Proposed dataset: FIFA World Cup final ticket prices per edition (1994–2026)

[amautadev]

Description

A per-edition reference table of the most expensive (Category-1) World Cup final ticket, face value, nominal USD — from USA 1994 to the 2026 finals. The 2026 final tops out at $10,990 face value (6.8× the 2022 price), with resale near $33,000 and a $60 "Supporter Entry" floor — pricing that triggered a subpoena of FIFA by the New York & New Jersey attorneys general (27 May 2026). Includes a companion table of the 2026 price tiers.

Why it belongs in core data

• Live news hook: the AG probe is days old; ticket affordability for a mega-event is squarely in the news.
• No openly-maintained version exists: prices live in scattered news articles and FIFA announcements; there's no tidy open CSV of World Cup ticket prices over time.
• Reusable: a base others can inflation-adjust (World Bank CPI), extend to other categories, or join to host-economics data.

Potential data source

• Per-edition prices: SI.com compilation (cites Statista + FIFA) — https://www.si.com/soccer/how-outrageous-ticket-prices-for-2026-world-cup-final-compare-to-past-years
• The probe (primary): NY/NJ Attorneys General press release, 27 May 2026 — https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-and-attorney-general-davenport-subpoena-fifa-over-world (>90 of 104 matches raised; avg +34%).
• 2026 tiers (primary): FIFA — https://inside.fifa.com/news/world-cup-2026-new-ticket-pricing-tier-fans-qualified-teams ($60 Supporter Entry floor).
• Real-terms: World Bank CPI (CC-BY 4.0) for inflation adjustment.

Format (proposed)

ticket_prices.csv — one row per edition:

column	type	notes
year	int	1994–2026
host	string	host nation(s)
cat1_final_usd_nominal	float	most-expensive final ticket, face value (blank where unavailable)
status	string	face_value | DISPUTED_likely_resale | missing
source	string	citation

Plus ticket_2026_tiers.csv ($60 entry → $5,785 Cat-3 → $10,990 Cat-1 → ~$32,970 resale).

License

Figures are factual (compiled from FIFA announcements + reporting); AG release is public domain. No clean upstream open dataset — flagged below.

⚠️ Data-quality note (this is a THIN dataset — be honest)

• Genuine gaps: 1998 and 2006 have no reliable primary face-value source (left blank, not interpolated).
• Disputed point: the widely-cited 2014 ≈ $6,000 looks like resale, not face value — flagged, excluded from any trend claim.
• Nominal, not inflation-adjusted: in real terms pre-2026 finals were roughly flat (~$1,300 in 2026 dollars); the clean low-inflation comparison is 2018 → 2022 → 2026. The 2026 jump holds in real terms regardless.

Open questions for discussion

1. Missing editions: does anyone have a primary source for 1998 / 2006 (and ideally 1990 and earlier) final face values? That's the main gap.
2. Scope: standardise on Category-1 final face value, or capture the full price range (cheapest↔dearest, all categories) per edition?
3. Resale vs face value: keep them as separate columns (face value is official; resale is market) — agreed?
4. Inflation: ship nominal only and let users apply CPI, or include a *_real_2026usd column built from World Bank CPI?
5. Maintenance: worth tracking the 2026 dynamic prices over the tournament (they move), or freeze at the announced tiers?