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2026 World Cup Opens in Mexico; Ticket Prices Soar

6/15/2026

27 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

The 2026 FIFA World Cup opened on June 11 with Mexico hosting South Africa in Mexico City.
Fans from Mexico City to Damascus and Nairobi gathered at public screens to watch the opening matches.
FOX and NBCUniversal hold broadcast rights, offering seventy free-over-the-air matches and Spanish streaming of all 104 games on Telemundo.
Resale tickets for the Tunisia-Japan Group F match on June 20 list at $918, reflecting a high-price environment.

History

Historical Context

When FIFA awarded the 1994 World Cup to the United States, ABC broadcast every match, introduced on-screen scores and reached roughly 30 million households, while the tournament set a record 3,587,538 total spectators. Those media innovations paved the way for today’s multimillion-dollar rights splits—Fox and NBCUniversal for 2026—and a booming secondary ticket market.

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Story summary

The 2026 FIFA World Cup opened on June 11 with Mexico hosting South Africa in Mexico City.
Fans from Mexico City to Damascus and Nairobi gathered at public screens to watch the opening matches.
FOX and NBCUniversal hold broadcast rights, offering seventy free-over-the-air matches and Spanish streaming of all 104 games on Telemundo.
Resale tickets for the Tunisia-Japan Group F match on June 20 list at $918, reflecting a high-price environment.

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