World Cup 2026 sees soaring stadium prices and fan criticism of match times

Fans attending the opening matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States have reported extremely high prices for food and drink inside venues. At SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles a single beer was priced at about 590,000 VND, a hot‑dog at 260,000 VND and a specialty cocktail near 675,000 VND, making a simple snack run cost close to 1.4 million VND.

Retailers of World Cup jerseys in Vietnam say sales have been sluggish, with shop owners limiting imports to small batches of 20‑30 kits from popular teams such as France, Germany and Brazil and fearing four‑year over‑stock if items do not sell.

FIFA announced a record prize of 1.314 trillion VND (around US$50 million) for the tournament champion, but the fees paid to headline performers such as Shakira, Katy Perry and BTS remain undisclosed.

Many supporters have expressed that the expanded 48‑team format and morning/early‑day match slots reduce the traditional night‑time excitement of World Cups, leading to fewer crowds in cafés and lower revenues for local businesses. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin’s comment that some matches are “tedious” prompted a joint protest from 13 debut nations, who defended the value of their participation.

Legal experts in Vietnam warn that informal “friendly bets” among friends are permissible only when no money changes hands; once cash stakes are introduced the activity may breach gambling laws.