The 2026 Fifa World Cup is going to be the biggest in history. For the first time, the ultimate football spectacle in the world will involve 48 nations, up from the 32 that participated in 2022, playing 104 matches over six weeks.
Also, for the first time, the quadrennial tournament will be co-hosted by three countries, namely, the USA, Canada and Mexico. I bet you all know that.
But who will travel to watch this tournament given the financial hurdles that keep springing up with the frequency of Matatu operators altering routes and fares?
The latest bad news for potential travellers was the announcement by Fifa and New Jersey Transit officials last Friday that a round-trip public train transit ticket to World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey would cost, wait for this, $150 (about Sh19,373).
The 82,500-capacity MetLife Stadium, referred to as “New York New Jersey Stadium” for the duration of the tournament, at the insistence of Fifa, will host eight matches – five group stage matches, a round of 32 and round of 16, and the final match on July 19.
Remember how fans reacted with dismay and even indignation when Fifa announced the price of tickets?
Can you imagine that the top tier tickets for the final will set you back about $11,000 (about Sh1,419,990)! Standard price of tickets for group matches are costing at around $100 (Sh12,909) and more. That is a month’s rent for many Kenyans.
The most expensive ticket at the 2022 Qatar World Cup in comparison was $1,604 (Sh207,060), charged for the final match.
The most expensive ticket in history for a football match in Kenya was Sh10,000 charged by FKF when Kenya played Gambia in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at Nyayo National Stadium on March 23, 2005. But that is besides the point.
To imagine that at the 2022 Qatar World Cup anybody who had a Hayya card, a digital identification that was used as a Visa to enter the tiny Middle Eastern country, was allowed to ride public transport for free.
Qatar’s then brand new, shiny and sparkling underground metro system with driverless trains was a daily joy to ride. I should know. I was there.
Applying for the digital identification was free of charge. It costs a Kenyan $185 (Sh24,003) to apply for a US visa.
There are several nationalities, including those from World Cup-bound nations like Algeria, Tunisia, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, who must pay a visa bond of $15,000 (Sh1,936,350) to be permitted to travel to the USA. Eish! The vast majority of Africans do not even earn this kind of money in a year.
There are also accommodation and travel costs to consider. I feel sorry for the fans of Teranga Lions, Desert Foxes, The Elephants et al, who follow their respective teams with passion. They would need to save for several years to afford a trip across the Atlantic. What a World Cup!.
