Record revenues and luxury prices

German engineer Thomas Schüller shakes his head. He is currently standing at the drinks counter to buy a beer for the group match “Germany – Ivory Coast” in Toronto. The price: 24.25 Canadian dollars – the equivalent of around 17 euros. “Back home, it costs three times less,” says Schüller. But it is not only in terms of price that the 2026 World Cup is in a different league when it comes to catering and hospitality.

However, the selection is not limited to this classic. At Los Angeles’s “SoFi Stadium”, for example, there are more than 100 food concepts, including local specialities, barbecue and modern street food concepts. The signature dishes there include the “Twinkie Cheeseburger” (22 dollars); in Vancouver, Canada, it is the “Maple Smokie Dog” (16.25 dollars), and in Mexico City, the “Saffron-infused Tostada” (14.50 dollars).

Beer is and remains the most popular drink at the football experience. But looking at the prices is likely enough to take away many people’s thirst. In many US stadiums, some prices during the World Cup are significantly above the usual level: At LA’s “SoFi Stadium”, for example, half a litre costs between 16 and 17 dollars – figures that are also found in the most expensive World Cup arenas in Canada. However, the burden on fans is particularly clear in Mexico City, where a beer costs around 310 pesos – almost an entire day’s wage, as the statutory minimum wage there is just over 315 pesos (around 18 dollars).

The situation is similar with food. At Germany’s match against Curaçao in Houston, a hot dog cost just under nine US dollars. In other arenas, chips can cost more than 17 euros, and special creations such as the “Caviar topped Tater Tots Tray” from Miami come in at more than 75 dollars.