ASTANA – Kazakh football fans planning a trip to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America should expect to spend between $1,700 and $4,000 per person for a single match, with flights, accommodation, visas, and match tickets driving costs higher as the tournament approaches.
Photo credit: Adobe Stock.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, is expected to be one of the most expensive tournaments for international fans, reported Kazinform on June 10.
For travelers departing from Kazakhstan, the largest expenses include airfare, accommodation, visas, and match tickets. Since official FIFA allocations are largely sold out, most tickets are now available through resale platforms, where prices for group-stage matches start at around $180, while tickets for the final can cost several thousand dollars.
Kazakh citizens require visas to enter the host countries. A U.S. tourist visa costs $185, a Canadian visitor visa approximately $135, and a Mexican tourist visa $53. Holders of valid U.S. or Canadian visas can enter Mexico without obtaining a separate Mexican visa.
Round-trip economy-class flights from Almaty currently start at around $1,200-$1,300 to Mexico City or Vancouver and around $1,600 to New York, all requiring at least one connection.
Accommodation prices have also surged. Two nights in a budget room during match dates cost roughly $167 in Mexico City, $177 in Vancouver, and from $184 in the New York-New Jersey area, where hotel availability is increasingly limited ahead of the final.
Based on current prices, a trip to a group-stage match in Mexico City or a round-of-16 match in Vancouver would cost at least $1,700 per person. Attending the World Cup final in the New York metropolitan area would require a minimum budget of approximately $4,000.
