Funflation — Ticket Prices Are Exploding Far More Than Just the World Cup

Funflation — Ticket Prices Are Exploding Far More Than Just the World Cup

 

 

A good ticket for the quarter-finals of the World Cup at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough is presently priced at $8,000 a seat. But that pricing is no longer an anomaly.

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In 2024, Deloitte published a report that coined the term “Funflation.”  It was supposed to be a temporary phenomenon that was cooling off after the pent-up desire to attend events post-COVID and the corresponding increase in event ticket prices.

 

“Some attribute this renewed post-pandemic fervor for live entertainment to 'funflation,' where consumers’ willingness to pay high prices for live experiences drove demand, and with it, ticket prices. But this live event hype may be cooling off—with rising costs for both event producers and consumers reaching a tipping point. However, while many consumers surveyed say they have not attended an event because the cost was too high, more loyal fans may be willing to invest in these live experiences,” wrote the Deloitte report in 2024.

 

Oh, how Deloitte was so wrong that the costs were waning.

 

This summer’s World Cup, NBA Finals, and many premium concerts saw ticket prices soar even higher.

 

Gillette Concerts

Let’s start with Bruno Mars tickets at Gillette Stadium in September at $1,200 for premium floor tickets  — per seat.

 

Country singer Zach Bryant is $600 for a good seat, and you are more than 150 feet from the stage, and then there is the Navy vs. Notre Dame game at Gillette.

 

Tickets at the 20-yard line — verified resale — are more than $11,500 a ticket. The total cost for a pair is $23,055.06.

 

 

NBA Finals

The prices for the NBA Finals may have been the tipping point. The lowest-priced seats for games 3 and 4 were listed between $3,500 and over $4,000 based on data from secondary market platforms like TickPick, Vivid Seats, and SeatGeek

 

According to Forbes, Courtside/Premium Seats range from $40,000 to over $100,000, with some pairs listed for over $250,000.

 

Sports ticket prices have increased sharply post-pandemic, with NFL tickets rising by around 300% from 1991 to 2023, and average NFL ticket prices exceeding $300 in 2025, according to the New York Times.

 

A new world order is now in place.

 

World Cup Pricing

The average price of a World Cup knockout-round ticket is now about $1,000.

 

Final Match: Tickets for the July 19 final in New Jersey ranged from roughly $3,500 up to $32,970 for premium front-row seats.