Want to Watch the US Play in the World Cup at Levi’s Stadium? It Won’t Be Cheap

Now, the most dominant USMNT of a generation is coming to Santa Clara for the July 1 knockout stage match to play against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

And if the fútbol hype is getting to you and you’re tempted to try to see superstar striker Folarin Balogun score — or Christian Pulisic play after finally recovering from his calf injury — you’re not the only one.

Demand for World Cup games has only grown since the tournament kicked off, with some of the more “affordable” seats for the upcoming USMNT match listed online for more than $2,000.

Keep reading for what to know if you’re hoping to see Team USA play their World Cup knockout match in Santa Clara next week — how much tickets are going for and how to avoid falling prey to a ticket scam.

Can I still get a ticket to see the United States men’s national soccer team’s Bay Area World Cup match?

FIFA is no longer offering tickets or hospitality packages for the upcoming USMNT match on its official website.

This means your remaining option is to check out available resale tickets on verified resale sites like Ticketmaster, StubHub, SeatGeek and TickPick.

If you end up buying tickets on a resale site, you will choose the seat you want and make your payment on that site, but you will then have to confirm that these tickets are now yours on either the official FIFA World Cup 2026 App or the FIFA Resale Marketplace website.

As for the actual tickets, they will only be available on FIFA’s FWC2026 Mobile Tickets app — available in both the Apple and Play stores.

A resale vendor can only transfer the tickets via the FIFA Resale Marketplace — they can’t promise to email or text you your tickets.

How much are tickets for the USMNT’s July 1 World Cup match?

What’s a fair price for tickets? Because FIFA is no longer offering tickets for this match, it’s difficult to say with accuracy. But across major resale sites, prices seem to follow a general trend a few days before the July 1 match:

• 400 section seating: The “nosebleed” seats are going for between $2,000 and $4,000
• 300 and 200 section seating: Seats in the “middle” section are going for between $3,000 and $6,000, with a few vendors listing their tickets at almost $10,000
• 100 section seating: While many of the closest seats to the field are going for more than $5,000, you can find slightly cheaper spots in the rows behind the goal, which means less visibility of the whole game.

Even on verified resale sites, stay alert

A few weeks before the Australia vs. Paraguay match at Levi’s Stadium on June 25, Marin County soccer fan Lei Cai bought two tickets to the game on StubHub. She soon received an email from StubHub telling her that her tickets were ready.

But when she logged into the FIFA portal, “that’s when I found out there’s no tickets to claim,” Cai said. And after calling StubHub multiple times for several weeks, trying to get an answer, she was eventually informed by the company that the person who listed the seats online never actually made the tickets available for her.

Cai said StubHub originally offered only a refund for her tickets after learning of the situation. “You should not be able to sell something that doesn’t exist,” Cai said after accepting she wouldn’t be going to the game. “You’re scamming families.”

However, after KQED contacted the company requesting comment on Cai’s situation, StubHub reached out to her directly to offer two new, free tickets to the same match — in a seating section much closer to the field.

Similar ticket transfer problems have plagued soccer fans nationwide. At Spain’s World Cup match against Cape Verde in Atlanta on June 15, an Associated Press journalist encountered more than a dozen fans who reported being in similar situations, stuck outside the stadium without access to the tickets they thought they’d bought.

StubHub told KQED that FIFA’s ticketing app has seen performance issues affecting ticket transfers across all resale platforms, leading to situations where the transfer process couldn’t be completed in time for the match.

“Every order is backed by our FanProtect Guarantee and getting fans to their matches remains our top priority for the rest of this tournament,” a company spokesperson said, adding that fans who are still having ticket problems should contact customer services directly and ask for “World Cup specialist support.”

In an emailed statement, FIFA told KQED that it “can guarantee the validity and delivery of tickets purchased through its official platforms.” However, the problems that Cai and other fans have experienced on third-party sites have arisen when they can no longer buy tickets on FIFA’s website.

