FIFA WORLD CUP 2026: Singapore fan demand for WC travel drops by half as costs soar

追加: 2026-06-04

[00:00:00]The 2026 FIFA World Cup being held across Canada, Mexico, and the United States is set to be the biggest tournament in history. But, Singapore fans who want to attend it are facing record costs, as much as 60% higher.

[00:00:15]Some fans are scaling back plans, and others are choosing to ditch their dream trip altogether. Nickol Kater reports.

[00:00:24]>> The biggest World Cup ever, on the pitch and on the pockets.

[00:00:29]This Singapore tour company has taken local fans to the last three World Cups.

[00:00:34]It says match tickets alone are now three to four times higher, with travel costs also rising.

[00:00:42]A 7-to-9-day trip covering up to three matches could now cost as much as $15,000.

[00:00:50]It has seen fans' interest drop by half.

[00:00:54]>> Everybody's a bit more hesitant uh to to spend on um this uh this event. Yeah.

[00:01:00]Uh that and the uncertainty that was triggered by the the the war, yeah, actually also put off quite a few people. Yeah, cuz um there were hesitancy about flying through Middle East.

[00:01:11]>> For Singapore fans, the World Cup bill comes down to three big hits: tickets, transport, accommodation. With most cost concerns coming out of the US, home to nearly 2/3 of the tournament's 104 matches.

[00:01:25]Most Singapore fans I spoke to got tickets at face value. Starting prices climb after the group stage, several times higher than 2022 by some estimates.

[00:01:36]The biggest jump is the final, where the most expensive ticket has gone nearly seven times higher to $14,000.

[00:01:44]Some Singapore fans went to resale, paying about 15% more.

[00:01:49]That's where things get wild.

[00:01:51]Driven by massive demand, dynamic prices have surged to more than 10 times the last two tournaments combined.

[00:01:59]>> This fan from Singapore has attended six World Cups. This year, he's staying home.

[00:02:06]>> This is not a people's World Cup. It's meant for the people actually, the everyday salary man. So, I refuse to go more as a matter of principle. You know, we can afford it, but why?

[00:02:18]>> In Qatar in 2022 and Russia in 2018, this was your golden ticket.

[00:02:24]Show it and you could travel across host cities for free.

[00:02:28]Not this time.

[00:02:30]Take MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

[00:02:32]It's just over 15 km from Manhattan, but a round trip train ticket was initially raised nearly 12-fold to almost $200.

[00:02:41]After public backlash, it was cut to about $125.

[00:02:46]Driving is not much better.

[00:02:48]Across host cities, fans could pay between $100 and $320 just for parking.

[00:02:55]And for fans planning to catch games across the US, a big cost is city hopping.

[00:03:01]>> Domestic flights are costing some $500 to $600 per leg on top of already paying to get to the Americas. Faced with 30% higher ticket cost than in Qatar, one fan says his group is looking at cheaper ways to get around nine cities.

[00:03:18]>> The cost is quite high because we have to fly for two of them, and I think the balance four or five we are actually driving.

[00:03:25]And cost in petrol now is all-time high also, so it's not the cheapest, and I think the transport alone is costing us a significant budget, about 20% of our entire budget.

[00:03:37]>> Fans are also having to budget more for accommodation. This is the longest World Cup ever, nearly 40 days long.

[00:03:45]Some reports put average hotel rates across host cities at more than $600 a night.

[00:03:51]In some places, prices have surged nearly four times higher than the same period last year.

[00:03:57]More than double in Dallas, more than triple in Mexico City.

[00:04:01]For this fan who is planning to follow Brazil in New York, he's spending three times more on accommodation than Russia 2018.

[00:04:10]>> New York is everywhere is expensive, but uh yeah, we we have to stay some comfortable places, yeah? So that there is going to be nearby to anywhere that we intend to go.

[00:04:24]>> It may be burning a hole in his pockets, but he says he will carry on for the love of football.

[00:04:32]>> And for those of you who prefer to watch the matches in the comfort of your armchair, you can catch all 104 matches live on the platform. Just subscribe to the FIFA World Cup 2026 via MeWatch.