scoring (11.6 points per game) and rebounding (5.2 per game). Walker also is heading into the closing weekend off of a near-triple-double performance with 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists on Thursday. “Positional size in our league is something you always seek out,” Indiana assistant coach Lloyd Pierce said following Thursday’s win. “And Jarace has great size as a three [small forward]. Any time we can put him in [that] position, he can see the floor, but he also has the ability to pass over defenders.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #star #Joel #Embiid #Sixers #set #visit #Pacers Deadspin | Without star Joel Embiid, Sixers set to visit Pacers Apr 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe (77) and forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) talk with NBA referee Eric Dalen (37) during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
With an unfortunate development for star Joel Embiid looming over them, the Philadelphia 76ers will try to pull out of a three-game slide when they meet the Indiana Pacers on Friday night in Indianapolis. Philadelphia (43-37) learned that the former NBA MVP needed an appendectomy on Thursday before the team faced the Houston Rockets. “We had an unbelievable day as a team [on Wednesday]. We had a great practice, a great film session, we were getting up and down the court, and [Embiid] was a part of all of that,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Thursday. “That’s what hits you in the stomach a little bit when you get that news.” Without their standout center, who is out indefinitely, the Sixers lost 113-102 to the Rockets to fall into a virtual tie with the Charlotte Hornets for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia and Charlotte both have clinched a postseason berth and have just two games remaining in the regular season as they jockey for postseason positioning. Coming off lopsided losses at home to Detroit last Saturday and at San Antonio on Monday, the Sixers made a few late-game pushes after trailing the Rockets by as many as 28 points. Rookie VJ Edgecombe scored four of his 21 points during an 8-0 run that pulled Philadelphia within five points in the final two minutes before the team ran out of steam. Edgecombe heads into the final weekend of the regular season having scored in double figures in 10 of the last 11 games, with Thursday marking his sixth game with at least 21 points in that stretch. Edgecombe’s play in March earned him the league Rookie of the Month. Indiana (19-61) enters Friday’s matchup already doomed to the worst regular-season record in franchise history. Just one year removed from only the second NBA Finals appearance in their existence, the Pacers faced injury woes throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Depleted Indiana pulled out of a three-game losing skid on Thursday, blowing out Brooklyn 123-94. Obi Toppin scored a season-high 26 points to help power Indiana to 80 points in the paint. Toppin’s best outing since returning in late February from a 56-game absence due to a stress fracture in his right foot provides a glimmer of optimism for Indiana looking to turn the page to 2026-27. Another positive for the Pacers this week was the return of All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton to 5-on-5 activities. Haliburton sustained an Achilles’ injury in last June’s seventh game of the NBA Finals vs. Oklahoma City, holding him out this entire season and setting the tone for Indiana’s woes. The rash of injuries plaguing the Pacers presented opportunities for other players to make a mark and perhaps position themselves well for the future. One such Pacer to capitalize, Jarace Walker, will close 2025-26 with career-best averages for scoring (11.6 points per game) and rebounding (5.2 per game). Walker also is heading into the closing weekend off of a near-triple-double performance with 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists on Thursday. “Positional size in our league is something you always seek out,” Indiana assistant coach Lloyd Pierce said following Thursday’s win. “And Jarace has great size as a three [small forward]. Any time we can put him in [that] position, he can see the floor, but he also has the ability to pass over defenders.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #star #Joel #Embiid #Sixers #set #visit #Pacers](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28695330.jpg)