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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is now well under way, and for those of us of a certain age, it’s hard not to think back to another summer that still holds a special place in British sporting history.
1966.
The year England last won the World Cup.
That was the year when commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme said the immortal words:
“Some people are on the pitch… they think it’s all over… it is now!” as Geoff Hurst hit the fourth goal that gave England victory over West Germany, 4–2.
And sixty years later, England opened their 2026 campaign with a 4–2 defeat of Croatia. The scoreline is a coincidence, but a reminder of 1966, as England try to end “sixty years of hurt”.
Time will tell.
But there is one very noticeable difference about the 2026 World Cup, compared to 1966. How much it now costs for fans to actually watch a game in person.
2026 is the year when ordinary supporters attending the biggest football tournament on Earth might just need to take out a second mortgage to finance their desire to watch football. For the fans of the two teams that get to the final, following them all the way will cost a small fortune.
One big change in the game of football since the 1960s and 70s, is the impact of money on the sport, especially big tournaments like the World Cup.
It is now a commercial extravaganza.
The World Cup in 1966: The People’s Game — Football for Everyone
When England hosted the World Cup in 1966, football was still very much a working-class game. People would attend games in their working clothes. Some still wore a cloth cap, with a rosette pinned to their chest, a scarf around their neck, and a rattle in hand.
And to attend a game at the World Cup back then was cheap. Football fans today might be surprised as to how cheap it actually was.
As today, ticket prices varied depending on the match and seating area, but contemporary reports show that some supporters were able to buy tickets for as little as five shillings (25p in pre-decimal currency). Even the best seats for many World Cup games cost only a few pounds.
And yes, there were tickets for the actual final, priced at five shillings.
That may sound impossibly cheap today, and by comparison to 2026, it was!
Using modern inflation calculations, in real terms, £1 from 1966 is worth roughly £24 today. That means a ticket of five shillings (25p) would be equivalent to around £6 now. A £1 ticket would be about £24, and a £5 premium ticket would be about £120.
In other words, even after adjusting for inflation, attending the World Cup in 1966 was remarkably affordable for many fans. They could realistically travel to a match without months of financial planning involved. Like now, fans from overseas, would need to add in the cost of flights, hotels, food, and entertainment. Even so, 1966 was still a lot cheaper than the current World Cup.
We live today in a world that is far more commercial. The 2026 World Cup is a competition where money talks, with dynamic pricing and hefty travel, food, and hotel costs thrown in. That second mortgage might not be enough if your team gets to the final.
The World Cup in 2026: A Different Financial Reality
Fast-forward sixty years and the picture looks very different. The 2026 World Cup, hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, is the largest tournament in football history.
Official FIFA ticket prices start at around $60 (£45) for the cheapest group-stage seats. However, many ordinary fans quickly discovered that the lowest-priced tickets were extremely limited and often difficult to obtain.
Published ticket prices for 2026 include:
Around $60–$105 (£45–£80) for the cheapest group-stage tickets. And you can expect to pay several hundred dollars for better seats at popular matches. Get to the final and pay $2,000 (£1,500+) for the cheapest official tickets. Premium final tickets are reaching several thousand pounds.
On the resale market, prices have typically been far higher. And the closer to the final, the higher the price will be.
I suspect that ticket touts will probably finance their retirement out of this World Cup.
But this is not unusual for the USA. At the recent NBA finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, a ‘cheap’ ticket for Game 3 of the series cost around $7000. The closer you sat to the court, the higher the price.
Tickets for major sporting events are now expensive, and football is no different.
The Average Fan Then and Now
The real story isn’t the most expensive ticket, though. It’s what the average supporter has to spend. In 1966, attending a World Cup match might have cost the equivalent of a few hours’ wages. For many supporters in 2026, attending even a group-stage match can involve having to buy a ticket costing £50–£300.
Add in all the other costs, and the football pilgrimage that once felt accessible and was genuinely the people’s game has become something else.
A way for some to make money, and lots of it.
More Than Inflation
Of course, everything costs more than it did in 1966. But World Cup ticket prices have risen faster than inflation alone would suggest. If a five-shilling ticket from 1966 had simply kept pace with inflation, it would cost roughly £6 today. Or around $8! Admittedly, that’s keeping pace with UK inflation from 1966. The World Cup is held in a different country, or continent, every four years. Inflation trends elsewhere in the world will be different (but usually upwards).
But the truth is, many basic World Cup tickets now cost ten, twenty, thirty, or even fifty times more than 1966.
Today, football has transformed from something local, the people’s game, into a global entertainment industry. The World Cup remains the greatest show on earth for football, but it is increasingly priced for an international market rather than the fans.
In 2026, it’s hardly a surprise that money, and supply and demand have taken over.
FIFA state that the games so far have been a success, although some point to empty seats. But, many fans will do whatever they can to pay the asking price. After all, it’s the World Cup. For some countries, especially those that rarely get to the finals, it might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Many people will find the money, one way or another.
For FIFA, and all those looking to make money from the World Cup, it is “fill your boots time”.
Including football boots.
The 1966 Legacy
Perhaps that is why memories of 1966 remain so powerful — at least for those old enough to remember. Ordinary people felt part of it. Workers, their families, young and old, could realistically dream of being there. The terraces and stands were filled with supporters rather than corporate guests and hospitality packages.
In 1966, the World Cup still belonged to the ordinary fan. How many can afford to attend a World Cup game today?
As England supporters once again dream of glory in 2026, many will be watching from living rooms back home. Or in pubs and clubs. For many, it was probably never realistic to actually go to the USA anyway (Leaving aside the visa issues that many face).
In 1966, the World Cup came to England, and the people could afford to go.
And some, for five shillings, or twenty-five new pence, about six pounds in today's money, actually got to see the final, and that 4-2 win by England.
In 2026, the World Cup may be bigger and more spectacular than ever before. It may even be richer and now a licence to print money, but for many ordinary fans, the game has never felt further away.
Sources:
2026 World Cup ticket pricing ranges, including group-stage tickets from around $60 and final tickets costing several thousand dollars.
https://www.fifaworldcup-news.org/2026/06/how-to-buy-tickets-for-fifa-world-cup.html?utm
Examples of current market prices and cheapest available 2026 tickets.
Image: Martin Bradshaw, ChatGPT.
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