Ticketmaster, SeatGeek and TickPick also have consumer guarantees listed on their website that promise buyers will receive their tickets on time ahead of the event. If you’ve already bought a ticket, confirm — as soon as possible — that you actually have access to them on the FIFA Resale Marketplace and FWC2026 Mobile Tickets app.

And if you don’t see your tickets? Contact the resale site as soon as possible. Have your order number ready, along with any other information you had to share when you made your purchase. In past cases, these sites have usually offered affected customers a full refund, and in some instances, folks got different seats to the same game.

Don’t fall for a scam

Vendor problems on resale sites may encourage some soccer fans to look elsewhere for a better deal. But talking to strangers on sites that are not verified — like Facebook Marketplace — increases the risk of getting ripped off, Santa Clara County Assistant District Attorney James Gibbons-Shapiro said.

“The criminal is simply looking for someone desperate enough to go to the World Cup that they’re willing to send a lot of money right away to a total stranger,” he said.

If you find seats you like on a verified site like Ticketmaster or SeatGeek, make sure you make the actual payment on this same website — and never on another platform. Scammers often promise you “a better deal” if you make the payment using instant payment sites like Zelle, Venmo and Cash App.

But fraudsters aren’t trying to save you money with this suggestion: They’re trying to make it easier for themselves to keep your money.

If you paid for seats that are listed on Ticketmaster, for example, but paid the “vendor” on Venmo, you can’t claim Ticketmaster’s buyer protections, as you didn’t actually use the resale site to make a purchase.

No, don’t try to buy a ticket outside Levi’s Stadium on July 1

While some scammers are able to print tickets that look very “realistic,” there are, in fact, no physical tickets being issued during this World Cup. FIFA has adopted a fully electronic model for fans to store and display their tickets on their phones using the FWC2026 Mobile Tickets app.

So if someone approaches you outside Levi’s Stadium and offers you a physical ticket, that’s a fake. “Don’t go to the stadium to try to buy a ticket there,” Gibbons-Shapiro said. “You’re not gonna be able to get in, and you’re going to lose all your money.”

Scalpers are actually not permitted on stadium grounds — and reselling tickets near the stadium is a misdemeanor crime in California.

Additionally, ticket rules require fans to claim their tickets on FIFA’s platforms at least 1 hour before the match starts; otherwise, they won’t be able to enter the stadium.

If someone shows you they have a virtual ticket available on the FIFA Resale Marketplace website — but the game begins in 20 minutes — it’s likely you won’t be able to claim the ticket once the seller has transferred it to you.

I just got scammed buying a fake World Cup ticket. What can I do?

If this were an individual you met online, make sure to document all your communication with them — including screenshots of any messages in case they attempt to delete anything from their end of the conversation.

If you were scammed online or over the phone:

You can then report the situation to your local police department, as the city where you live is defined as where the crime took place.

If you bought the fake ticket in person from a scalper:

Contact the police department of the city where the transaction took place. “If that happened right outside the stadium, that would be Santa Clara Police Department,” Gibbons-Shapiro said.

You can also file a complaint with the California Attorney General’s office or the Better Business Bureau.

Gibbons-Shapiro said his office is ready to prosecute anyone who tricks others into buying fake World Cup tickets, adding that he would consider that to be a felony.

“We have robust teams for consumer protection and theft enforcement,” he said. “We’re going to prosecute the scammers.”

If you think you were scammed while using a verified resale site, contact the platform’s customer service team immediately. While it’s not certain that they can get you the seat you initially bought, they can usually help you get your money back — something that’s not guaranteed at all if you contact a stranger making offers on social media.

• Ticketmaster: Call their customer service line directly at 800-653-8000, available Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. PST, Saturdays 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. PST and Sundays 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST.
• StubHub: You can message the customer service team online or call 888-720-9452.
• SeatGeek: You can message the customer service team online, email hi@seatgeek.com or call 888-506-4101.
• TickPick: You can fill out an online form or call 845-538-4567.

This story includes reporting from The Associated Press.