2026 World Cup ‘hospitality’ tickets will ‘guarantee’ you a seat at a game. But what are they really?
Early access to tickets for next summer's FIFA World Cup has been released. But what exactly do hospitality tickets entail? More important, how big a hole are they going to put in your wallet?
The ads have been all over the place for a while now, especially on social media. They’re brightly-colored and attention-getting — and almost a little intimidating.
Want tickets for next year’s World Cup? Want to be truly certain that when you click “Buy,” you’ve actually bought a seat, not just a place in a lottery or a place near the front of another line?
Right now, the ads say, only “hospitality” tickets can “guarantee” that you’re absolutely going to be in the door and in a seat at Lincoln Financial Field for the six games here, or at any of the other 98 games in the tournament.
What exactly do those tickets entail? And more important, how big of a hole are they going to put in your bank account?
This is worth explaining, because there’s a lot of uncertainty among soccer fans right now — and a lot of fear that if they don’t buy whatever’s available right now, they’ll be shut out.
FIFA hasn’t said much so far about how things will work for the general public, beyond an announcement earlier this month that “the application period for the first ticket draw” will open on Sept. 10.
World soccer’s governing body hasn’t even announced what the standard ticket prices will be. Nor has it denied reports that it will use Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing system. If that does happen, it will be the first time at any World Cup that FIFA abandons its longtime system of set prices for games.
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The Inquirer reached out to On Location, a company that specializes in selling high-end ticket packages for major events. It has partnered with the NFL and NBA for years, and for next year’s World Cup is working with FIFA and MLS in a three-way sales and marketing deal. (Yes, MLS will get a cut of the money, a league spokesperson confirmed. There are also official “sales agents” across the country, including the Union and Eagles in Pennsylvania.)
Alicia Falken, On Location’s general manager for the World Cup, offered details of what’s in these packages.
“It’s more than just a ticket,” she said. “Hospitality is a full experience — it’s a culinary experience, it’s got entertainment.”
Fans might think of a suite or skybox when hearing those words, but hospitality tickets for the World Cup offer seating beyond just suites. Some deals offer tickets in the seating bowl with access to premium spaces before and after games.
“There are a couple of different products — suites are one of them,” Falken said. “We’ve got various tiers of lounge products … Each one has different aspects to it, and they include a seat within the stadium, preferred seating, and various other amenities and experiences and themed entertainment within those products.”
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In most of the 16 host cities, including Philadelphia, there will be five high-end lounges at various levels.
“For fans, families, groups trying to get together and navigate the complexities of how do you get to go to this once-in-a-lifetime world event, these packages provide that,” Falken added.
She made the key point unprompted when she said, “I think people are looking for how do you guarantee access to the World Cup now, and the only way to do that is through On Location as the official hospitality provider on behalf of FIFA.”
And when asked about whether fan concerns about not being able to get tickets any other way are fair, a spokesperson stepped in to “defer general ticket questions to FIFA.”
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“The hospitality packages are the first tickets that have been made available to the public,” the spokesperson said. “But as far as the general seats without the hospitality experience, that’s something for FIFA to provide further background on.”
Falken then added: “This does guarantee you a seat, a ticket, but also a whole experience. … If you want to guarantee access, On Location, as the official hospitality provider, is currently the only way to do that right now. But we can’t speak to the lottery process that FIFA runs, and the general ticketing.”
Asked whether a set portion of tickets per venue have been dedicated to hospitality packages — FIFA expects to sell 6.5 million tickets for the tournament overall — Falken didn’t have a number. She noted that, “seats that are dedicated to hospitality are really decided by FIFA.”
Testing the system
After speaking with Falken, this reporter decided to test the system to see what prices are without actually buying anything. It was 11:40 a.m. on a weekday morning, and a message popped up with a waiting queue of over an hour. It ended up being just under half an hour.
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The lowest price listed for a game in Philadelphia was $1,450 per person for a group stage contest on June 22 or 25. The other three group games started at $1,525.
That lowest price level was for a seat in the stadium and access to the “FIFA Pavilion,” which will be inside the stadium gates but outside the stadium itself.
The other four pricing tiers were for amenities in the stadium: “Champions Club” starting at $1,950 per person, “Trophy Lounge” from $2,250 per person, “VIP” from $2,700 per person, and the top-level “Pitchside Lounge” from $3,200 per person.
On Location also offers package deals for all six games at the Linc. Those prices start at $8,650 per person for the FIFA Pavilion; $11,600 for Champions Club; $13,775 for Trophy Lounge; $16,900 for VIP; and $19,700 for Pitchside Lounge.
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On top of all that, each level has a “Standard” and a “Standard+” tier. The first is described as “Back half of available seats for the product,” and the second is described as “Front half of available seats for the product.”
Whether for individual games or the package, all five tiers offer a wide range of amenities, including food, drinks, entertainment, and even souvenirs. But the first two don’t include guaranteed parking, and only offer hospitality access before and after games. The top three tiers do include parking, although “subject to availability,” and halftime amenities.